Skiing at Christmas

Hello - it's been ages since I've posted on here - have just spent the last couple of evenings catching up on postings going back several months! I'll try to keep up now, I promise.

We have a dilemma this year about when to ski. Small person is no longer at junior school so we were thinking about possibly skiing over Christmas (but not New Year). Last season we had a fantastic time in St. Gervais & would happily go back there as we could meet up with relatives who live in the area. Flights & accommodation have been sourced at a reasonable cost, but will I find it so hideously busy that we'll wish we'd stayed at home? I'm led to believe that New Year is much busier. We were very spoilt last year as the last 2 weeks of January were very quiet. Half term doesn't appeal at all, so that isn't an option.

I know that the snow over Christmas is much less reliable - & memories of green ski slopes in mid January 2006 still haunt me! Any advice would be very welcome.

Hi Sal.....can't really help as I work in retail a busy time of year for us can't really take any time off :twisted: :twisted:

Hi Salski

I believe it is quieter at Christmas than New Year - we have been just after Christmas overlapping both weeks and the Christmas week was quieter than New Year. We are going Christmas Week this year but Friday to Thurs and going back home on Christmas Eve - five and half days skiing and I get to do Christmas Dinner as usual :roll: - won't know what to do with myself over New Year though - will be the first time not skied that week in a while - I guess Chill Factore and the Wii will have to do!

Hi Sal,

Don't recall Jan 2006 as being too bad, Jan 2007 was poor.

Assuming that St Gervais can make snow, then it only needs to be reasonably cold. StG is 810 metres. At that height, you might expect them to me making and stockpiling snow by mid November.

As a guide, Megeve, although 290 metres higher at resort level, records 50/60 cm of snow over the past two mid-Decembers, and 1.1m to 1.4m at the top. So maybe a wee bit less than that.

Any year can be a bad year, but there are not too many of them, thank goodness!

As ParaSC says, Christmas is quieter than New Year, and is a lovely time to be away skiing.

Christmas is a lot quieter than the New Year week, which never makes sense to me. IMO it is a better week to ski with less people around and cheaper but many families feel pressure to stay at home for Christmas.

I've skied twice at Xmas and never found it too busy. Like anytime anywhere, as long as you get up early enough to avoid peak time queues you will be ok.
It is charming and lovely to be in a proper alpine resort at that time of year, and to ski on Xmas day really is not to be taken for granted.
I have not been away for new year, purely and simply because when I have been away at Xmas, the locals have been bracing themselves for the massive influx of people and one hell of a hectic week. Austria in particular gets infiltrated by loads of havey drinking Germans, not something I want to be around for.
You'll have a fab time. Remember to book well in advance for restaurants though.

I have also skied at Christmas and found it most enjoyable to be up a mountain, and not sat in front of the telly after a large meal.

Many European countries have a celebration meal on Christmas Eve, and the day after is quite normal and low key.

Best Christmas Day memory. Sitting on a balcony high up in Cervinia ski area, glorious sunshine, jacket off, eating Spag Bol and listening to Cosi Fan Tutte from the Royal Opera House 8)

bandit wrote:I have also skied at Christmas and found it most enjoyable to be up a mountain, and not sat in front of the telly after a large meal.

Many European countries have a celebration meal on Christmas Eve, and the day after is quite normal and low key.

Best Christmas Day memory. Sitting on a balcony high up in Cervinia ski area, glorious sunshine, jacket off, eating Spag Bol and listening to Cosi Fan Tutte from the Royal Opera House 8)

That sounded really great until you got to the part of the Royal Opera house, they are in the same category as the "Irish airlines" :evil: