 Poster: A snowHead
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Are there any reasonably reliable for snow ski resorts for the week before Christmas? This year it will be the weekend of the 14th Dec. Is that just too early to expect snow anywhere?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have been to Obergurgl, Zermatt, St Anton, Courchevel that week and every time had good snow (could have been lucky)
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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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Zermatt/Cervinia?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Zermatt/Cervinia?
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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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CaravanSkier, Tignes, been at that time several times - shedloads of snow but the downside can be poor vis, high winds, and one year too much snow that took most of the day to avi control.
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CaravanSkier, You will spend all of November praying and panicking... but as long as you go high it will be fine. You can't expect 100% terrain open and not all lifts will be running that early in the season, but as long as you understand that....
Val D'Isere/Tignes/Les Arcs area has always been open at that time. We have skied on Mr snowy's birthday (15th Dec) sometimes. Can be very cold though.
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I've been that week 7 times: 3 x Courchevel, 2 x Val D'Isere and 2 x Les Arcs and have been lucky every time. Bear in mind that not all runs may be open but in these large areas there's always plenty of skiing.
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Les Deux Alpes? I went that week last year and was drowning in fresh snow.
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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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Add Ischgl (which often opens fully the week before) and Obertauern to your list.
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OK, so not so impossible as I first thought. Thank you all.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I've done Ischgl 3 times in early - mid December. Snow conditions have always been 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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I've done Banff, Ischgl, Obertauern, hochgurgl all in the first week of December inthe past. No snow issues. As Tilywhim states you couldfind that a couple of tuns may not be open until mid Dec. Banff (lake louise, sunshine, Newqay) can be quite cold in early Dec.
anyway, early Dec is in my view one of the best times to ski, resorts are typically quieter, and they've just opened so everything feels fresh..
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CaravanSkier, one thing that struck me about skiing the week before Christmas and skiing Easter in Courchevel was they were running snow canons everywhere despite having had descent snow fall already clearly to build up a good base as soon as they could. However they didn't bother running the snow canons any where near is as much at the end of the season (even when could enough) so the run from 1850 down to 1550 was getting quite bare and patchy at the end of the season but at the beginning season was in great condition with th snow canons almost constantly going.
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You know it makes sense.
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NickyJ, money invested in putting snow down at the start of the season can provide value for months (in terms of the solid base), by the end of the season the benefit from the artificial snow is much more short lived (days or seeks at the most), so much less worthwhile.
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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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| nozawaonsen wrote: |
| NickyJ, money invested in putting snow down at the start of the season can provide value for months (in terms of the solid base), by the end of the season the benefit from the artificial snow is much more short lived (days or seeks at the most), so much less worthwhile. |
That was what we surmised, trying to point out it makes it a nice time to go, in a long conveluted way 
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Poster: A snowHead
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CaravanSkier, Tignes is pretty much snow-sure by mid December.
This season I was in La Tania from the 15th to the 22nd and had fantastic snow. Although I certainly wouldn't expect such a result every year you are just one bubble away from Courchevel 1850 which should be reasonably reliable.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Schladming slways seems to open early and a much nicer place to be when the weather isn't perfect.
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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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Thank you all very much. I guess resort opening dates will be listed on their tourist websites. I`d also guess it will be cheaper than the Xmas week? Well I hope so
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CaravanSkier, yes and yes. The espace killy (tignes/val d'isere) links usually open before the date you want
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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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CaravanSkier, no they will not as such as many resorts open earlier than the published dates. The published dates are for FULL opening usually; prior to that the resort will operate the lifts based on the snow cover and the number of visitors. Frosty the Snowman mentions Schladming for example, opened this season in early October as we had some serious snow fall over the first weekend of the month.
I think you need to decide which country you would prefer to ski in then look at the historic evidence as to when the resorts there have opened fully in the past. Yes places with glaciers will tend to prevail as being "early openers", but as people have already said the only open slopes may be those on the glacier and if, as a result of bad weather, you cannot access them, you still cannot ski!
I've skied regularly on normal, non-glacier slopes in many resorts in the weeks before Christmas, but the number of runs available is often limited by the number of lifts running, not necessarily the amount of snow. Certainly the week before the actual Christmas week will be OK in just about every ski resort, but as to whether it will be great or not, that lies entirely in the laps of the weather Gods! 
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| Quote: |
Certainly the week before the actual Christmas week will be OK in just about every ski resort,
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But a lot of resorts won't be open that week. Many resorts in France, including big ones, didn't open till 22 December this year. There will be plenty of accommodation everywhere, so the thing to do is to wait and see. If you are flying, book early cheap flights, but if you re driving you can stay flexible to the end. Tignes will almost certainly have masses of skiing available (not just the glacier) but it can be bleak and many of the restaurants, shops, etc may still be closed. Tignes is great, early season, for keen skiers, but pretty miserable for anybody else.
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Megeve opened one small sector a few days early this season, but although there was plenty of snow, there wasn't much available (a number of snowheads were asking at the time). Thing is, there aren't that many skiers around, so it's not very good business for resorts. If you absolutely have to plan a holiday well in advance you need to head to one of the places where open slopes are pretty well guaranteed. Tignes is one, of course. Les Saisies will open at weekends in December, if the snow is good, as there are a lot of local day-trippers, but I've never known it to open otherwise before the published dates.
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I've skied schladming pre Xmas for the last 5 seasons, normally have lifts open from late October, certainly by mid December should not be a problem
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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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pam w, Just about all the bars and restaurants were open in Tignes at the start of this year's main season 1 Dec. This was also opening day for Le Lagon (pool, fitness and wellness).
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I don`t particularly want to go that week it just looks like we have no choice because of every ones work/uni commitments  I was planning on the Xmas week. However, with Snowheads help I hope the make the most of it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I think 2006 was the last time I didn't have good or great December skiing. Either Ischgl, Lech, Zurs, St Anton, Obertauern or Schladming. As a rule it tends to be colder in the east (so Austria) at that time of year though of course there are plenty of higher altitude places in France to choose from as well. In Austria you will also have Christmas markets to enjoy in many places as well which can add to the fun.
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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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CaravanSkier, it's a great week to ski, in my book. Resorts are much quieter as it is a low season week often lift passes are cheaper, accomodation is cheaper, you have all the Christmas decorations up in resort which is wonderfully atmospheric with snow on the ground. One year we decided to do a trip over to Innsbruck from Obergurgl and went round the Christmas market.
I am sure you will have a great time.
It sounds like you are a big group? If you aren't you can get some good last minute bargains.
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You know it makes sense.
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CaravanSkier, You may get some good prices at family run hotels for that size of group or perhaps think of renting a holiday apartment/ house somewhere with a good record of early snow. Will you be flying out or will you have some kind of independent means of travelling round?
If the season does have a shaky start no matter where you have chosen you may be unlucky. So you may be better off looking as far east as you can be sure of the cold temperatures allowing for sufficient snow-making to enable the base to be built up in time. The problem France sometimes faces is that the moisture-laden winds that bring the snow are also a wee bit too warm at normal levels (2007 was a season that started mediocrely and got worse). A mild November means any snow made by machines is falling on to unfrozen ground  The further east you can go, the less chance there is of that, although we were crossing our fingers pretty hard at the beginning of this 2012/2013 season here in the central area.
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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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CaravanSkier, we have done, Reberty with Silverski who unfortunately don't run the chalet anymore as we'll as La Tania with Ski Amis using chalet Christine, with Ski Amis we got a great price, we booked in September the snow was fantastic, and the pistes empty, skiing in Courchevel was awsome. So was Ralph's ski hosting but don't think that will be on offer any more!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Some will be driving, some flying as the family is spread all over the place.
I feel like I ought to do the kinds of odds predicting that the likes of Ladbrokes do. Will it snow here, or here, or there 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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So just a thought, what about Scandinavia?
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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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CaravanSkier, Ski Amis would work for you, as they are only an operator and you can always get up to Val Thorens.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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CaravanSkier,
Don't do Scandinavia. The days are short, like 9.30 to 3.30, and apart from that it is pitch black. Also, no guarantees of snow. And it's so expensive, it will make your eyes water. Last summer I paid 5 pounds for 10 eggs, in a grocery store in a non touristic supermarket. And the mountains there aren't that great to ski anyway.
My sister lives there, and for them it's a wonderful treat to ski the Alps... and they are Norwegian!
If you want a guarantee, stick to the bigger places that have a reputation to uphold of having a longer season. Because they have a reputation to uphold, they will make it work one way or another.
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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 always go that week. In the last 6 years I've been to Val d'Isere, Courchevel 1850, Meribel Mottaret and La Plagne and have always had great snow.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thank you Heidi, I had thought it might be expensive after having a quick look. I shall rule it out.
Piccadilly it would seem those resorts offer the best opportunities at that time of year so I am looking at availabilities.
Thank you Radar I will look at Ski Amis.
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| radar wrote: |
| CaravanSkier, we have done, Reberty with Silverski who unfortunately don't run the chalet anymore as we'll as La Tania with Ski Amis using chalet Christine, with Ski Amis we got a great price, we booked in September the snow was fantastic, and the pistes empty, skiing in Courchevel was awsome. So was Ralph's ski hosting but don't think that will be on offer any more! |
Ski Olympic have a number of chalets in Reberty in the same Reberty Villages area as the Silver Ski ones used to be. Every bit as good as Silver Ski IMHO
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CaravanSkier, as Bogusman, kindly points out above, we had fab snow in La Tania this season, from early December. It's usually pretty skiable anyway, but this year was outstanding. In any case, as most of the pistes are above 1800m and you're only one lift from C.1850, it would be unlucky not to have skiable conditions close to hand, even though LT is considered to be on the low side. PM if I can help with any more or accommodation 
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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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I just Googled Reberty as I was confused about where/what it is. The first phrase I read described it as high and pretty, two boxes immediately ticked So thank you
Anniepen thank you, at the moment however I am concentrating on high resorts though it will depend on what accommodation I can find. Having spent a very wet, rainy Christmas in Grand Bornand some years back, and several rainy holiday in lowish resorts, all be it with great acces to high snow, I would prefer to already be high.
Everyones input is most helpful!
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