Christmas is saved!
Skiers heading to the Alps for Christmas will be relieved to hear that, unlike last year, the slopes are covered in snow. Well, almost, says Linsey McNeill.
"There hasn’t been a lot of precipitation recently – some resorts haven’t had any fresh dumps since late November – but resorts have pulled out all the stops to manufacture enough man-made snow to provide a decent enough coverage, especially in the northern French Alps.
I took a mini-break with iGOSKI to the Three Valleys, France’s largest ski area, early this week. The best snow was in the highest part of the Three Valleys, in Val Thorens, but it was also acceptable in the lower resorts of Courchevel and even La Tania, where around 60% to 70% of the runs were open.
"The Three Vallyes have done a great job making enough snow to provide pelnty of skiing," said James from the British-run ski school New Generation in La Tania. "Even though all the runs aren’t open, the skiing is great and they’ll be enough of the runs open for the busy Christmas and New Year weeks."
Snow coverage in La Tania and the linked resort of Courchevel is quite thin in places, and some of the runs are bare in parts so skiers do need to take care.
A lack of natural snow means there’s no off-piste skiing to be had in the Alps, which will mean the pisted runs will be even busier than normal once the peak season gets under way this weekend, but at least things are looking a lot better than they were this time last year.
"A year ago in Tignes (France), the slopes were green in the week before Christmas," one of the iGOSKI chalet reps told me. "This year the skiing is good, it’s such a relief."
As no more snow is forecast before Christmas, the best advice to clients looking to book a last minute trip is to aim high. According to the ski weather website weathertoski.co.uk, the best snow can be found in the higher resorts of the northern and western Alps such as Val d’Isere, Tignes, La Plagne and Zermatt as well as Val Thorens in the Three Valleys.
However, the website pointed out that hundreds of resorts in the Alps are managing to manufacture enough artificial snow to stay open. This includes some of the lower resorts such as Saalbach in Austria and in the central and eastern Italian Alps, which have had very little of the real stuff so far this season."
For anyone looking for a last-minute New Year break, iGOSKI and sister company Alpine Elements still have some availability in resorts with snow, including departures on December 27 to La Plagne, Les Arcs, Val d’Isere and Tignes, which now start at around £799 per person for seven nights, a saving of around £400 per person."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026