Top 5 Destinations For Pre-Christmas Skiing (Skiing)

Name: snowbunni

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Product:	Skiing
Date:	17/11/05 (3073 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheaper, Less Crowded, and a Great Way to get into the Festive Spirit!

Disadvantages: Cheaper, but still not cheap...

WHY PRE-CHRISTMAS? Well, it isn’t just that greedy snowboarders & skiers such as myself are too impatient to wait until the season proper, which traditionally begins after Christmas…or not entirely, anyway. But there’s nothing lovelier than a White Christmas, in a scenic location, and few locations are lovelier or more scenic than some of the world’s best ski resorts. A long weekend spent on the slopes in the lead-up to the festive season can be incredibly satisfying, especially if you can manage to squeeze in a night’s stay in Geneva, Zurich or Vienna en route, and visit one of the continent’s more charming Christmas markets into the bargain. Speaking of bargains, there are more than a few to be had before the Peak-Season officially begins, when prices generally skyrocket, and pre-Christmas slopes are often very pleasantly under-crowded.

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1) Zermatt: When compiling a list of this sort, it seems impossible not to begin with Zermatt, a resort that, quite simply, ticks all of the proverbial boxes … Firstly, there’s guaranteed to be enough of the white stuff to satisfy even the most discerning of snow-buffs. To illustrate the point, I’ve skied the Matterhorn-Glacier at the very height of Summer (ie late July) and even then was impressed with the powder on offer! There are very few certainties in this world, but Christmas snow in Zermatt is most assuredly one of them. Secondly, the village is as pretty as a picture, or failing that, a jigsaw puzzle…full of traditional, wooden, converted farmhouses, and set beneath the iconic, towering form of the Matterhorn. The entire village has been classified as an official ‘Cure’ resort (a glorified spa-retreat, in layman’s terms) and pollutant-emitting vehicles (that’s cars to you and me) have been forbidden from entering its pristine parameters. Consequently, the resort is accessed via a charming little red train, which winds its way up and around the mountain from Tasch…Finally, Zermatt has some really exquisite restaurants, from simple, wooden fondue halls to far more extravagant affairs.
Where to stay: The last time I visited Zermatt, about five years ago, I stayed at the Schweizerhof Residence, which was superb, but very pricey. A double room is CHF 500 before Christmas, but CHF690 afterwards… Best Run: Triftj – for its spectacular moguls… Nearest Airport: Geneva.

2) Solden: Bafflingly, despite being one of the most glittering jewels in Austria’s winter crown, Solden, in the Tyrol, still remains relatively unknown. Like Zermatt, Solden has year-round skiing on two glaciers, and it hosts the first Slalom World Cup of the season on the Rettenbach. All the same, I must confess to having mixed feelings about the place. I spent a week here over Christmas in 1981, when I was six years old, a holiday which culminated in a very nasty car-crash, and went down in the family annals as a particularly calamitous experience. I’ve been back since, and was very impressed by the snow conditions, but the resort is by no means the prettiest in the Tyrol. However, when it comes to early-season skiing, it’s the reliability of a resort’s snowfall that really counts, and on this score, Solden comes up trumps. Furthermore, the resort boasts a massive 150km of groomed trails, including one run which extends over almost 13km.
Where to stay: Sonnenhotel Hochsölden, located above the village at 2,000m, and set right in the midst of the slopes. Half-Board Doubles start from 150 Euro. Best Run: Any of the trails around the Gaislachkogel. Nearest Airport: Innsbruck.

3) Val Thorens: Ah…Val Thorens… another resort blighted, for me, by a personal disaster …but I digress! Val Thorens’s high altitude, with the attendant reliability of its snowfall, makes it frankly impossible to ignore as an early-season destination. It is home to the longest access-trail in all of Europe, and represents one third of the impossibly huge skiing area that is Les Trois Vallees, along with Courchevel (Europe’s most expensive resort) and Meribel. It’s worth mentioning that while the latter two mightn’t have enough skiable terrain to be reliable pre-Christmas propositions, Val Thorens certainly will. Just don’t make the mistake of indulging in the more expensive, multi-resort ski-pass. There will be enough to contend with at Val Thorens itself, so it’s best to save yourself both the expense and the disappointment, unless, of course, snow-conditions are exceptionally good. The village at Val Thorens is purpose-built and relatively new, and can seem a little bleak and soul-less, especially in contrast to its two more picturesque sister-resorts in the valleys below. It’s comprised of a large number of grey, high-rise, apartment and hotel complexes, which appear especially stark against their pretty alpine backdrop. However, it does boast some pretty good nightlife, and as said, is situated at a very favourable altitude, presenting some of the most reliable skiing in Europe from November through to March, or even April. I felt keenly aware of the resorts high altitude the first time I visited, in January of 1991. The first Gulf War had just started, and British fighter planes routinely & boomingly sped overhead en route to the Gulf, seeming so close that one almost felt compelled to duck!

Where to stay: There’s a large selection of self-catering apartments in Val Thorens, at reasonable prices. The Novotel Coralia is a very pleasant hotel, with half-board doubles starting from 160 Euro.
Best Run: Combe de Caron, an unforgettable, death-defying dive! Nearest Airport: Geneva/Lyon.


4) Engelberg: Now I simply adore Engelberg, and not just because of its chocolate-box perfection. Located less than hour away from Lucerne, it’s another Swiss resort best accessed by a trip in one of those little red trains you sometimes see on Dentist’s calendars… The train departs from Lucerne, winding around the town’s beautiful lake before nudging its way up into the Alps. Engelberg itself is charming. The village dates back to the 12th Century when Benedictine monks founded a monastery there. Many of Engelberg’s buildings are constructed in the traditional, regional style, covered with overlapping little wooden slats that resemble the scales on a fish. The best skiing is up on the Titlis, which boasts the world’s first rotating gondola, featuring spectacular 360 degree views. There are well over 300km of groomed trails.

Where to stay: The Hotel Bellevue, set in a grand, turn-of the century building, has cosy rooms, serves up a fabulous breakfast buffet, and is exceptionally good value for money. Doubles start from 80 Euro.
Best Run: The trail which leads from the Kleine Titlis all the way down to the Truebsee, which offers some of the most stunning views you’ll find anywhere in Europe. Nearest Airport: Zurich.


5)Whistler/Blackcomb, British Columbia, Canada: Although my list has an obvious European bias, there are so many superb options for early-season skiing in North America that it would be churlish not to include at least a one of them… My younger brother, a fanatical skier, lives in the States, and he swears that Whistler has the best snow in North America from November onwards. Whistler, set to host the Winter Olympics in 2010, is a resort on a massive scale, spread out over five separate ‘village’ areas. It is located in a spectacularly lovely valley, and has a very friendly atmosphere, despite the crowds. Whistler attracts enormous numbers of skiers from all over the world, especially from Australia and Japan. The resort is almost as well known for its Apres-Ski as for its skiing, and has some very lively nightlife indeed. I was there on Australia Day one year, and there were long queues to get into the Longhorn, a bar hosting the Australia Day celebrations from 9am in the morning…The skiing is fantastic, with thousands of acres of skiable terrain, and on powder days, which are common here, you can get up early and go out with the ski patrol for first tracks if you pay a little extra. Saudan Couloir, Whistler’s best known trail, is where extreme skiing was popularised, and not for the faint-hearted. The resort also offers heli-skiing.
Where to stay: If you can afford it, the Pan Pacific Lodge, a beautiful boutique hotel with fabulous out-door hot tubs and a really good restaurant. Doubles from US$240.
Best Run: Saudan couloir. Nearest Airport: Vancouver.


ANYWHERE ELSE? Other great destinations for early-season skiing include Val D’Isere in France, St.Anton in Austria, Verbier in Swizerland and Jackson Hole/Steamboat in Colorado.


Recent Met Office predictions of an unseasonably cold winter this year brought joy to my heart. ‘Great!’ I said to my husband, ‘We’ll be skiing by December!’ My celebratory mood was dampened somewhat by his reply… ‘Ok,’ he said, ‘pipelines will freeze, industry will be crippled, and thousands of pensioners will shiver to death in their homes… but at least we’ll be skiing!’ This was something that had never even occurred to me…at first. And in my defence, I really do feel guilty about it. : (

Summary: The Best Resorts For Early-Season Skiing