 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello,
We are tempted to book that week but are not sure if there will be snow or not, and the place we'll stay at won't do refunds...
We've been there in February this year and the 'made snow' and it was fine, everything worked as planned while Avroiz was closed.
I understand that with global warming this is an open question, but any thoughts or ideas are welcome.
Thank you!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You can guess, but won't know if your guess is correct until that 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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Crystal ball, Peter the Octopus, Nostradamus - any number of ways of guessing and no way of knowing
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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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Ok I get it,
How do you guys handle the this of booking stuff in advance that's not refundable?
Is there any 'now snow' insurance that could cover stuff like renting a place? Most other expenses are more flexible.
Thank you,
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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 you're looking at the week of 16th to 23rd December, just wait until you know where the snow is. There'll be plenty of last minute accommodation available in most places that week.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@BlueJoy, just take the chance. No snow on your travel insurance pays something like £15 a day.
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| RobMcQ wrote: |
| If you're looking at the week of 16th to 23rd December, just wait until you know where the snow is. There'll be plenty of last minute accommodation available in most places that week. |
Thank you,
This is a specific place we stayed at last time which was really great, I don't want it booked...
Can II ask roughly when we can expect snow in Chatel? So we can perhaps have an indication of how the season will play out?
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| BlueJoy wrote: |
| RobMcQ wrote: |
| If you're looking at the week of 16th to 23rd December, just wait until you know where the snow is. There'll be plenty of last minute accommodation available in most places that week. |
Thank you,
This is a specific place we stayed at last time which was really great, I don't want it booked...
Can II ask roughly when we can expect snow in Chatel? So we can perhaps have an indication of how the season will play out? |
As others have said there is absolutely no way of knowing. It snowed a fair bit in late November last year and the opening weekend (about 10/12) in Avoriaz was fine. Then it rained and got very warm over xmas and a lot of the snow disappeared. It’s simply not possible to predict.
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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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Understood - Thank you
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| BlueJoy wrote: |
Hello,
We are tempted to book that week but are not sure if there will be snow or not, and the place we'll stay at won't do refunds...
We've been there in February this year and the 'made snow' and it was fine, everything worked as planned while Avroiz was closed.
I understand that with global warming this is an open question, but any thoughts or ideas are welcome.
Thank you! |
Avoriaz was closed last Feb?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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 hoping to go 2nd or 9th of December but there's no way I'll book anything until I've seen where and if the snows landed.
If there's nothing suitable I'll look later in the year....there's no way of knowing!!!
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| Handy Turnip wrote: |
Avoriaz was closed last Feb? |
Not while I was there in Feb it wasn't.
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You know it makes sense.
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Was in the PDS over Christmas last year. It was very warm and wet. Les Gets and I believe Chatel may have almost completely closed for skiing. I remember that due to a landslide, one of the major lifts out of Chatel had to close due to damage. There was still plenty of skiing higher up over that time. I believe last year was unseasonably warm, but mid December can always be a gamble unless going 2000m or higher.
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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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@BlueJoy, if you want to book things up, I'd recommend going somewhere else where you've got a much better chance of stuff being open. Tignes or Val Thorens for example.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| porkpiefox wrote: |
| Handy Turnip wrote: |
Avoriaz was closed last Feb? |
Not while I was there in Feb it wasn't. |
Avoriaz didn’t close at all during the planned opening - the way back to Super Morzine was shut at times but it was open 11/12 to mid April.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| porkpiefox wrote: |
| Handy Turnip wrote: |
Avoriaz was closed last Feb? |
Not while I was there in Feb it wasn't. |
Possible the link between Chatel and Avoriaz was closed, as opposed to the Avroiaz area itself being closed - though I was in Morzine one of the Feb. weeks for half term and didn't have any issues getting up to Avoriaz and then over to Plaine Dranse. Possible there were issues around the Linga slope so the gondola was closed the the OP didn't know about/couldn't be bothered with the bus up to Pre la Joux?
Regardless can you guarantee snow that week? No, but then you probably want to look inside the arctic/antartic circles for guarantee snow.
But should you have a reasonable expectation of snow that week? Yes, at least some. How much/how much of the resort/PdS area will be open and linked is down to the weather gods, but I was in Morzine for opening week of the '16 season when the Pleney run was still green...but a bus to Pordains/gondola up to Avoriaz and there was snow (on empty piests).
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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'm hoping to go 2nd or 9th of December
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Not to Chatel, presumably, where pistes only open on 16 December (like lots of smaller resorts).
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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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Go as high as poss.
At least 1800m for France.
Global boiling is making Xmas snow less and less certain with every passing year.
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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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| BlueJoy wrote: |
| How do you guys handle the this of booking stuff in advance that's not refundable? |
Generally speaking I book places that I can guarantee will be open. Paradiski, 3V, Tignes/Val D, ADH. One year I booked Les Sept Laux, it was a bad start to the season and they didn't open. Fortunately it was a direct rental, I'd only paid a deposit and the owner said I could pay the balance on arrival. I just got an apartment in Tignes instead. IME of going many times at Christmas and just before places not opening on time is a rarity but happens sometimes - but never at the ones I mentioned above - rather they just might have limited (man made only) pistes lower down. Unfortunately I don't know Chatel/PdS though I seem to remember poor snow means some of the links get broken which can limit things but not necessarily stop altogether.
| BlueJoy wrote: |
| Is there any 'now snow' insurance that could cover stuff like renting a place? Most other expenses are more flexible. |
First trip after Covid the agency I was booking through had a 30 Euro cancellation fee which we took out. I think they still offer it but I haven't bothered since.
I get you like the place but as others mention that is a quiet week and there will be plenty of options close to the date.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
I'm hoping to go 2nd or 9th of December
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Not to Chatel, presumably, where pistes only open on 16 December (like lots of smaller resorts). |
Pré la Joux area is open for the weekend 9/10 Dec but I assume closed through the week.
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I wouldn’t … unless you want to spend the next 8 weeks worrying and looking at webcams / forecasts every 3 hours. No one has any idea what early season in the PdS would look like. I would definitely be looking at higher resorts such as Zermatt, Val Thorens, Tignes etc. if you’re dead keen on booking now then you should do so with the understanding that only Avoriaz may have snow … in which case it’d be busier than normal. And I’m not quite sure whether you’d be able to upload to Lindarets if that was the case. Basically, early season skiing is becoming increasingly unpredictable …
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Hey people,
Quick update, there was great snow in the first week, last year in Chatel, some lifts were closed but it wasn't a big deal.
What's even better is that there were very few people so no queues etc.
Touch wood, we booked it again this year (14/12- 21/12) - fingers crossed.
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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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It's always a bit of gamble early season at the lower resorts.
Saying that, the early to mid season last year was a bit poo full stop and the late season better.
We did the PDS 2 Christmas's ago. We arrived on the 22nd to torrential downpours. The freezing level was even above Mont Blanc. Morzine and Les Gets were wiped out.
Saying that, we then had some snow the next day, followed by a bit more rain. But there was skiing. Anything above Montriond level was skiable.
If I'm booking either early or late season, I tend to look back through archived web cams from the area to get a general feel of snow levels. Whilst in no way a grantee, you can see that even in awful years there will probably still be skiing.
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@BlueJoy, prior performance, etc.
If it's the week before xmas week, book flights and leave accommodation until the last minute. That way, if necessary, you can go to e.g. Tignes.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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This. And be aware some resorts won't open till 21 December regardless of snow.
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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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@under a new name, @Origen, they said "we booked it again this year"
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Chatel is at 1200 m and a bit low for snow sure mid Dec.
Most that want guaranteed snow in resort mid Dec go to a higher altitude resort.
The whole Chatel ski resort is set to open 21st Dec, which gives a hint at historical snow and readiness.
No doubt there is likely to be some skiing on the wider pass across the linked resorts in the area. How easy it will be to access is a consideration.
Personally I wouldn't book 1200 m ski resorts now for 16 Dec.
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You know it makes sense.
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Given that the OP has now booked, 14-21 Dec, I say good luck.
If conditions and forecast don’t look promising a few days before departure, I’d look at those within daily driving distance and, if somewhere looks better, hire a car. Unless of course you’re already driving there from home.
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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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@PeakyB, the only area likely to be better (higher) is Chamonix and that’s not really an easy commute from Chatel …
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Poster: A snowHead
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@under a new name, agreed but at a push it could be better than no or poor snow in Chatel.
Cheapish odd overnight accommodation near the Chamonix valley may also be available and accessible with a car?
Belt and braces approach.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Layne,
| Quote: |
| We've been there in February this year |
...
| Quote: |
| early season skiing is becoming increasingly unpredictable … |
yeah, if only it was like, say, 1933, when the Kitzbuhel council decided they couldn't market xmas as a "ski" week as snow wasn't guaranteed 
@PeakyB, but more seriously, CHatel to Chamonix is a royal PITA https://www.google.com/maps/dir/74390+Ch%C3%A2tel/Chamonix+Centre-ville,+Chamonix/@46.1291505,6.3641636,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x478ea1505f50e9e7:0x408ab2ae4baa310!2m2!1d6.841152!2d46.267395!1m5!1m1!1s0x47894e7727f701ed:0x3933f92e072f5da8!2m2!1d6.869871!2d45.9236759!3e0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkxOC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D which I would not want to be doing.
I mean, if @BlueJoy, has already committed, little to be done, but I'd be leaving my options wide open at this stage. Just saying.
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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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Verbier is an option. About 60 minutes (very easy drive, all motorway or valley road once you get over the pass and down to Monthey) to Le Chable which has a lift that takes you straight up to Medran. We’ve done it a few times when we’ve fancied a change.
Most of the skiing in Chatel is above 1500m (Super Chatel, Linga mid station, Plaine Dranse) which can make a fair difference compared to village height at 1200m.
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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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@BlueJoy, Avoriaz wasn’t closed.
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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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Verbier sounds like a good shout as best plan B.
I agree with others about why bother pre-booking but vive la difference.
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FAQ
