Dear Members, Parents and Guardians,
As you are probably now aware, countries around the world have gone into lockdown state as they struggle to contain and delay the spread of coronavirus. In Europe many countries have closed their borders and national governments are having to take tough decisions, quickly, which will likely impact our ability to travel. In the UK, we are expecting government action over the coming days and weeks which will have a medium-term impact on all of our families and loved ones.
We are not in any way trying to replace FCO or national guidelines which are in place, but if you or a family member are planning on travelling back home from resorts but have not yet done so, BASI strongly suggest that you or they pack what can be packed and do so now. None of us can know how long these lockdowns will last, or indeed whether airports and train links will remain open. BASI have a duty of care to our members to ensure they keep themselves safe.
Many of our members are experienced instructors, permanently located in the Alps and are well placed to help the many who are not and/or who may be worried about how to get home if local & national transport infrastructure closes. If you are willing and able to offer your help, without putting yourselves at risk, to those individuals trying to get back to the UK then it will be hugely appreciated. The “BASI Community Hub” Facebook group is a great place to liaise with one another, as many already do.
Effective from tomorrow, the BASI office will be physically closed and staff forced to work from home, with the phone lines open 0900h-1700h GMT, Monday to Friday. Please bear with us whilst staff do their best to adapt to a completely new way of working – this is something we have never done.
As professional snowsports instructors, we all have a fantastic job. We help others have fun, we stretch and develop them in a beautiful learning environment. The mountain can wait, you and your families’ wellbeing cannot. Many of us, BASI included, run businesses and understandably are thinking through the commercial impact of what has happened. Many members are worried and angry that they’ll be out of pocket. For now, focus on getting home, because we can all revisit those topics at some point in the future once we’ve had the chance to get back up, dust ourselves down and assess the impact of what has occurred.