The Italian Job or Mission Impossible?
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Dear Captains
Sadly this update is not the one I expected to send having just returned from an inspirational and successful trip in Courmayeur.
With yesterday’s advisories against European travel in the USA and Canada and today a border closing closer to home in Europe, the Italian Job is currently looking more like Mission Impossible.
However us Brits are a tenacious bunch and we believe our Interbourse friends are too – so we are currently working to keep our options open for as long as we possibly can and if at the end of the day only a few of us have a lovely holiday in Courmayeur then so be it!
London will remain committed to running Interbourse in Courmayeur, if not in 2022 then in one of the following years (subject to Frankfurt and Philly/Chicago plans).
When we asked 200 or more of you to commit at the outset we warned that should it come to a cancellation then unavoidable costs would put around €100 of each person’s registration fee at risk. Translated our terms state 20% of the registration fee would be forfeit if you canceled before the 20th December and 100% thereafter. To give everyone some breathing space we have scope to delay the step in terms to January 3rd.
However, next hotel payments are due and this will have implications for many, as some hotel deposits would be forfeit if individuals chose to cancel and many are only refundable if COVID actually stops the event.
Speaking to a few impacted by the America announcements they feel very reluctantly that we should explore a postponement option. They anticipate some cancellations from their teams but expect their core group to join us in Italy unless regulation prevents it. That does mean we could drop below the 200 participants that we really need to run the full Interbourse experience we had planned. Postponement itself, has implications for hotel deposits, so whilst we will consider this outcome, we are asking you in the meantime to survey your teams as to whether they feel they should cancel now before further hotel deposits are committed or whether they will stand by us to try to make a smaller Interbourse happen.
So Captains can you please give us a rough indication of what percentage of your team will opt for Option 1 and what percentage will opt for Option 2 below.
1.I think I should cancel before the 20th December 2021
General Refund (subject to bank charges admin fee) for 80% registration fee, ski passes, ski trip extras or option to carry credit with Interbourse
Hotel Refund/Credit will depend on booking terms – certain hotels will refund if you are unable to travel due to COVID (i.e. regulations) from December 28th or beyond or they may roll credit over – if you booked with Momentum they will negotiate the best they can.
2.I remain committed to IB 2022 and challenge London to accept the mission
It’s not going to be easy but it isn’t quite ‘mission impossible’ either – let’s say we were 100 attending; we could offer registration drinks, welcome night supper, pizza party, one day of racing, the day in La Thuile with lunch and the Gala Night Dinner. All Après-ski events would be coordinated so we all turn up at the same place and make our own party!
Implications for individual cancellations under (2) are:
General Refund (subject to bank charges admin fee) or Interbourse Credit
Pre Jan 3rd 80% registration fee , 100 % ski passes, 100% ski trip extras
Jan 3rd – Jan 20th 100 % ski passes, 100% ski trip extras
Post Jan 20th No General Refund available
Hotel Refund/Credit will depend on booking terms – certain hotels will refund if you are unable to travel due to COVID (ie regulations) from December 28th or beyond or they may roll credit over – if you booked with Momentum they will negotiate the best they can.
I hope I can write with more positive news in due course but if you would like to see a selection of the photos from our recent trip you can find them on the website in the photo gallery www.interbourse.net/gallery/
We look forward to your thoughts
Jennie and the London Interbourse 2022 Committee