{"id":6015,"date":"2024-11-16T03:13:47","date_gmt":"2024-11-16T03:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.newat9.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/16\/these-are-the-best-early-winter-ski-trips-to-know-about-this-season\/"},"modified":"2024-11-16T03:13:47","modified_gmt":"2024-11-16T03:13:47","slug":"these-are-the-best-early-winter-ski-trips-to-know-about-this-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tech.newat9.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/16\/these-are-the-best-early-winter-ski-trips-to-know-about-this-season\/","title":{"rendered":"These are the best early-winter ski trips to know about this season"},"content":{"rendered":"


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N<\/span>othing transforms early winter quite like a ski trip. One day you\u2019re mired deep in late-November or early-December darkness; the next you\u2019re staring slack-jawed at some snaggle-toothed mountain, with the new season\u2019s snow beneath your skis, wishing you\u2019d booked your hotel room for three months, not three nights. The sudden sense of grandeur, speed and sunlight has never felt so refreshing.<\/p>\n

So if you can spare a weekend or more between now and Christmas, grab your ski boots and go. This is low season. There are plenty of flights available and in most resorts lots of unbooked rooms. And after a nerve-racking period when hardly a flake of snow fell, there\u2019s fresh snow on the higher slopes too. The mid-range forecasts suggest more is coming.<\/p>\n

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Here, we\u2019ve picked some of the best options for long weekends and seven-night stays. We\u2019ve pulled out a couple of Christmas plums too. Families take note: if you can wriggle free of your yuletide commitments back home, there are significant discounts to be bagged.<\/p>\n

This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue<\/i><\/p>\n

1. Val Thorens, France<\/h3>\n
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\"More<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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More than 10,000 skiers will be at Val Thorens\u2019s opening weekend<\/p>\n

GETTY IAMGES<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The snow forecast for the Alps next week will be a godsend for Val Thorens, whose opening weekend kicks off on Friday. If the skies clear in time, expect more than 10,000 skiers to make their first euphoric turns of winter on its rolling slopes, before dancing to piste-side DJ sets. Book a two-night lift pass and accommodation package directly with the resort, staying at the simple but spick and span R\u00e9sidence Chamois d\u2019Or apartments, and don\u2019t forget to sign up to test the latest skis free of charge (digitaltestcenter.com).
Details <\/b>Two nights\u2019 self-catering for four from \u00a3148pp including two-daylift pass (booking.valthorens.com). Fly to Geneva or take the train to Mo\u00fbtiers<\/p>\n

2. Val d\u2019Is\u00e8re, France<\/h3>\n
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\"Val<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Val d\u2019Is\u00e8re hosts a World Cup ski race on December 14-15<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Nothing injects excitement into the early season quite like a World Cup ski race \u2014 as you\u2019ll discover if you join the crowds at Val d\u2019Is\u00e8re\u2019s Crit\u00e9rium de la Premi\u00e8re Neige on December 14-15 (from \u00a38.30; worldcup-valdisere.com). But you\u2019ll want to do plenty of skiing yourself as well, so check into the Chalet H\u00f4tel du Fornet at the far end of the valley, and focus on the under-used but multi-faceted Fornet and Solaise sectors \u2012 or ski over to Tignes. At both ends of this snow-sure ski area the lifts rise above 3,000m.
Details <\/b>Four nights\u2019 half-board from \u00a3564pp (hotel-du-fornet-valdisere.com). Fly to Geneva or take the train to Bourg-Saint-Maurice<\/p>\n

3. Hintertux, Austria <\/h3>\n
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\"Find<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Find snow-sure pistes on the Hintertux glacier<\/p>\n

GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

You don\u2019t have to be a ski-racer to love the Hintertux area. Yes, in the autumn you\u2019ll find national ski teams training on one of its two snow-sure glaciers, the unusually steep Tuxer Ferner. But the Riepenkees opposite is much less challenging, and as the snow line moves down the mountain, the area becomes a sizeable weekenders\u2019 playground perfect for confident but not expert piste skiers. Hire a car so you can drive up to the lifts from the friendly Tirolerhof hotel, and stretch your muscles each afternoon in its serene outdoor pool.
Details <\/b>Half-board doubles from \u00a3283 (tirolerhof-tux.at). Fly to Innsbruck<\/p>\n

4. Cervinia, Italy<\/h3>\n
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\"Cervinia\u2019s<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Cervinia\u2019s high terrain has already had a welcome dusting of snow<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In the flukey, early days of winter, the eye-wateringly high terrain connecting Cervinia with neighbouring Zermatt in Switzerland is a reliable place to ski, and last Tuesday it had a welcome dusting of white to complement the work of the snow cannons. More is due next week, and if it falls, expect an extensive early season area of intermediate-friendly pistes to open up beneath the sky-scraping spike of Monte Cervino (aka the Matterhorn). The luxe-y ski-in, ski-out Bergman Mountain hotel is a convenient and comfortable base.
Details<\/b> Four nights\u2019 B&B from \u00a31,150pp, including flights (momentumxp.co.uk)<\/p>\n

5. Gurgl, Austria<\/h3>\n
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\"Obergurgl<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Obergurgl is an intermediate-friendly area<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The snow cannons have been hard at work in high-altitude Gurgl (3,030m at the top), laying down a firm, consistent base for next weekend\u2019s World Cup slalom races. Once they\u2019re over, this medium-sized, intermediate-friendly resort is a canny pick for early-season skiers in search of comfort as well as cold, grippy snow. Book the Edelweiss & Gurgl hotel for the full effect. Close to two key lifts, it offers a state-of-the-art rental centre in the basement and a smooth, well-balanced mix of Tyrolean style and 21st-century mod-cons.
Details<\/b> Seven nights\u2019 half-board from \u00a31,769pp, including flights, departing December 14 (inghams.co.uk)<\/p>\n

6. Selva, Italy<\/h3>\n
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Selva di Val Gardena has one of the world\u2019s best snow-making systems<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Few European rock faces can match the crinkle-cut drama of the Sassolungo\u2019s cliffs. The 3,181m peak dominates the pistes in the Val Gardena, and your first sight of them, at the top of the Ciampinoi lift from Selva, is the perfect overture to a long weekend of easy and spectacular Dolomite skiing. Early-season cover \u2014 on-piste, at least \u2014 is more or less guaranteed by one of the world\u2019s best snow-making systems, and speedy access from Gatwick is provided by Sky Alps\u2019 flights to Bolzano, 45 minutes\u2019 drive away. Book the chic Linder Cycling Hotel so you\u2019re close to the key lift.
Details<\/b> Four nights\u2019 B&B from \u00a3652pp (linder.it). Fly to Bolzano<\/p>\n

7. Whistler, Canada<\/h3>\n
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\"Whistler<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Whistler could be due a bumper crop of snow this year<\/p>\n

LEANNA RATHKELLY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

North American skiers wait with bated breath. Will the climate anomaly known as La Ni\u00f1a develop over the Pacific? If it does, Whistler could be due a bumper crop of the white stuff \u2014 and over a metre of snowfall has already been recorded, so the signs are promising. Skiing there is not a bargain-basement undertaking, and the slopes will be busy from the get-go (opening day is November 22). But if Mother Nature turns the powder taps on, off-pisters will relish its avalanche-protected, ski-anywhere slopes. Stay at the Pan Pacific Mountainside, a big glossy hotel with heated outdoor pool and hot tubs, to be close to the lifts.
Details <\/b>Seven nights\u2019 room-only from \u00a31,929pp, including flights and lift pass (ski-i.com)<\/p>\n

8. Les Deux Alpes, France<\/h3>\n
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Les Deux Alpes hosts a December music festival, and has a new gondola<\/p>\n

SOUMIS A COPYRIGHT<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Les Deux Alpes has good reason to celebrate the start of the 2024-5 season. It\u2019s opening a new high-speed gondola that halves journey times up to its broad and snow-sure glacier. So expect an extra buzz at this year\u2019s Rise music festival, which will pack the resort with dance music fans between December 7-14 (six-day ticket and lift pass \u00a3445pp; rise-festival.com). DJ duo Chase & Status are headlining, so if you\u2019re tempted, be quick. Among the handful of flights-inclusive packages remaining is a week in the upmarket Neige et Soleil apartments, close to both lifts and pistes.
Details <\/b>Seven nights\u2019 self-catering for four from \u00a3689pp, including flights (heidi.com)<\/p>\n

\u2022 10 of the best all-inclusive ski resort hotels<\/b><\/a>
\u2022 20 of the best ski resorts in Europe for 2024<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

9. Les Arcs, France<\/h3>\n
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The Club Belambra H\u00f4tel du Golf is close to lifts, pistes and ski-school meeting points<\/p>\n

JEROME CARRET<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Christmas holidays have been selling slowly this year to all but the highest resorts. With the first winter snow falling, that may change. But at the time of writing there are significant discounts to be bagged, including this 33 per cent price cut to a week in the Club Belambra H\u00f4tel du Golf. This striking glass-walled modernist block hotel is close to lifts, pistes and ski-school meeting points in easy-skiing Arc 1800, which makes popping back for lunch (part of the all-inclusive package) a cinch. Kids\u2019 clubs are also included in the price.
Details <\/b>Seven nights\u2019 all-inclusive from \u00a31,233pp, including flights (crystalski.co.uk)<\/p>\n

10. Les Menuires, France<\/h3>\n
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\"Neilson\u2019s<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Neilson\u2019s Hotel Le Menuire & Spa has \u00a3100pp off Christmas week<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

There\u2019s only \u00a3100pp off Christmas week at Neilson\u2019s Hotel Le Menuire & Spa, but with family-friendly quad rooms still available and the vast Three Valleys ski area beckoning, you may feel it\u2019s worth paying a little extra. Guests also get at least two free guided tours of the pistes with qualified ski instructors, and there are kids\u2019 clubs available for an extra fee. The resort\u2019s indoor sports centre is nearby too, complete with a giant soft-play zone.
Details <\/b>Seven nights\u2019 half-board from \u00a31,340pp, including flights (neilson.co.uk)<\/p>\n

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