 Poster: A snowHead
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Yeah, I know - predicting snowfall two months out is nigh on impossible. But I'll ask all the same 
My wife and I want to ski over Christmas, so we're looking to book somewhere 19th through 26th in either 3V, Tignes or Serre Chevalier.
Are any of these resorts likely to be a better bet for snow that week? I'm hoping that some of you will be able to polish your crystal balls for me.....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Are you looking for lots of off piste snow?
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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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Any of them should be fine, but the most snowsure of them would be Tignes or Val Thorens.
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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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SC does sometimes have different snow to the Tarentaise resorts because it's further south. In recent years it's sometimes been better, sometimes worse.
Christmas is not a very busy week (unlike new year).
You could always wait and see - and maybe get a last minute bargain if you're flexible.
But SC is a different sort of resort and there are also very varied places to stay throughout the Tarentaise.
What sort of thing are you after?
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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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@emwmarine, sadly we aren't safe off-piste!
@HoneyBunny, thanks. VT is on the list; we've seen a couple of deals for Meribel and are considering that as access to VT from there is easy.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@pam w, as much piste skiing as possible. Happy to make our own apres ski entertainment - which usually involves sleep!
We've skied SC once and liked it, both the resort and the ski area. Hit Tignes twice this year, and skied the whole area. 3V is our favourite area though.
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My preference for TV at Xmas would be VT rather than Meribel (in fact, on reflection I wouldn't even book to go to Meribel that early). Admittedly I have only been once over Xmas to TV but the snow was in much better condition in VT (the same mid March) and there are more runs/km to ski should weather keep the lifts shut (happened on 2 days to us and big storms are quite common at that time of year). Personally I rate Meribel as the least interesting skiable area of the TV but it depends of course on what you like. From what you say you sound like us - lots of piste skiing, any colour with only the occasional foray off piste.
Two friends went to SC and rated it highly. I have been in that area in summer and my impression was that because the ski accommodation is in discrete villages or towns along the range you might get a less 'package holiday' feel to Xmas than VT or Tignes. But from the post above it seems that snow coverage is more variable. So again depends what you prioritise.
Suec
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| t40ora wrote: |
@emwmarine, sadly we aren't safe off-piste!
@HoneyBunny, thanks. VT is on the list; we've seen a couple of deals for Meribel and are considering that as access to VT from there is easy. |
In that case Val Thorens will be snow sure then. pretty much all the resort is open for xmas week. In a bad winter sometimes they struggle to open the lower Boismint runs.
If it doesn't snow between now and then there is enough snowmaking equipment to have the pistes OK. Any existing snow above 2600 metres and pretty much any snow that falls from now is likely to stick around in Val Thorens.
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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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Thanks guys. Looks like we will be keeping our eyes on deals for VT.
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We went the week before Christmas a couple of years ago and stayed in Les Bruyeres, couple of hundred metres from Les Menuires. We felt it was a bit nicer than the concrete jungle of VT and Les Menuires and a bit easier access for Meribel and Courcheval. Of course, we had more snow than I have ever seen, so we were very lucky.
Three valleys snow making facilities are amazing. We went in the mid 2000s and had terrible conditions, didn't ski a single piste that wasn't covered in stones. We had similarl conditions two years ago, but the pistes were in amazing condition. Obviously that doesn't apply if it's been a very warm December, i.e. too warm for snow making.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I went the week before Christmas in 2014 (terrible start to the season last year). I was in Courchevel 1850, and we skied over to VT every day - on the one route which was partly open. The snow in VT was absolutely fine when everywhere lower was icy/stony/shut.
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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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there was enough to ski in 3v's last christmas above 1800m thanks to the snow making, although the odd rock to avoid on some of the pistes
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But..... Just to complicate the picture, if it's cold, windy and bleak with thick clouds up high Val Thorens could be horrible.
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You know it makes sense.
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That's very true. If it were all straightforward then there wouldn't be anything to post about 
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