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Any experience of early Dec?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I know snow conditions are unpredictable early doors but I wanted to get some opinions from anyone experienced in skiing early in December.
I have some leave I must take by xmas and a late sun holiday is not an option so I am thinking a solo ski trip and be home for Santa.

Can anyone share their experiences of skiing 2/3 weeks in Dec? Especially VT, Tignes or Cham.

Is it just too risky to book ahead??
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Tignes a good bet but many resorts including much of Chamonix won't be open. Weekends, if snow is good. Some will open.
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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?
We have been to Obergurgl that time of year. We had a snow guarantee for the holiday with inghams (though not sure they still offer it) which meant if there wasn't enough snow we got bused / ski passes for solden, we had no need to use though, conditions were great.
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I have been at this time of year on 3 occasions, but it was over 10 years ago.

The first time was after we heard there had been a blizzard and had a fantastic (very cheap) week in Val Claret....sunshine, powder snow and empty pistes. The second time was also to Val Claret, but the snow wasn't as good, but it was reasonable.

The third time was at Courchevel. It had very poor snow and required a lot of busing.

It is a complete lottery.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
But also very quiet. Book accommodation at the very last minute.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
2nd week of December last year, 2 days in Tignes, 1 in VT - both good snow, blue skies. Year before same week in Lech - reasonable-ish snow mid-station and above, cloudy and miserable. Year before, same week in Les Deux Alpes, excellent snow, blue skies. This might, or might not, have any bearing on conditions this coming season. You could just hang on to see where is looking best - if you're only 1 or 2 people, you'll have plenty of package options to consider.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
We've skied Verbier in Late November/Early December the last three years. But only at the Weekend. Conditions have been variable. Three years ago wasn't great and we almost didn't bother again, but the last two years were very good. In Verbier, the lifts and pistes are only opened at the Weekend until mid/end December, and the opening Weekend is a moveable feast. Even then, only certain of the upper ski areas are opened.

Below is La Tzoumaz (Verbier) 28 November 2015 ... you can see the télécabine running in the background. The village is at 1500m so conditions were good, but they only opened the lift here in order to connect to Verbier, we couldn't actually ski back down to here unless we were prepared to go down unpisted and unmarked slopes ... The Savoleyres area is north-facing and the lift company try to keep these slopes unused as late as possible, so that in a bad season they're still OK through to Easter.

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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Book a flight to Geneva on as late a date was you can and don't book any accommodation until a day or two before.
You have the option of the Three Valleys, Tignes or even Cervinia all within about 2 and a half hours drive from there.
I go for four days every December and we have always managed to ski.
We have been very luck a couple of times with huge dumps of snow and empty pistes.
It's obviously a bit risky but wherever you go will be quiet and cheap.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
I ski first two weeks December each year in VT and have done for many years.

Never not had snow on piste.

However, what does happen fairly often is that there is a first few snowfalls in November and then nothing for a few weeks. This happened for the last coupe of years. The resort is good at keeping the snow on the piste and then supplementing it with snow canons but it does mean that off piste can be poor or non-existant at this time of year.

The last two years the pistes have suffered a little bit as people were being bused in from other resorts where there was no snow at all.

Up until xmas week they usually open about 2/3 of the pistes and the links with the other 3 vallees are sometimes not opened until xmas week. Having said this a couple of years ago there was a 1m dump at the end of the first week December and it didn't stop snowing until mid-jan.

I love it at this time of year. The pistes are normally pretty good, there are absolutely no queues for any of the lifts and the restaurants are empty.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Bormio opens the last weekend of November. From early November the snow cannons will have been running every night.
On piste will be from good to very good depending on how much natural snow has fallen.
Off piste will be from very poor to very good depending on the weather gods.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
pam w wrote:
But also very quiet. Book accommodation at the very last minute.


What Pams says. It has been so variable the last couple of years with even big, high areas having thin cover at times. The east (Austria, Swiss) generally get better early snow than the French northern alps due to the prevalent weather systems.
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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.
What everyone else says, watch the conditions and book at the last minute. We have done first week of December in Val D' several times mostly with great success, one year when it wasnt so good there there was snow in Eastern Austria so its horses for courses. Have fun - no crowds. One day we skiied up and down from top to bottom of Le Fornet over and over again following an early lunch right through to lift closure with only a couple of other people on the lifts, the snow was falling, the powder was lovely - no piste bashing, a memorable day.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Tignes and Val d'sere were the only resorts to have snow in Dec when I went. I went on the week of xmas and then went to St Anton for the week of New Years. Literally there was no snow in Anton when we got there which was such a bummer after having a decent amount of snow in Tignes (and Tignes was hella cheaper too).
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond, you all pretty much confirmed what i expected.
Its great to read that some have experienced some good skiing at this time of you so i won't but ruling it out at this point.
Fortunately i am in a position where booking late is not an issue.

Thanks again Happy
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Corduroy, the early season sessions offered by Mountainsun in their chalet hotel in Tignes Les Brevieres are well worth a look. Very keen prices and they do transfers from Geneva.

Les Brev is too low for guaranteed snow in early December but they bus you up to Val Claret.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
NickyJ wrote:
We have been to Obergurgl that time of year. We had a snow guarantee for the holiday with inghams (though not sure they still offer it) which meant if there wasn't enough snow we got bused / ski passes for solden, we had no need to use though, conditions were great.


Obergurgl opens the second weekend of November every season from memory, it's been a while but I was in Solden and Obergurgl late November and had a great time. I don't see any reason why you'd need to book ahead as others have said wait until last minute or just book flights to an airport within driving distance of plenty of options. You really need somewhere with a glacier to be certain to have something to ski, and the off piste will be non-existent to deadly.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Quote:

the off piste will be non-existent to deadly

Laughing that's telling it like it is..... We were in Tignes last year in November having lessons with skimottaret and he pointed out some people way off piste and told us they were dicing with an icing.
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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?
Love mid-Dec long weekend trips. More Switerland than France though.
2013 Verbier : warm, pistes generally good, not enough snow to safely venture off-piste, some areas closed due to lack of snow.
2014 Saas Fee : cold, great on-piste, some off-piste opportunities, certain areas closed to prep for xmas.
2015 Jungfrau : warm, spring-like. Really enjoyed Murren and Wengen on-piste. Real lack of snow over at Grindelwald.
2016 Flight to Geneva booked. Zermatt beckons if conditions allow.
If I was doing 2/3 weeks early season then I'd be planning a multi resort tour!
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