 Poster: A snowHead
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If you had to ski with family in week starting December 16th, where in Europe would offer best chance of there being white stuff on the 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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Val Thorens or Tignes/ VAl D'Isere - at a guess. You'll get some snow. Even if there is a good dump, I am not sure how many lifts wold be open, though.
Les Deux Alpes might also be worth looking at. Bit problematical at that time of the year. Even if there is snow around, it can drop in, say, Austria or Italy rather than France, some times.
I'd book late.
{edited for typos}
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Wed 19-07-06 14:03; edited 1 time in total
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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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last few years i have skiied that weekend in chamonix and/or courmayeur/la thuile area (flown to Geneva and then searched for best snow within an easy drive) and although there wasnt always great snow to start with it has come down heavily sometime over that weekend!
But plenty of other places more snowsure i guess inc Val Thoren and Les Deux Alpes i would think.....
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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provenjohn, If you are going that early then always pick a place that has a glacier as backup. Val D' and Tignes should be OK. In Austria, I would go for Hintertux ( Zillertal ), or Stubai or Kaprun.
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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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I'd book late and see where the snow is-I'm sure almost all tour operators will ahve last minute bargains and availiability that week. If you pre-book I'd be tempted with one of the Austrian resorts
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Last year we went the week before Christmas and booked about two weeks before after seeing where it had snowed. We paid about half the brochure price and went to Kitzbuhel which had absolutely superb conditions together with virtually empty slopes.
If I had to book now I would feel obliged to go for somewhere high like Val Thorens, but you are better off to wait and see.
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It really is like picking the lottery winners.
That said, if it is any indication of the future, in recent years Austria had received better early snow than France.
If you can wait - then that is obviously the best option. If you had to do something now, I would be tempted with Obergurgl or Hintertux.
If you are just looking to book flights now, then Innsbruck would probably give you the closest good options, but there are a number of glacier resorts within 2-3 hours of Salzburg.
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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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provenjohn, I'd have a look at La Rosiere, the reort is always open by the 2nd week of Dec, if you go to our website you'll find the Ski club's gistorical reords which show there has been consistent early snow over the past 20 yrs. The following is a quote from 'Where to Ski and Snowboard Guide' for 2006 lists La Rosiere as one of the most snowsure resorts in Europe. "This modern resort sits at an elevated position at the end of the long Tarentaise valley which runs roughly SW-NE. Both the village and the ski area are open to the storms from the West and South West that are funnelled into the Tarentaise valley.
La Rosiere receives the full energy of these storms and gets more snow than, for example, nearby Val d'Isere at the same altitude".
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David@traxvax, Thanks for that, I have PM'd you
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| David@traxvax wrote: |
... Both the village and the ski area are open to the storms from the West and South West that are funnelled into the Tarentaise valley.
La Rosiere receives the full energy of these storms ... |
Ah, that may well explain why it feels so windy there then.
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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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I'm surprised no-ones mentioned Grandvallira at Andorra yet - pretty high up, and normally lots of snow in December!
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You know it makes sense.
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Martin Bell, Thanks, haven't seen that site before.
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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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provenjohn, weather.com always sits in my favourites from about September onwards. Great place for general forecasts and information.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Using the site that Martin Bell, has supplied, Serre Chevalier comes up with the deepest snow in France for the 3rd week in Dec. (on the upper slopes). I wouldn't recommend booking the SC then, as the lazy organisers usually only have 30 per cent of the lifts open.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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chris, your just trying to keep those slopes to yourself though!! 
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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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Just had a look myself, and confirms what I suspected. SC's snow record is better than it's reputed to be.
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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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provenjohn, l got into some debate with another sH about early snow this time last year and tabulated the snow conditions from that link that Martin Bell referred to in this post below the figures shown are for the 4th week in Dec. You may find it helpful start point for your week.
1 Kaunertal (Au) 100 cm 178 cm
2 Obertauern (Au) 84 cm 128 cm
3 Montgenevre (Fr) 80 cm 115 cm
4 Meiringen/Hasliberg (Sw) 77 cm 113 cm
5 Risoul (Fr) 75 cm 130 cm
6 Zell am See/Kaprun (Au) 62 cm 178 cm
7 Lech-Zurs (Au) 59 cm 100 cm
8 Arosa (Sw) 52 cm 66 cm
9 Avoriaz (Fr) 50 cm 101 cm
10 Grindelwald (Sw) 49 cm 70 cm
11 Serre-Chevalier (Fr) 48 cm 176 cm
12 Schladming (Au) 45 cm 86 cm
13 Flaine (Fr) 43 cm 102 cm
14 Samoens (Fr) 41 cm 100 cm
15 Pitztal (Au) 40 cm 163 cm
16 St Johann (Au) 37 cm 82 cm
17 Le Grand-Bornand (Fr) 37 cm 72 cm
18 Altenmarkt/Zauchensee (Au) 37 cm 55 cm
19 Alpe d'Huez (Fr) 37 cm 123 cm
20 Vars (Fr) 36 cm 73 cm
21 Saalbach-Hinterglemm (Au) 35 cm 97 cm
22 Saint Gervais (Fr) 35 cm 75 cm
23 Tignes (Fr) 35 cm 114 cm
24 Engadin/St. Moritz (Sw) 35 cm 133 cm
25 Pontresina/Engadin (Sw) 35 cm 133 cm
27 Verbier/Val de Bagnes (Sw) 34 cm 110 cm
28 Val Thorens (Fr) 31 cm 95 cm
29 Saas-Fee (Sw) 31 cm 192 cm
30 Megeve (Fr) 30 cm 65 cm
31 St Anton am Arlberg (Au) 30 cm 140 cm
32 Andermatt (Sw) 30 cm 215 cm
33 Samnaun (Sw) 30 cm 70 cm
34 Zinal/Anniviers (Sw) 30 cm 63 cm
35 Courmeyeur (It) 30 cm 75 cm
36 Chamonix Mont-Blanc (Fr) 29 cm 87 cm
37 Les 2 Alpes (Fr) 29 cm 75 cm
38 Klosters (Sw) 29 cm 98 cm
39 Madonna Di Campiglio (It) 29 cm 105 cm
40 Val D'Isere (Fr) 28 cm 63 cm
The figures are snow on the lower and upper slopes
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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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| Quote: |
5 Risoul (Fr) 75 cm 130 cm
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- I've been there in the relevant week (2002?) and there wasn't a flake. It's always going to be a gamble and averages are the best indicator you'll get but unless I was getting a bargain I'd prefer the back-up of a glacier.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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provenjohn, If you fancy Alpe D'Huez which is high and has had good snow at this time of year in the past PM me. Can give you a special snowheads price for accommodation in our chalet from the 16th
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2Alpes. Usually good snow from Toussaint onwards.
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Ray Zorro, last year was a little unusual. And does your list only include stations with operating uplift?
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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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Surely Early season is just pot luck. I went to Kaprun once 2nd week in Jan and all around was green up to 1500m
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| Quote: |
does your list only include stations with operating uplift?
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- the site that the data comes from only includes 29 French resorts so isn't comprehensive. Picking, entirely at random, a resort that has superb snow - there's no La Rosiere.
I would expect any serious resort to be open by the 4th week of December in all but very bad years.
I went to Risoul in the 3rd week of December (which is what the original post was about) not the 4th (which is what Ray Zorro's data related to).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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provenjohn, you wont get my vote that early for La Rosiere, our local "expert" tends to exaggerate anything to do with La Rosiere. Val D & Tignes would be best bet. I'd sayeven better was to get flights to a hub airport and during the week before decide where to go, you shouldn't have no probs finding space.
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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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You can look up the snow depth for any week of earlier seasons in most resorts on the SCGB site. I have a feeling, though, that - though non members can register and look up the current snow depths during the ski season - the Historic depths may only be for access by members. If so I could look up the averages and any specific year for that week in any resort you nominate.
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snowball, Thanks for offer, but have looked there (am a member).
Don't trust records too much though, there is always going to be the exception & it will probably be the
year I rely on it!
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You know it makes sense.
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Well at least there you don't just look at averages but can look at each year. You do, though, need to know where they measure it. I have a feeling some resorts measure it in some dell where the snow tends to be deepest!
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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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As well as depth, there is of course the question of what's underneath. Smooth turf, huge boulders, or glacier ice. Austria often claims to have an advantage there.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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