International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) Uncrowded resorts in Europe for Xmas

[marjoram_sage]

We have some family and friends currently living in Europe/Middle East and we are planning on doing a ski trip with them for Christmas 2019 for about 2-3 weeks. It may sound like I'm asking this question too early but I usually book tickets using airline miles and it's better to lock down the flights sooner. Xmas is a pretty busy time but I'm sure there are areas off the beaten track that are uncrowded. I'm looking for areas similar to the resorts in Idaho and British Columbia with good snow but few people.

Since we are all beginner/intermediates, we don't need a large resort with a lot of terrain. I don't want to repeat the mistake I made this year of going to a large resort (Beaver Creek) and then skiing only 10% of the terrain.

My preliminary search shows Arosa (Switzerland), Monterosa (Italy), Leogang (Austria) and Pra Loup (France). I would love to know if people have any recommendations especially since I'm looking for places that don't show up in the top 10 type articles.

Priorities:
- good snow
- uncrowded
- affordable lift tickets and lessons

Not a priority:
- expert terrain
- party scene
- ease of access

Thanks!

 

[sbooker]

We skied in the Ziller Valley in Austria over Christmas just gone. It ticks your boxes.
Beautiful scenery, not crowded, extensive snow making in case mother nature doesn't do it's thing (we had great natural snow), vast area with a variety of terrain options.
The Ziller Valley has a number of towns. We stayed in Kaltenbach. Relatively quiet but there's partying available if you want it. The most famous town is Mayrhofen. The Hintertux galcier is at the head of the valley and offers guaranteed extensive skiing (they ski 365 days per year there). All villages are linked by a narrow gauge ralway or buses. To give you an idea of the size of each individual area I would think Kaltenbach (Hochzillertal) area would be about twice the size of Alta for example. Mayrhofen would be a lot bigger than Mammoth. Another town in the valley is Zell am Ziller. It looked a fab place to stay.
The advantage of this area over some others in Austria is it is just that bit higher (about 500 metres) than some other well known areas like Kitzbuhel, Saalbach, Ski Armade, Skiwelt etc. Very easy access by train from Innsbruck airport and also Munich.
All the ski resorts in Europe get much busier the following week (New Years week).

 

[fatbob]

To be honest your list so far doesn't look bad and stuff like the lower Ziller valley is also a good call. Just be aware that 2-3 weeks over Xmas is far from a sure thing in Europe re natural snow and the smaller you go away from the big mega resorts the less snowmaking there might be. You don't necessarily even need to avoid the big places entirely e.g. you can backdoor into 3V from Orelle but elsewhere in the Maurienne valley might suit.

 

[fatbob]

PS you can lock down flights into somewhere sensible like GVA, ZRH or Munich and decide on resorts much later. It's Europe nowhere's more than a day's drive.

 

[marjoram_sage]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have found flights on miles to Munich.

Another suggestion came up for SerfHaus from @AlpsSkidad. I think our choice will come down to where we can get best value for accomodation.

 

[Jacob]

One thing to remember is that, even resorts that aren't well known in North America might be gigantic in comparison. For example from your list, Arosa is linked with Lenzerheide, and both are covered by a single lift ticket. The combined area has 43 lifts and 113 pistes.

Another thing is that, in most resorts, pretty much all of the marked trails will be groomed, including the blacks. So, you'll be able to ski a lot more of the area than in some US resorts.

I'm not sure if you're going to find an area that has good early-season conditions and is not crowded at Christmas, especially if your benchmark for crowds is Idaho and BC. Skiing is far more popular in Europe than it is in the US, and there aren't really any resorts around the Alps that aren't within easy driving distance for a large number of people, so finding a resort that has good snow and no crowds at that time of year will be pretty difficult.

 

[AlpsSkidad]

One thing to remember is that, even resorts that aren't well known in North America might be gigantic in comparison. For example from your list, Arosa is linked with Lenzerheide, and both are covered by a single lift ticket. The combined area has 43 lifts and 113 pistes.

Another thing is that, in most resorts, pretty much all of the marked trails will be groomed, including the blacks. So, you'll be able to ski a lot more of the area than in some US resorts.

I'm not sure if you're going to find an area that has good early-season conditions and is not crowded at Christmas, especially if your benchmark for crowds is Idaho and BC. Skiing is far more popular in Europe than it is in the US, and there aren't really any resorts around the Alps that aren't within easy driving distance for a large number of people, so finding a resort that has good snow and no crowds at that time of year will be pretty difficult.

In general, a lot of people ski in Europe, however Christmas week is somewhat calm as many spend that first week with family. It's New Year's week that is the peak time at many ski resorts.
We've been skiing various places in the Alps every Christmas for the full two weeks the past several years in a row, and have never had any snow or crowd issues. We've tried several resorts in Switzerland, Austria, France, etc.
Additionally many resorts have substantial snowmaking and continuously upgrade it every year. As long as the temperatures cooperate, there is usually enough coverage and even in a slow year for natural snow, there are a significant percentage of slopes open.
The lower altitude French resorts are probably not as safe of a bet early season, but the higher ones are fine. Additionally much of Austria does well early, even with the lower altitudes. It seems the location of the mountains in Austria often benefit from more early season snow than France. Switzerland has been a good Christmas ski as well, but often pricier than Austria or Italy.