Where's best early season?

Hubby & I are looking to go skiing the week before Xmas but I don't know where's best to go to to be sure of some decent snow. We're late 30's (no kiddies!)& have only skiied a couple of times so we need somewhere that's good for beginners & we prefer accom in easy reach of slopes. Any suggestions gratefully received....thanks....

Kilo wrote:Hubby & I are looking to go skiing the week before Xmas but I don't know where's best to go to to be sure of some decent snow. We're late 30's (no kiddies!)& have only skiied a couple of times so we need somewhere that's good for beginners & we prefer accom in easy reach of slopes. Any suggestions gratefully received....thanks....

I think there should be plenty of accommodation available for that week, You might just need to give us a tad more info where you would like to ski, perhaps by country 8)

Hello come to J2ski.
As Ian says, at that time of year, the general position will il be available. However, you also need availability of flights, transfer, that the lift system is open, and above all, good snow.
Apart from low cost, your timescale does offer an advantage, in that you can leave your choice and decision quite late, certainly until the end of October, and better even to wait until the end of November.
What would you wait for? Well given that you might have a type of resort in mind, you are looking for where the early sustained dumps of snow arrive first. This must be combined with, and preceeded by cold temperatures.
Higher resorts will already have their lift systems open the first week in December, and the lower alpine areas are all open by 20th December.
Typically Austria has good early snow, followed by France then Italy, but this is not always the case. Given normal temperatures, most resorts are producing artificial snow by the first week in December, to help create a good base.
Hence, you should benefit in a number of ways, should you leave it until nearer the time, and then put in a concerted assessment of conditions, availability and what kind of deal is on offer.

Obertuern is snow sure usually the week before Xmas..(been twice)and some hotels offer inclusive of lift pass for that week.. The runs are quite varied but it is mainly above the tree line and its mostly ski out and in from the hotel door

Obergurgl

Obergurgl
Lech
St Anton

Val Thorens
Val d'Isere
Alpe d'Huez

Cervinia

Zermatt
Saas Fe
Zermatt


Just a few suggestions for early season based on snow records, altitude, and a little personal experience too.

Thanks Guys - that's a great help....I've got LOTS to think about now!! :)

Kilo, you are asking for a resort that is suitable for beginners, and with accomodation that is within easy reach of the slopes.

At this time of year, J2skiers occasionally go into semi-hibernation. It's the opposite of hedgehogs.

So when someone suggests Zermatt, you should undertand that it is totally unsuited for beginners; if you are really lucky, you might reach a beginner slope just over an hour after leaving your hotel. Being very kind, Inghams give Zermatt a one star for beginners. They can hardly give it no stars, and Zermatt is the only one star in the Inghams brochure. I think that you need to be careful.

Beginners get quite tired, and it is little fun, if you have a big trog to get back to your accomodation after your days skiing.

If you are near-beginners, you do not need to go to a big ski resort. 200 km of skiing carries little meaning, if you will ski only 8 km a day. In fact, a small resort carries several benefits, providing that it meets with other criteria.