 Poster: A snowHead
|
Which French resorts are snow-sure for the New Year period?
Will be a party of mixed ability skiiers and boarders.
Want to make sure there will be snow ehen we get there!!!
Cheers.
Pete
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Define snow-sure.
With snow making widespread most resorts will have some "snow" to ski on even in a drought year.
Add to that places like Tignes and 2 Alpes with glaciers.
Will there be a plentiful covering of natural snow all over the area anywhere? Well that's a gamble - for most places generally higher the better holds as a rule. get a shortlist then check historic snowfall records.
(I have enjoyed phenomenal snow conditions at New Year the past 4 winters - but then I haven't been in Europe then either  )
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Anywhere at 1800m is a safe bet. Not garunteed snow though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Cheers,
I have been to Tignes and Val Disere at that time before - it was lovely.
thanks for your advice - higher the beter it is!!
I used a small operator for my last holiday in Chamonix - SnoStation.com. i thought they ere excellent
If anyone reading this post: Do you know any small operators with good service and decent prices???
Pete
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
pcj201, welcome to snowHeads 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
pcj201, there are plenty out there. Try Snowline, Albus travel, VIP, Le Ski, Chardon Mountain Lodges, Finlays, etc .
Good luck
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
pcj201, remember higher also can mean more inclement weather, colder, windier and less trees for shelter...higher is not necessarily better
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
pcj201, remember higher also can mean more inclement weather, colder, windier and less trees for shelter...higher is not necessarily better
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Quote: |
Anywhere at 1800m is a safe bet.
|
I would beg to differ. Longitude can be more important than altitude, early in the season. A few years ago, when early season was poor in France some Austrian resorts at 900m had great snow. Other years, it's the other way round. If New Year is the only chance you have to ski you have to accept that the snow cover is a bit of a gamble almost everywhere. But one thing you can be dead certain of, is big crowds! The worse the snow, the worse the crowds in the places that do have snow. Very early on the 1st can be quite quiet. There are, sadly, few worse times of year to go skiing!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
pam w, Yes but this argument still applies in Austria. pcj201 has stated that he/she wants to go to France.
It would be a much safer bet at that time of your year to go to Solden rather than Kitzbuhel. Solden is much higher and if you're booking so far in advance it is definatly safer the higher the resort is. If there wasnt snow for about 2/3 weeks since the start of December there would be a lot more bare patches and snow melt in a lower resort at 900-1200m than a high resort at 1800m.
I understand your sentiment to lower resorts as I believe you own property in one, but you can't deny earlier in the season it is a safer bet to go higher.
Beautiful pictures of the Trois valley.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Lovely pics. Of course you can have a blast off piste in snow as good as it was last year (or at least you can, I don't look quite like that...). But the fact remains that as a statistical principle, New Year is a bad time to go skiing. Extremely expensive, pretty crowded, and chances of good snow, especially good off piste, are better later in the season. But there are exceptions to every rule.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The best peak time to go if your condemned to childrens holidays is by far christmas.
New year and half term are way too busy.
The snow becomes slushy way too early at easter.
You can't beat christmas day in a high alpine resorts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
The good thing about New Year skiing is that you often end up spending a lot of money for that week anyway. So you might as well go skiing.
There's also the "two days of vacation 8 days of skiing" factor (which applies to Christmas, too).
But it IS expensive and less snowsure than later periods.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
Christopher, other things being equal (which they aren't always, as David Murdoch pointed out above) higher is generally better. What I was arguing with was your sweeping assertion that "anywhere at 1800m is a safe bet". Simply not true, in any of the Alpine countries. The problem early in the season is often precipitation patterns, rather than temperature and the high, rocky resorts can take a lot of snow to cover them. What you really want at New Year is a resort with big choice - high and low, trees and not, and with a generally good snow record. Chamonix, for example. The worst snow I have encountered in early January (I don't generally go skiing at New Year) was actually in the 3 Valleys, and the best snow in that whole area, at the time, was in Courchevel 1650, which was better than Val Thorens which was covered in stones. But I have (late in the season) driven for a couple of hours to get up to Val Thorens for a day's skiing, when lower down the pistes were a mixture of slush and grass and most were closed. Last year Christmas and New Year conditions were stunning in France, and the February holidays - generally fairly safe - were much, much, worse. In fact the worst of the season in some places. Any sweeping generalisation/simplification about when and where to ski is likely to be wrong and New Year is particularly hard to call.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
horizon, looks like they hadn't even got their grooming operation up and running!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
pam w, easter maybe better for off piste due to its higher levels of precipitation.
However I have yet to discover that pleasure.
I stand firm though on Christmas having better on-piste conditions. Last 2 years I have encountered bright blue sunshine for about 10 out of 12 days skiing. With good conditions on piste all week without any serious snow all week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Make sure the village sits at atleast 1500m, preferably 1800m.
The top station should be atleast 2800m, preferably 3000m.
Val d'Isere.
Tignes.
Val Thorens.
Courchevel 1850.
Les Arcs 1800.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Quote: |
I stand firm though on Christmas having better on-piste conditions
|
we should have a snowheads poll. Anyone know how to do one?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
I stand firm though on Christmas having better on-piste conditions
|
we should have a snowheads poll. Anyone know how to do one? |
My vote would go for Easter for both on and off piste conditions. Christmas is a lovely time to be away; great atmosphere in the resort, start of the season so everyone is in a good mood anticipating the forthcoming season, etc. But purely on snow conditions in a typical year I'd say Easter wins.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ADH is a good bet for mixed group ability and is fairly snowsure at 1800 metres with plenty of snowcannons as long as its cold enough to run them.
I wouldn't class Chamonix as snowsure though-at least not down to resort at about 1200 metres i think it is-i've gone there early season and ended up having to jostle for an hour at midstation to get the lift down as the home runs didnt have enough coverage to be open. I put up with it for about 3 days before i'd had enough of spending too long waiting for lifts so i hightailed it out of there to Tignes where i had a whale of a time-3 min walk to the lifts-up the mountain within 10 and never had to worry about having to wait for lifts back to resort or infrquent bus journeys.
If you not too large a group then it might be best to wait till december and then get a late deal-thats what i usually do for Christmas week anyway-though i bit the bullet last year in nov i think when some good deals came out and then crossed my fingers(was to ADH-plenty of snow in the end).
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Quote: |
I wouldn't class Chamonix as snowsure though-at least not down to resort at about 1200 metres
|
No, it's certainly not snowsure to resort level, but it does have a huge range of different kinds/altitudes of skiing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Yeah I was jealous as anything when you posted that Tauplitz stuff last year- I expect that we can expect more storm chasing next winter courtesy of the company car fuel budget & no channel crossing required?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
pcj201, La Rosiere 1850 has one of the best snow records in France, the resort has always opened by the second week of December and La Thuile which is the Italian resort in th e EEspace San Bernardo is often open by the end of November.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| David@traxvax wrote: |
| pcj201, La Rosiere 1850 has one of the best snow records in France, the resort has always opened by the second week of December and La Thuile which is the Italian resort in th e EEspace San Bernardo is often open by the end of November. |
Where can possibly boast such a record?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| Christopher wrote: |
The best peak time to go if your condemned to childrens holidays is by far christmas.
New year and half term are way too busy.
The snow becomes slushy way too early at easter.
You can't beat christmas day in a high alpine resorts. |
Snow becomes slushy way too early at Easter???????????? Where are you skiing? Kitzbuhel?. I will take a few trips most Aprils and this year still skied into Tignes on May 4th at late afternoon. Anyway, slush is just another form of snow condition. Longer days, softer snow, brighter sunshine, less crowds - the best time of year to ski for me but each to his own.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
parlor, I stayed in your chalet a few years back around 98 - is it still owned by Count Kimsky or a name like that?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Nickster, the Count sadly passed away 8 years ago. The Countess recently handed the chalet down to her daughter. So yes and no. Fortunately we've redecorated...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
