 Poster: A snowHead
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Which weeks of the winter season are the Swiss ski resorts busiest?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Xmas, New year and almost all of February.
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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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........and outside of those dates it's private skiing!@telford_mike,
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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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| telford_mike wrote: |
| Xmas, New year and almost all of February. |
are there holiday dates for the schools in February?
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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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To invert your question, the quietest time is the period after the New Year week to the first half-term week.
Switzerland is, in my experience always quieter than France, all other things being equal. The peak weeks are Christmas, New Year, the local Cantonal Half-terms and Easter. The thing they do have that I've not come across elsewhere is after half-term through to Easter, when there are 'sports weeks' for the schools. These aren't as big a deal as the main school holidays, but they may add a bit to the numbers on the slopes.
Once you have a candidate resort, it's worth checking what the local Canton half term is, as well as the main adjacent one e.g. for Verbier the local Canton is Valais (half-term Feb 20-24) and the next-door one is Vaud (h-t Feb 11-19).
Over and above this, like anywhere, it's always worth checking that there's not some major event in your candidate resort. Not just the obvious Freeride etc. (which you'll see from the publicity) but something like a university ski week. We did three weeks in the Swiss 4 Vallées once across late Jan early Feb and bang in the middle was the ski week for French medical students. The Tourist Office will usually know but you have to be a bit circumspect about exactly when you're visiting so you get them to explicitly tell you about something that means the place will be uncharacteristically busy.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Sun 18-12-22 12:17; edited 2 times in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@davidof, why you asking?
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@Chaletbeauroc, ok thanks
@under a new name, to know whether it is as manic as france for 6 weeks of February and early March
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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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When we used to go half term (daughter at school) our experience is that it was a lot quieter than France for that week, I can't recall any significant lift queues. And because of the way French prices are massively increased that week, actually quite decently priced (though we had to be careful what we chose in restaurants).
But obviously our experience was limited to only some resorts.
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@davidof, The busiest weeks for ski resorts in Switzerland tend to be during the Christmas and New Year's holiday period, as well as the February school vacation period. These times generally coincide with the coldest and snowiest weather in the Alps, which makes for the best skiing and snowboarding conditions. It is important to note that ski resort crowds can vary significantly from year to year, depending on a variety of factors such as weather conditions and economic conditions. If you are planning to visit a ski resort in Switzerland, it is always a good idea to book your accommodations and lift tickets well in advance to ensure availability, and to be prepared for crowds and potentially higher prices during peak times.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| DCG wrote: |
| @davidof, The busiest weeks for ski resorts in Switzerland tend to be during the Christmas and New Year's holiday period, as well as the February school vacation period. These times generally coincide with the coldest and snowiest weather in the Alps, which makes for the best skiing and snowboarding conditions. It is important to note that ski resort crowds can vary significantly from year to year, depending on a variety of factors such as weather conditions and economic conditions. If you are planning to visit a ski resort in Switzerland, it is always a good idea to book your accommodations and lift tickets well in advance to ensure availability, and to be prepared for crowds and potentially higher prices during peak times. |
excellent, 
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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: |
| telford_mike wrote: |
| Xmas, New year and almost all of February. |
are there holiday dates for the schools in February? |
There are usually 2 busy weeks that cover Geneva, Vaud, Valais and the main Euro ski countries. This year it’s Feb 11th to 25th
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@davidof, I see. I'd hazard a guess that if you are looking for a holiday, from where you are, Italy might well be quieter? and cheaper and Italian food and wine and etc.
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You know it makes sense.
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@davidof, Val d'Anniviers resorts IME are fairly quiet on weekdays even in pretty peak weeks bit then rammed at the weekends. 5 days of resort skiing with 2 days of touting could be a pretty good week.
*I'll be annoyed if I've just replied to an AI chatbot
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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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| under a new name wrote: |
| @davidof, I see. I'd hazard a guess that if you are looking for a holiday, from where you are, Italy might well be quieter? and cheaper and Italian food and wine and etc. |
Italy would be a good idea from that viewpoint but I have some other reasons to go to Switzerland.
Thanks for the specific info about Geneva btw. Very useful. Bob
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Poster: A snowHead
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Try Gstaad. Decent ski area and very few beds (plus half of the people there don’t go to ski). Never too busy. Skied it at New Year and never waited in any queues. Nothing too challenging though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
5 days of resort skiing with 2 days of touting could be a pretty good week.
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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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Great shout from @JoyZipper, Gstaad is too frequently ignored by the Brits.
If it works out too pricey on hotels then look over the col at Zweisimmen, easy access into one of the main areas.
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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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My reason to visit the gnomes of Switzerland is nothing sinister - no nazi gold involved, just I may have a work reason to go and am flexible with my dates and I wanted to know if there was a period where it is absolutely rammed.
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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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| davidof wrote: |
| My reason to visit the gnomes of Switzerland is nothing sinister - no nazi gold involved, just I may have a work reason to go and am flexible with my dates and I wanted to know if there was a period where it is absolutely rammed. |
Even February is OK to be honest, it never gets too busy.
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