What a week it has been for travel news in the UK. We’ve been told that from mid-December, the 14-day quarantine currently required when returning from a lot of countries around the world, including most of northern Europe, can be slashed to five days of self-isolation, with a Covid test on the fifth day and that if that test comes back negative, you are free. Suddenly that ski holiday feels within reach.

As we speak, there remains a lot of uncertainty over which ski resorts will open and when, heightened by Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte’s announcement that Italian ski resorts should stay shut until the new year and that he believes neighbouring countries including Austria, Slovenia and France, should follow suit. There is less uncertainty, however, among deep-pocketed die hard skiers, who will always find a way.

“It’s the one time of the year when we’re all together as a family, doing the same thing, so it’s really important to us and we’ll move heaven and earth to find a way of making it happen,” says one wealthy advertising executive from North London. “The upside this year is that we’ve got the luxury of waiting to see where the best conditions actually are before booking. Where we end up will probably depend on whether France and Italy ease their entry restrictions – otherwise we’ll head for Verbier or Gstaad in Switzerland. We have both flights and Channel Tunnel already booked, to give us maximum options.”

Ariodante Travel is launching a France-based Covid-proof ski holiday that isn’t dependent on whether the resorts are open. Available for a group of up to 10, you'll fly to Geneva by private jet from a UK airport of your choice and will then be whisked by chopper to a luxury chalet in Megève, from which your group will take daily excursions to remote slopes in Switzerland, Italy and Austria, to heli-ski under the supervision of world championship and Olympic medallist instructors. That costs from £350,000 for the group for a seven-night holiday, plus £2,700 per person for the return private jet.

“One noticeable shift I have seen is the request for accommodation and ski guides that can offer the utmost privacy, isolation and remoteness,” says private travel consultant and Italy specialist Merrion Charles. “So I have worked closely with Mario Delmonego, the top guide in the Dolomites and Stefano Barbini, who owns San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge to come up with specialised itineraries that promise self-contained, crowd-free and totally exclusive experiences.” One-week itineraries for six people taking over San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge on a half board basis start at £19,068, including bespoke ski-safari, ski hire and ski pass and Mercedes transfer to and from slopes.

You might also consider exclusive-use boat charter HMS Gassten in western Norway, which sleeps ten in five en-suite cabins and will be offering some of the world’s finest ski touring and split boarding holidays between mid February and the end of April. From your base aboard this cosy, candlelit, sheepskin-strewn restored Swedish naval vessel – one of the last wooden-hulled warships ever built, now like a floating ski chalet – you will take day trips up into the deserted snow-capped Sunmøre Alps to explore the revered summit of Slogan and others. A six-night trip for eight people costs from £37,500.

Another increasingly popular way to guarantee privacy and seclusion without skimping on service is to rent a chalet attached to a hotel – or indeed the whole hotel. In Austria, Severin*s, The Alpine Retreat in Lech, has teamed up with The Oxford Ski Company to create a completely private holiday, with flights for eight people to Innsbruck aboard a Citation Sovereign, private Mercedes transfers from the airport and then seven nights in the hotel’s self-contained, four-bedroom Residence, which features a spacious living room with an enormous open fire and a grand piano, and an outdoor hot tub (from €59,000 for seven nights). Elsewhere in Lech, the 16-room Kristiania hotel is now available for a ‘buyout’, at €18,000 per night, on a full-board basis.

But what if you want to travel right now?

“The announcement of the reduced five-day quarantine is the news we’ve been hoping would come in time for Christmas/the winter season and has resulted in a big increase from our clients calling to discuss options for Christmas,” says Rupert Longsdon, CEO of The Oxford Ski Company. “However with the announcement from France that they may not open their ski areas until January and likely that Austria and Italy may follow suit, all eyes are focused on Switzerland, the historical and supreme playground for skiers.”

Hidden Dragon, an exclusive and secluded mountain retreat in Veysonnaz, in the heart of Les 4 Vallées, is one of several Swiss chalets Longsdon would highly recommend this year. Sleeping 12, this laid-back alpine lodge and spa sits up a private road in its own extensive grounds and is so well serviced and equipped, you only really need to leave it to hit the slopes, which you can do straight from the chalet. As well as a spa, it’s got a large yoga deck, meditation room, a private cinema and an impressive wine cellar. It costs from £37,050 for seven nights.

Fittingly, Badrutt’s Palace in St Moritz has also just launched a new three-night ‘Remote Mountain Touring’ package (from £3,980, based on two sharing), where you will be flown to remote spots in the Engadin Valley by helicopter to ski and snowshoe, accompanied by a ski butler (obviously) and experienced local guide to ensure you get the inside track.

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