The new season is fast approaching and we are sure one or two of you will be looking to getaway early in November or early December before the Christmas and New Year rush, to get those ski legs ready for the main chalet ski holidays later on. Going early, the main question we are always asked is where to go and will there be enough snow?
1. Zermatt, Switzerland
Zermatt is generally our first ski of the season as it is as snow-sure as it gets. Here skiing and snowboarding actually never stops with glacier skiing as high as 3,820m, 365 days of the year (open all year round). But here it isn’t just glacier skiing. We have often visited the first or second week of November and found great snow all the way down to the mid-stations and even below on most occasions, giving a vertical drop of over 1,800m!
2. Verbier, Switzerland
Another of our favourite early season visits, whilst not all year round as in the Zermatt case, it is one of the first to open, typically the 2nd or 3rd week of November with some great skiing on and above Attelas and Le Chaux, and with skiing on and below Mont Gele (3,023m), as well as Mont-Fort at 3,330m, conditions are typically great November through to May.
From our own experience, children young and old particularly love Verbier late November as typically La Chaux boarder-cross and snowpark opens for some great early tricks and fun.
3. 3Vallees – Courchevel 1850, Meribel and Val Thorens, France
I guess inevitably number three had to be the 3Vallees in France, and with some of the highest and best linked skiing in the world, the resort opens late November or the very first week of December, depending on conditions. With glacier skiing on the Glacier de Thorens and below the Bouchet, the highest lift rising to 3,320m, when the resort opens it is hih on our list of places to head as it is typically excellent, particularly the 1st or 2nd week of December when the pistes are quiet, the snow is building nicely, and the groomed slopes are perfect for practicing those carving turns ready for the main season proper in a week or three.
4. Espace d’Killy – Val d’Isere and Tignes, France
France’s other big high altitude ski area, with Tignes situated at 2,100m, and Val d’Isere at 1,850m, skiing back to the resort is often possible once they open up which like the 3Vallees is typically the end of November or 1st week of December. We particularly like Val d’Isere for its charm, and the fact you can enjoy a calmer side of this ski resort before the fun partying starts. This said, Tignes at 2,100m isn’t a bad alternative, especially as the resort is generally covered in snow from late October onwards!
5. Chamonix, France
The fifth choice was always going to be difficult as it meant leaving out several others, all worthy choices for the 5th spot in our book. 2Alpes (Deux Alpes) in France and Saas Fee in Switzerland both deserve a particular mention as they are both all year round resorts. Then there are greats such as St Anton, Obergugl, and Kaprun (glacier skiing) all in Austria. There are of course so many more, however, Chamonix tipped in at five for two main reasons. Firstly it is the perfect place for the high altitude weekend getaway early season, being just one hour from Geneva Airport, and with skiing up to 3,275m on the Grands Montets. And secondly it also has one of the prettiest towns and scenery in the Alps and with several boutique stores, it is a shopaholics pre-Christmas dream! Similarly to the French ski resorts above it typically opens late November or early December.
