The start of the ski season in Austria has been postponed for the time being: no ski lifts are allowed until December 12th. Hotels and restaurants will also remain closed, so the Austrian government decided. The nationwide lockdown will take effect on Monday, November 22nd. If you wanted to hit the slopes in Austria in the next three weeks, you’re out of luck. And for the time after the lockdown, much is still unclear.

Lockdown entitles you to free cancellation

If you wanted to be there at the start of the season in Ischgl or Sölden, you can stow away your skis again. The events are canceled. There is no ski circus until mid-December. After all, from a legal point of view, a lockdown is a plus point for the disappointed vacationer: A free cancellation of the accommodation or the trip should be possible without any problems, says the ADAC. Because the tour operator or the hotel on site cannot provide the booked service at all.

The turn of the year at the Austrian ski hut is in danger

However, the rest of the winter season is filled with many question marks. The lockdown may be extended over Christmas and New Years Eve. At the beginning of December, the Austrian government will evaluate whether the end of the lockdown for vaccinated and convalescent people can be held after a total of 20 days.

Skiing vacation for unvaccinated people hardly possible this winter

It seems pretty certain that unvaccinated people will hardly be able to go on a skiing holiday in Austria this winter. Due to the already existing 2G rule, even after the lockdown has ended, it is not allowed to climb into a gondola or enter a hotel. If the unvaccinated person concerned booked the vacation before the regulation was decided in Vienna, he probably has a right of withdrawal. According to ADAC, it is difficult to say whether this argument will hold up in court.

“High incidence area” can also be a reason for cancellation

At the moment there is another reason for canceling the ski holiday free of charge: The Foreign Office in Berlin selected Austria as a high incidence area a week ago. In the opinion of the consumer associations, this is an exceptional, unavoidable circumstance. Package travelers could refer to it and get money back. But tour operators are no longer as accommodating as they were at the beginning of the corona pandemic. And individual travelers & each check the contractual conditions of the Austrian hotel and in the fall of the fall will probably find a fair solution with the hotelier.