UKC

International travel is becoming increasingly complex. While we hear a lot in the media about requirements on re-entering the UK, there is little about the requirements to enter another country FROM the UK. 

The latest travel advice is here and changing daily https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

Alpine destinations in particular are becoming tighter, for example Italy now requires evidence of a negative covid test taken within 72 hrs of entry. 

If you become ill with covid when you’re abroad you may find you’re unable to return home until you’ve completed quarantine so you need to factor that into the costs, insurance and logistics.

If anyone has any more advice or practical experience, it would be useful to know. 

Yes I don't expect the situation will be any better this winter. Can't complain too much since I already live in Norway, but it will be nice to visit some new places with less familiar culture after the pandemic. I've given up trying to plan anything in the meantime.

Giving up seems the sensible option for a while at least.

I'd say the best advice is to keep your options open until the last moment and don't book anywhere (or if you book cheap flights, be prepared not to use them). Personally for a while now I've resigned myself to probably getting no winter climbing done either in the UK or abroad this coming season. Hopefully things will be better in the summary and I'll just 'redirect' holiday towards a summer Alps trip instead. The ice will still be there next season (well, hopefully!).

Here's a shout out to invite ice climbers to Switzerland to swing tools into frizen water this winter!

If folks are able to travel, I climb ice regularly, and I'm always looking for partners.  I know some nice places to find good conditions, and I offer free pick up and drop off from the Basel airport (I live in Basel so this is easy for me).

I have a regular partner from London, and he usually flies out Friday, we climb ice for the weekend, and he flies home Sunday.

I have all the gear we could possibly need, a car, and solid experience. I really love climbing moderate multi pitch ice, grade 3-4, but if you want to climb harder, or do mixed or dry tooling, that's fine too

Keep it is mind of you can travel.

Bruno