 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi I am looking for some advice. I have read large numbers of posts and reviews and am now more confused than i was before. We are a family of 4 looking to go skiing at Christmas. I have skied a few times and my children (11 and 15) have skied for 2 days and so are beginners (ish). We are looking for the classic alpine Christmas experience and so a resort which does some Christmas events would be great. My wife is a non skier but she is keen to have a go at dog sleds or similar activities. Now in saying all this after reading many reviews i'm now more aware that the quantity and quality of snow is most important at this time of year than probably anything else. We have been looking at French resorts as we are driving and so distance is important. We will be staying in self catered accommodation and so apres ski is not important to us, more we just want a family orientated resort. So far my thoughts are the following:
Alpe D'Huez - High altitude so hopefully snow. Good for beginners. Not sure about town
Val D'isere - quite big. Not sure how good it is for beginners.
Tignes - High altitude but sounds like the town is too busy for us?!
Avioraz - Nice town. Not the classic alpine look. Sounds like it can get very busy if snow not great elsewhere
Les Gets - Lovely town but is resort too low for that time of year
La Rosiere - good for beginners
Apologies if these statements are not accurate!
My question is where would you book if you were in my situation? Any help would be amazing.
Thank you
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
@steve36749823, somewhere in Austria 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
I was concerned someone might say that 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@skimastaaah, +1
Been in Austria and France for many Christmas’s and Austria is a standout if you want a proper festive experience imv.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Where should i be looking in Austria...is there anywhere within 11 hours ish from Calais
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
We have skied the following resorts at Christmas with teenage children in recent years:
Les Arcs - very good although with beginner kids you do not need a resort that big. Snow sure. Has a range of skiing above and below the tree line. Peisy Vallandry would be good for beginners - L'Oree des Cimes residence is well placed. there is a new gondola up to a beginners area. It is a pretty village but might not have that much for a non skier. 1950/2000 are above the tree line and my teenagers preferred base. There are good Christmas events in Arc 1950 which can be accessed from 2000 as well. In 2000 there is bowling and an ice rink and night skiing a couple of days a week. There are some pedestrian routes and pedestrian lifts your wife could use. She could treat herself to a morning's spa session at the Taj i Mah hotel. Good self catering in that area would be La Source des Arcs or the Cime des Arcs...we booked self drive through Ski collection. You could also get there by train.
Montgenevre - excellent for beginners and intermediates. Le Napoleon residence is the best self catering or you could go to chalet des dolines and get the bus back at the end of the day. At Christmas they have an ESF torchlit descent (which you will find in most places) . It has an ice rink and mountain rollercoaster and there is a newish resort spa. Not that much for non skiers. However it is an attractive place and family orientated. There are plenty of trees so the skiing tends to be good whatever the weather. One of our favourite resorts. Peak Retreats offer it self drive or you could fly to Turin and book accommodation only.
La Rosiere - has a beautiful Christmas trail in the woods, bowling and an ice rink. Very good for beginners. Some walking trails for non skiers. Very good range of self catered accommodation. Alparena apartments are well placed and your wife could have the pool, jacuzzis and an outdoor hot tub to herself all morning.
Les Saisies - Very good for beginners. Beautiful resort with a good snow record for its altitude. You would need to self drive. Probably has more than the resorts above for non skiers. Not many Brits go there so your kids might be in a mixed french/english lesson if they do group lessons..although that never put my children off and they were much younger when they were beginners (ie hardly knew any french). les Cimes is the best self catering for beginners as it is in the centre of the village.
I would recommend any of the above.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
That's brilliant, thank you for the in depth information
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@steve36749823, that's actually the info you could hope for.
@snowymum sent me and my family to our first Alpine ski vacation in April some years ago. We all fell in love with Les Arcs 1950 right then and are grateful for her good advice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
There's lots of Christmassy stuff in Les Saisies. Can't think of any of the usual "activities" which wouldn't be available. Some nice walking trails. You can DIY or the ski schools offer accompanied snowshoe walks. Dog sled rides available when I was last there. Some people see the lack of Brits as an advantage! Would recommend the ESI ski school over the ESF. Good choice of food available, including excellent (and expensive!) butcher and several "traiteurs" who provide ready-made dishes. Good choice of restaurants. Easy drive - no hairy hair-pins.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@steve36749823, Don't be thinking high is good at Xmas. High = white outs, colder temps and high winds. Stay below the tree line your kids will thank you for it
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Christmas is a gamble wherever - but almost always a big improvement compared to slobbing on the sofa watching too much telly and eating and drinking too much.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
Christmas = Kitzbuhl
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| steve36749823 wrote: |
| We are looking for the classic alpine Christmas experience |
I am not sure what that is. We've been skiing in French ski resorts for many Christmases. For us, it's more about being in the mountains at Christmas and doing something we love during all the time off that you get over Christmas. Sometimes there is the odd extra thing put on in resort but by and large it's like any other ski trip.
| steve36749823 wrote: |
| Now in saying all this after reading many reviews i'm now more aware that the quantity and quality of snow is most important at this time of year than probably anything else. |
As someone else mentioned if you go high you will get the snow but you also get the white out. And tree skiing can be extremely useful at that time of the year. Hence my go to is Les Coches.
As also mentioned by someone given your level, no interest in apres you don't need go to a large ski area. Have a look at Valmeiner.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
The quality of the snow is almost always the most important thing about a ski holiday. Closely followed, for beginners, by the quality of the ski instruction. Quantity of snow is rarely great at Christmas but this is not a big deal for people who ski on piste - you only ski on the top few inches and if pistes are mostly on pasture (as they are in Les Saisies) you don't need a great depth.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
| spyderjon wrote: |
| Christmas = Kitzbuhl |
that's where you'll find me this Xmas and new year
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
I'm not the greatest cheerleader for Austria, but for Christmas markets, drinks, decorations, graven images and cute Christmas overload, they are hard to beat. My experiences of Christmas in France have been much more restrained.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
It's hard to know quite what the OP is looking for, as they don't want a "busy town" (e.g. Kitzbuhel) or "apres" (whatever their perception of that is!). High altitude makes snow more likely but nasty weather more likely too (though nothing is nastier than rain in a ski resort, which is more likely at lower altitudes). All resorts will feature pretty lights and some Christmas events but yes, the degree of "cute Christmas overload" will vary! As will the visibility of graven images. The certainty is that Christmas will mean short days, long dark evenings and a setting aside of many "traditional" aspects of Christmas (like giving all but essential workers the day off) in the interests of extracting the maximum buck from the tourists.
I'm not a big fan of Christmas (how did you guess?) so spending it in a ski resort with plenty of time on the snow and convivial fellowship with friends and family (without the huge stress of "gifts" and preferably without telly) is my idea of a good time. For people stuck with school holidays, Christmas skiing is a good way to do it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Les Contamines. High enough that there will be skiing in the worst year. Set up for french families, so Dog seld and horse drawn activities + xcountry skiing etc. Pretty village. Easy to get to from the UK by car. Pretty village and self catering available (including decent enough supermarkets in town). Quite a lot of the mountain resturants are lift accesable, with a bit of a hike almost all are accessible form the lifts!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| Quote: |
I'm not a big fan of Christmas (how did you guess?) so spending it in a ski resort with plenty of time on the snow and convivial fellowship with friends and family (without the huge stress of "gifts" and preferably without telly) is my idea of a good time. wink For people stuck with school holidays, Christmas skiing is a good way to do it.
|
Agreed wholeheartly. Surely the whole point of going skiing over christmas is to get away from the dreadful english christmas and do somethng you actually enjoy. Well that and it doesn't eat into your holiday allowance too much.
But we do import some christmas niceties for the evening meal on christmas eve or day. Notably brussel sprouts (I suspect that due to Brexit that is now illegal) and christmas pud. A roast chicken from the shop also adds to the special christmas meal part of the day. I may even wander into the centre of Arc 1600 to watch the ski instructors torchlight descent and grab a glass of free vin chaud, but that is about it.
Back to the original question; of the list of resorts given I would suggest La Rossiere. There were plenty of people out snowshoeing when we were there in January but I didn't see much other acticities for non skiers, though I beleive there is an ice rink complete with hockey team. Tignes offers more for non skiers with the indoor climbing wall, diving under the lake, ice climbing and snowmobile rental. May I suggest adding Valmenier and some of the Maurienne resorts to the list such as La Norma, Valfrejus and Valloire into the candidate lists. They are probably more suited to beginners and will offer a more French experience, which is what I take the OP to mean by "We are looking for the classic alpine Christmas experience"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@steve36749823, you might want to check out St Martin de Belleville too. It’s a pretty village at 1450m- so high enough in a reasonable year to have in resort snow, plus good snow making in any event and (worst case scenario) dead easy to get up higher. There’s dog sledding, snow shoeing, lovely marked paths for walks. Accommodation wise, there’s plenty of v smart (I.e pricy) self catered apartments, middle of the road purpose built developments like Chalet Du Gypse that has a pool, and a variety of “one off” places to stay, some in beautifully renovated old houses and farm buildings. Tuition wise, you’re not confined to the ESF.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
[img][/img]@steve36749823, I've spent many a Christmas in France, Val d'Isere (lots), Tignes (lots), La Rosiere, Meribel (many), Courchevel (lots), Megeve (quite a few), St Gervais, 2 Alpes, Les Arcs, Flaine, La Plagne, Les Menuires, and a few other resorts that I forget. Really enjoyed the skiing and the French ambiance and possibly only had really bad snow once or twice. Most of these holidays were either in catered chalets or half decent hotels, very few were in an apartment/SC. The Xmas week only really gets busy from Boxing Day onwards and that weeks is never as bad as the NY week. Your kids may like France.
However, now I prefer to ski Xmas in Italy or Austria, so much pleasanter and nowhere near as hectic.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Thanks for everyone's help and opinions..really appreciate your time
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| johnE wrote: |
| But we do import ... brussel sprouts (I suspect that due to Brexit that is now illegal) and christmas pud. |
Off topic, but I wanted to report I was served brussels sprouts in a French restaurant for the first time this season. So they must be available somehow.
(However to be precise, it was a single brussels sprout served in two halves as part of the trimmings for a main course).
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| steve36749823 wrote: |
| Where should i be looking in Austria...is there anywhere within 11 hours ish from Calais |
For driving times look at viamichelin
I'd recommend a high resort for Christmas, just to be snow sure. Look at the resorts in the Tarantaise. La Rosiere and Ste Foy are good for beginners. For non skiing activities look at Evolution 2 in Tignes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@j b, I was once served them as a side dish to my plat du jour in a restaurant in Les Arcs. I have no idea what they had done to them, but they were a pile of soggy overcooked mush, just recognisable as the revolting vegetable they had once been. I don't eat them here, I don't eat them there. A part of the festivities I can do without.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Hells Bells, I've heard from a friend of a French fiend working in a well known ski resort in the Tarantaise that M. Macron has placed a Brexit embargo on "Brussels" sprouts and "Sage and Onion" stuffing as no longer being up to EU specification. Bread Sauce is no longer classified as a "sauce", and Yorkshire Pudding is out due to there being no "Yorkshire" in the EU. Crackers are now classified as "explosives", so are now banned all together!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
@Hells Bells,
I'm not understanding this. They are a staple at my house year round. The whole family loves them. Have you tried them roasted in butter with bacon? To die for.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
A friend who lives in France says that the French don't do vegetables. They either cook them to a mush and mix with sauce or fry. Looking at the veg in the super u in bourg st Maurice I disagree. It's just what you get in restaurants.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
for Christmas either you have to go high with the risk of bad weather and wihte out, or a little be lower but with 100% artificial snow e.g. Kronplatz, with the risk of too warm weather etc etc
however until now, Kronplatz and Dolomites resorts had always ca 70-80% of the slopes open during the christmas holidays...at least...
here is a difference between "snow secure" and "skiing secure"...both have their own risk....
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@steve36749823, somewhere like Champoluc would not be a bad call? No further a drive than the Tarentaise, Italian food and wine ...
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
@sbooker, The french just don't do sprouts. However, any supermarket near the ski resorts populated by Brits at Christmas will get a supply in. Agree with your prep method-we blanch the sprouts, then fry off some finely chopped onion and german smoked ham, toss in the sprouts and serve. Even I, someone who is somewhat anti sprout-quite likes em!
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Mon 16-05-22 9:46; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@Perty, german smokes? ciggies?
caramelised in honey and chilli ... topped with sour cream ... yummy
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@under a new name, haha...speed typing before a meeting this morning. Typos now corrected!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Just logged on to ask about Christmas skiing and found this post so will add here if that is OK. We are pretty fixed on going to Les Arcs and having spent a week in 1950 we plan on returning there. Anyone been over Christmas and has any tips about food on Christmas Day? We’d love to eat in a restaurant I guess but presumably so do loads of others! Has anyone been at that time and found it easy enough to get in for a Christmas Day meal?
Yes, I know this is a ridiculously practical question about 7 months too early but if I get to plan something towards a ski holiday it somehow makes it feel like its just that little bit closer…..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Warnergb7, arc 1950 is a good choice for Christmas.
As you probably know Christmas eve is the big celebration in France. So if you want to eat out that night then book early and pay a lot. Christmas day is more or less just another day but perhaps even quieter to eat out. I recall going into a restaurant one Christ.as day evening to find we were the only customers. (A bit like going out new year's day).
Having said that we were in arc1600 ie very French, whereas arc1950 is very English. Different rules may apply.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
compared to slobbing on the sofa watching too much telly and eating and drinking too much.
|
Of course you can do that as well in the evenings 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@Warnergb7, when out for Christmas we have Christmas day lunch at the Chalet de Pre St Esprit (booking advisable), next to Belliou ( which is a bit posher) 3 or 4 times now following the same routine:
Ski hard for the morning and arrive about 2pm when most people are packing up. You finish up with the place to yourself ( or in our case with other friends and families similarly booked), and, if lucky, Phillipe will bring out the jeroboam of genepi to finish the meal off, sitting around the circular fire. Catch the 4pm (and last) lift back up and ski/wobble back to 1950 to start the evening celebrations.
Simply the most excellent way ever to spend Christmas day.
@steve36749823,
As per others (declared interest, I own there) 1950 prides itself on providing free street entertainment throughout the season (frankly its USP in a crowded market), but doubly so for Christmas Eve.
You get the typically French (ie weird) parade, the arrival of Santa on a zipwire, the free chatreuse & hot chocolate, the firework display: it makes for a super Christmas eve for the kids, when the whole village is out in the street having a good time, laughing dancing and singing. The website give a flavour from the pre-covid days
https://www.arc1950.com/en/christmas-evening-arc-1950.html (its not always quite as weird and that one mind...)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sounds like Les arcs at Christmas could be amazing. Thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
