 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi guys,
We are wanting to get away on Boxing Day which will mean out for NYE (result). However as its probably the most expensive time to hit the mountains we had a plan to sit tight and book last minute. Since it will be just the 2 of us the main TO's are our preferred choice along with a catered chalet. At the moment prices for a snow sure resort are £750 plus. These have come down a little since I have been looking but are they likely to drop much more?
This is where we're at:
Book now and get something nice with good flights
or
Hold tight and book a week before departure but risk missing out / only having crappy options
Thoughts please peeps.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you want what YOU want and not what you can get? Well I'm sure you know the answer
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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As it NY week, I'd book now - I booked my NY plans back in July! Though I'm planning and happy to do a last minute booking in mid January when it's quieter.
For NY I want to know it's something I'll enjoy, so I'd rather have the choice even if I forego the price benefits of a last minute deal.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Normally I would have booked by now but last year we got stung. Most of the chalet booked the week before Xmas and paid half the price we did. I know the snow early season last year was crap but to pay £500 more than everyone else left a bad taste as you can imagine.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I'm in exactly the same situation as you OP. We've always gone over Christmas but after 2 years of very little snow, we're going to gamble on a last minute deal trying to follow the snow this time and if nothing comes up or it's all booked out, we'll go a few weeks later in January instead.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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As it's not xmas week but NY, I'd be cautious of waiting too long. Plenty of hotels/chalets showing on TO sites as "sold out" for that week already. Prices don't seem to fall like they do for xmas week unless you wait for the last few days and risk getting nowhere.
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We are actually going out on the 16th Jan for a week but being the greedy mofo's we are getting away just after Xmas and all the tins of chocolate seems like a great idea. I think the next few weeks will reveal a lot more. Once the snow (hopefully) starts falling lower down then we will have a better idea of places to book.
Did VT last Xmas and it was very thin and busy as the lower resorts were shipping people in for the day. Sods law the snow gods dumped big time as we were leaving and caused a rather long pain in the ass return home.
We have £200 voucher from Crystal in relation to that journey home which we could use for the NY trip. I have a figure of £600 in my head but that might be wishful thinking given the "peak" week.
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@chrisrawles, Chris, that's the busiest week of the year. Everywhere.
In recent years our 3 apartments have been filled by end-September. This year, as expected is slower. But still, given that every year in the last 10 we have seen emails on December 30 (and indeed, 31st) from desperate people willing to pay more or less any thing to get any thing...I am optimistic that we'll be full, and well in advance.
At this stage I'd be surprised if flights were a reasonable price, and I'd expect good accommodation in good resorts to be moving.
And of course, when the snow does arrive, it'll go completely nuts. 
If you want to ski that week, I'd book now and bear the conditions, whatever they are.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@under a new name, Yes I know its the busiest hence why I am checking the TO sites daily to see what movement, if any is happening. I have my eye on a few places but will hold on just a little longer and see where the snow decided to go.
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@chrisrawles, For New Year week prices are very unlikely to fall, it is the peak week of the seaon for rentals and the whole of Europe is on holiday so accommodation is in short supply.
We are usually booked for New year week the season before and there is a massive demand for that week. We had a last minute cancellation a couple of years ago, we sent a email out to our mailing list and within a day had booked it with 4 other people wanting to book it.
If you leave that week for a last minute booking there is a good chance you will not be going.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@skichampcouk, yes this is the conclusion I have come to after the comments above and my own research. I have a few places on the watch list so keeping an eye on them.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Was chatting to someone in the industry on the weekend who was saying Christmas/New Year bookings were well down on usual due to people getting stung for snow last year and assuming (illogically) that a bad start to one season means the start of the next season will be bad too. As a result they were expecting a raft of offers to come out in the next few weeks so, unless you have a specific chalet you want to book may be worth holding off till mid-month.
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If it were really Christmas I would say hold off, but that is the New Year week... If you definitely want to go then book it, and soon.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Mjit, Yes I have heard similar as well. We are not bothered where we go but do want to avoid living like students for a week. Luckily we have easy access to all the London airports so that will help keep the options open.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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This is not Christmas, it's New Year. I doubt you will get many options waiting for you if you leave it for much longer.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There's a BIG difference between Xmas and New Year weeks and also between well-known and lesser known resorts. I can only speak from personal experience of Chatel, which is quite well-known.
Xmas week is a lot quieter, people tend to spend time with family and go less on week-long skiing holidays. Also some years, the snow can arrive late or in the unusual case of last year, not. I'd guess that most decent resorts are 90% occupied. It's possible to wait it out and get a bargain, especially if the snow doesn't arrive until a few days before. You're basically giving an accommodation provider, albeit in the least successful 10% of their market, the choice of compromising their usual price against the risk of not receiving any booking. However, you will have to make compromises, which I'll explain below.
New Year, is totally different. It's the peak week of the year and a lot more snowsure. Remember Snowmaggedon last year, when a huge dump of snow arrived on the changeover Saturday between Christmas and New Year weeks? The best places booked out months ago and any decent resort will be 100% full and probably could have sold out twice over. Any accommodation left even now will be far from the lifts or there will be some significant compromise in its standard.
Either way. The general rule is the best accommodation books out first. If a resort is 90% full at Xmas, it is the resort's best 90% of accommodation and will mostly have been booked in advance. Similarly, if it's 30% full in the relatively quiet first week of January after New Year, it's the resort's best 30% which will have gone.
In less than peak weeks, you have to ask yourself the question of what is the saving you are making and were you prepared to pay it in order not to compromise on the best accommodation.
However, in your position for New Year week, my advice is you need to find the best you can get now, especially if you're going to one of the big resorts. The only late bargains to be had will be cancellations and they are very few and far between (I only ever received 2 cancellations in 3 years of renting both summer and winter = approx 80 bookings).
Sorry not be able to bring better news.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Even with only 2 of you, you'll find your options limited if you wait much longer. And once the first snowflake starts falling, it'll be a race to book up those last few remaining places.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
Any accommodation left even now will be far from the lifts or there will be some significant compromise in its standard.
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Actually, we're not full yet and know of a few places and there's no compromise on our standards 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@snoozeboy, Crystal have some places left in the "big" resorts and are close to lifts etc. Before we book anything I want to see some snow first!
Oh and I remember snowmaggedon well from last year. I got caught in it coming home!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Apart from prices and snow etc.etc, imo you are especially limiting your options because of the fact you're looking for a catered chalet for two persons....
And prices will definitely no go down anymore.
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That's a bold claim
There are often last minute reductions for Christmas. Especially when, as last year, there's no snow 
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@pam w, not so much for New Year though
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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No, absolutely not. Christmas is bearable on the slopes. New year is just mayhem. 
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Apologies, @under a new name, it may bit less extreme when you have a larger inventory than my one apartment. However, I'm sure you'll agree with my general point, the best places go first and the longer you leave it, the less chance you have of finding these. Of course, this doesn't matter to everyone. Some prefer a bargain, some prefer to be closest to the lifts etc. It's rare to get both and near impossible at last minute when a resort will be 100% sold, i.e. New Year.
@@chrisrawles, maybe I'm talking about a different sector of the market. My points may not be as applicable to big tour operators, such as Crystal, whose inventory is larger and "drains", rather than disappears in a click. I reckon the best independent chalets and apartments in Chatel were booked for New Year before the end of last season. Nonetheless even for Crystal, when it's gone, it's gone and I would expect Crystal to sell out in Tignes for New Year before a meaningful flake falls, though I defer to others' greater experience of the big tour operators.
I say meaningful, because if it snowed tomorrow it'd make little difference to your chances at New Year. Last year, for most of the northern Alps, I think it snowed in October and/or November and then nothing til Snowmaggedon.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@snoozeboy, no offence taken, thanks Absolutely, your point is quite correct, best places (and often if it's your only and cherished place I imagine often to repeat clients) go earliest.
I don't know how the big operators work these days as it's been some years since I was in the trade, but my expectation is that they'd try to have only enough hard commitments to match seats on charters/options that they have to have and last minute deals are only ever there to fill beds or flight seats that they are committed too.
Margins are too thin on anything else.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Just hijacking the thread a little, I have just booked 10 days DIY over Xmas and NY in the Grand Massif. Been there several times but not at Christmas. We've booked a table for Xmas eve dinner in a village restaurant but just wondering do all the mountain restaurants open as usual on Christmas Day and New Years Day (generally speaking in France)?
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@jirac18, In our village the restaurants are open on Christmas Day and New Years day as per a normal day. Some of the hotels have special menus for Christmas Eve and New Years eve which are usually pretty expensive but the majority of restaurants stick to their normal menus
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You know it makes sense.
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We only have 1 room left for new year sold the rest back in january
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@jirac18, yes.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@skichampcouk, @under a new name, thank you just the job. bring on the snow please
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FAQ
Luton a little cheaper at £280 