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Afternoon all,
I’ve been talking to our lass about skiing at Christmas, and now I’ve done such an excellent job at selling the idea to her, she’s pestering me to get it booked.
The thing is, none of the places I can easily find online particularly take my fancy. I’ve stayed in chalets in Tignes before, but they’re not open actually over Christmas.
Do you have any recommendations? Also, are the lifts open on Christmas Day, or are we expected to be blindo next to a fire in the chalet from 9am?
Cheers
The first thing I’d be looking at is how good the snow will be that early. I’d be looking at high, ideally glacier based resorts.
Lifts are generally open, depending on the resort some only open a limited selection and they often close early.
Done it a few times it's great. Everything is open as usual, though if you stay over new year a few shops open later in the morning on the 1st... Keep in mind the French celebrate Christmas on the night of the 24th rather than Christmas lunch, if you're thinking of booking a Christmas meal somewhere.
Snow usually OK if you go high (Tignes/Val, for example). Surprised the chalets aren't open in Tignes - are you sure they're not just booked already - it's a busy time of the year for the resorts (not quite a busy as Feb school holidays and New Year is usually busier than Christmas - but it's very definitely high season, as are the prices generally).
EDIT - and re: lifts closing earlier at Christmas, have never seen that myself, if anything it'd be on the 24th evening (see comments about Christmas meals). Lifts do close earlier in Dec/Jan than later in the season because it gets dark quicker, though.
I've spent Christmas in Tignes, everthing was business as usuaL. We stayed in a Maeva flat. I tried their site out of idle interest and they've got things, a bit pricy though:
https://www.maeva.com/recherche.php#descenteMoteur
Days are short, it can be really cold (about -20°C in the resort nearly every morning we were there), the snow usuall excellent at Christmas if there is any. Don't leave the shovel in the car and expect to do some digging if you use a surface car park.
Look at the website snowtrippin,co.uk - lovely chalets in St Martin de Belleville (3 vallees), the only downside at that time of the year is it’s at a lowish elevation (although the 3 vallees region has lots of higher stuff).
We are booked for Levi, Finland. Been a few times at Christmas, very laid back, not massive pistes but good fun
Excellent info, thank you all.
It sounds like Christmas is not the BEST time to go, but excellent for its own reasons.
Will be looking the links above up tomorrow, thank you for the suggestions.
Is there snow up Mount Teide at Xmas? Best of both worlds! 😉
Been a few times in Canada ham goes in the slow cooker then it’s off snowboarding and the veggies get done when we get home.
If going at Xmas in Europe consider a resort with a glacier your much more snow sure at ~3000m.
In Austria there are a few, not sure what the options are in other country’s
https://www.kitzsteinhorn.at/en
https://www.mayrhofen.at/en/winter/ski-resort/glacier-skiing/
I’m looking again for new year. Last New Year’s trip to Italy was a bit hit and miss. We lost a few days to high wind and then I crashed and cracked a rib, so my memories are not the greatest. The street party atmosphere was excellent though. Not sure I can justify 3 trips next season though 🤔
Another shout out for Levi - I loved it for being quiet and relaxed - booze is expensive - so don't go if you like to drink a lot - airport to location transfer 30minsish - might ao see Santa and/or norther lights.
And 100% guaranteed snow!