 Poster: A snowHead
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I was thinking of squeezing in an early season weekend skiing 14th/15th December. Anyone got details of planned opening dates for the resorts near Geneva (Portes du Soleil, Grand Massif etc)? I did a quick Google search but can't find anything.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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PdS normally opens around Christmas, so I'd guess 21/12 this year.
Does it have to be Geneva? If you could do Innsbruck then Ischgl's open from 28-Nov.
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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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| Mjit wrote: |
PdS normally opens around Christmas, so I'd guess 21/12 this year.
Does it have to be Geneva? If you could do Innsbruck then Ischgl's open from 28-Nov. |
I was looking at Geneva as it has lots of cheap flights and the timings generally work well for a weekend (leave London after work on Friday night, get a late flight back on Sun or Mon so get 2-3 full days skiing). Innsbruck generally doesn't have flights that make this possible. For Ischgl, I've flown to Zurich in the past but it's a long drive and also hotels for short breaks are very difficult to find in Ischgl.
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St.Anton is an hour closer to Zürich than Ischgl...
Anyway, you are aware that in 2014/15/16, it really was not wortwhile going in december due to lack of snow across the Alps?
Last minute decision is best imo..
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Mon 16-09-19 11:22; edited 2 times in total
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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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If I recall correctly, quite a few resorts near Geneva have temporary openings over December weekends, snow conditions permitting. Though probably only limited openings in terms of lifts / pistes.
As well as Avoriaz, the Grand Massif advertise an opening date of 14th December (I would guess just the Flaine bowl). As do Les Houches.
Northwest Alps is generally a bit of a gamble in mid December though. Zurich rather than Geneva might open up some eastern Swiss resorts.
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I don’t know if you have your flights booked or whether you are tied to Geneva for some other reason, but I intend a trip to Kronplatz in mid December and based on past experience there will be sufficient snow
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Another option, fly to Salzburg from there it is around an hour and a half to Zell am See. Planned opening is 29th November with the back up of the Kitzsteinhorn glacier at Kaprun.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| MyKeg wrote: |
| Another option, fly to Salzburg from there it is around an hour and a half to Zell am See. Planned opening is 29th November with the back up of the Kitzsteinhorn glacier at Kaprun. |
Salzburg is the same issue as Innsbruck - lack of convenient flight times for a long weekend. Having looked at this before, it generally comes down to a choice of flying into Geneva, Zurich or Munich. Which resorts within 2 hrs of these airports are likely to be open from 14th Dec? St Anton is just about do-able from Zurich in 2 hrs.
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@MontyP, What about Nice or Turin? The Southern Alps often does very well early season and as a consequence the resorts open pretty early. Isola 2000 normally opens at the end of November.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Provided you set your expectations appropreatly it sounds like Avoriaz would work then.
You could get epic early season snow...or no snow. I skied the first week in 2014, when everything on the Morzine/Les Gets side was literally green, and only the Fornet and Linderets bowles were open up in Avorias and we still had a great week. Early starts, long, late lunches and back to the chalet late afternoon to drink beers on the balcony in shorts. Lift pass was something like 37Euro for the week.
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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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@MontyP, two hours to St Anton from Zürich is a little optimistic more like 2:15 or so, I would have thought Val d'Isere and Val Thorens would be similar distance from Geneva. Given how low season it will be it would seem best to wait until you have some idea of snow conditions. Some years there is snow from early November and some years not until after New Year. Yes the resorts have big snow making installations but the focus will be on ensuring skiing for Christmas week rather than anything much before. If you want to book reasonably early Ischgl is probably the best bet anywhere but as you say not good for short transfers from a big airport and not so easy to book short stay accommodation (though my experience is that it can be done last minute low season).
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| munich_irish wrote: |
| @MontyP, two hours to St Anton from Zürich is a little optimistic more like 2:15 or so, I would have thought Val d'Isere and Val Thorens would be similar distance from Geneva. Given how low season it will be it would seem best to wait until you have some idea of snow conditions. Some years there is snow from early November and some years not until after New Year. Yes the resorts have big snow making installations but the focus will be on ensuring skiing for Christmas week rather than anything much before. If you want to book reasonably early Ischgl is probably the best bet anywhere but as you say not good for short transfers from a big airport and not so easy to book short stay accommodation (though my experience is that it can be done last minute low season). |
Thanks - good advice. I'll probably leave it til the last minute ....
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You know it makes sense.
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The best early-season resorts are always the same, every year.
They have the most snow and most trails open.
They selfpride on opening first and most.
Pick from:
Val d'Isere
Tignes
Val Thorens
Zermatt
St Anton / Lech
A dozen others can be included, like Obergurgl, but they are mostly small or a bit cr*ppy.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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@LaForet, Lower slopes being shut before Xmas even when there is plenty of snow is generally down to economics - with low numbers of ski pass sales early season lift companies keep costs down by not opening the lower lifts or bashing the lower slopes.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Last three years we've been the week before Xmas.
Tignes had almost too much snow two years ago.
3V lots of snow last year.
Booking late has to be the way - no shortage of accommodation mid Dec.
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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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Kaprun is good from Late October onwards and from early December can be linked with a day out in Zell am See upper slopes. Kaprun should be very interesting once the new lift from the town centre up to the glacier opens. We often stay in Zell early December and take in both resorts.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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We’ve flown to GVA after work mid December for a sneaky weekend trip for last 8 years at least and always found some fun skiing.
Book the flights now and worry about where to go much later is my advice...
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As a general rule the East and South get most snow early season due to the Mediterranean weather patterns. Last season was an ok start in the French Northern Alps, the previous 3 seasons were poor to the second half of January.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| davidof wrote: |
| Last season was an ok start in the French Northern Alps, the previous 3 seasons were poor to the second half of January. |
Are you sure? Les Arcs in December 2017 was pretty good from what I can recall, with plenty of snow down to the valley floor at Bourg and plenty of fresh up top in the opening week of the season. My only disappointment was that I'd hurt my back the previous week so couldn't really take advantage of the fun.
December 2016 and 2015 were not great in Les Arcs, but there was enough piste skiing to enjoy, with the (mostly unwanted) benefit of it being mild enough to have lunch on mountain terraces during Christmas week in 2015.
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@MontyP, You could access Cervinia via the Mont Blanc tunnel - alternatively depending on where you are based, there are usually lots of cheapish flights to Milan, and it's an easy run from to Cervinia from there...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Grand Massif is advertising season start on 14th. They normally officially start around the 19th, with limited opening earlier if the snow is good. Last two years our kids broke up on 14th/15th, so we had a great week pre-Xmas in the sun with lovely snow and slopes to ourselves. Of course prior to that there were a couple of not so good starts to the season but other years it has been fine.
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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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| davidof wrote: |
| Last season was an ok start in the French Northern Alps, the previous 3 seasons were poor to the second half of January. |
???
Mid November to mid December 2016 was one of the best 4 week periods eveeeeerrrr. Weather-to-ski said it was the best start for the NW alps in 20 years, widespread 100cm depths in mid November, with regular dumps until early Dec.
Early season 2017 was also very solid across the northern alps from early Nov to early Dec. Better than last year.
I've just skimmed thru my photos, the PdS thread and of course the weather thread. There really was a lot of early snow in 16/17 and 17/18.
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Thanks all. I think I'm going to book some cheap flights to either Geneva or Zurich and then sort out somewhere to stay nearer the time.
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You know it makes sense.
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I don't think you can take just a couple of years as examples but I've skied in and around La Rosiere for twenty years and the resort has never failed not to open by the second week of December, in all that time I've only known one year where conditions were not as good as usual.
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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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MontyP,
We've skied the 3 Valleys over the past 3 seasons, arriving around 15 December each time. In 2016 we stayed in Meribel and there was no natural snow below 2000m. However, due to snowmaking and fantastic piste preparation, 50% of the 3 Valleys runs were open and we had the place to ourselves. We had a fantastic time! 
The past 2 seasons there was a lot more natural snow and we would have no hesitation in going to the 3Vs again for the week you have in mind. In fact we've already got it pencilled in again for this season.
The last 2 years we have been in Val Thorens then and had a great time. On a good run that's 2 hours from Geneva (if you take the motorway via Chambery - or 2 hours 15 minutes via Annecy). If you stay in Meribel that would be a slightly quicker drive from Geneva.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Well I've got a boys trip booked for alpe d'huez for the 14th Dec so by my reckoning that will be an epic week if my history is to be a baseline stat.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| ansta1 wrote: |
| Well I've got a boys trip booked for alpe d'huez for the 14th Dec so by my reckoning that will be an epic week if my history is to be a baseline stat. |
Fingers crossed it is an epic week, and the snow hangs around as I'm there 2 weeks later.
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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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| Quote: |
| I've been to Tignes twice in December. Both times the glacier lifts were closed. |
For the whole holiday  ?? And all the lifts? (So unable to even get on the chair out of Val Claret?) Very unfortunate that - but presumably bad-weather/wind related rather than lack of snow.
These things can happen with high altitude skiing, everywhere in the world...
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FAQ
- I was there in 2 of those Decembers....Don't recall wasting my time...but do recall digging the car out one year...Anyway, the glacier makes it snow sure skiing 
