In France, a high resort still doesn't guarantee snow at Christmas: what part of the Alps it stands in matters too. Wetter Savoie, with the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys, produces plenty of resorts with a full score of 30 of 30 winters 1984/85–2013/14 at mid-mountain altitudes of 2,100–2,500 m. In the drier Hautes-Alpes, Serre-Chevalier at 2,000 m manages only 12 of 30, and in the Vosges at 1,000 m there is almost never natural snow over the holidays. So for a Briton travelling at Christmas or New Year, the choice comes down to a short Savoie list. The numbers describe the climate of 30 winters and model climate scenarios, not a forecast for your holiday; the resort itself publishes snow depth for any given week.
The site's yardstick: the holidays count as snowy if, from 22 December to 4 January, there was at least 30 cm of natural snow on at least 10 days out of 14. A resort with 25 or more such Christmases out of 30 counts as snow-sure.
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The most reliable: Val Thorens, Tignes, La Plagne and Alpe d'Huez
For all 30 winters 1984/85–2013/14, Christmas was snowy at Val Thorens and Tignes - Val d'Isère (mid-mountain 2,500 m), next door to Savoie at Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine (2,200 m), at La Plagne and at the country's leader Aussois in the Maurienne (both 2,100 m). Courchevel at 1,900 m missed one holiday out of 30, Méribel at 2,000 m two. The same full score as Val Thorens went to Brévent/Flégère (Chamonix) at 1,800 m, while Les Deux Alpes at 2,400 m scored 29 of 30.
Why 2,000 m in France is no guarantee
Of the 51 French resorts with mid-mountain at 2,000 m or above, only 22 came out snow-sure across winters 1984/85–2013/14. The clearest example is Serre-Chevalier: 2,000 m and just 12 snowy Christmases out of 30, whereas Chamonix at 1,800 m missed none. The Crocus model in the Copernicus C3S dataset calculates snow by NUTS-3 region and 100 m height band, so the dry climate of the Hautes-Alpes applies to every resort in that region. Even Les Arcs in the Tarentaise at 2,200 m stopped at 24 of 30, one Christmas short of the yardstick (methodology).
| Mid-mountain | Snow-sure (winters 1984/85–2013/14) |
|---|---|
| 2,000 m and above | 22 of 51 |
| below 1,500 m | 0 of 17 |
An example: a British family was considering Serre-Chevalier for the New Year week because the altitude on paper is no worse than Méribel's. Comparing the 30-winter scores, 12 of 30 against 28 of 30, they save Serre-Chevalier for March and take a resort in the Tarentaise for the holidays instead.
Portes du Soleil: Avoriaz and Les Gets-Morzine
In the Portes du Soleil area, Avoriaz at 1,700 m has 23 snowy Christmases out of 30 winters 1984/85–2013/14, and Les Gets-Morzine at 1,500 m 20 of 30. That is below the yardstick, but not a failure: with snowmaking Avoriaz scores 30 of 30 and Les Gets-Morzine 29. At Christmas they will suit anyone happy with groomed runs, but for off-piste skiing over the holidays the Tarentaise is a better bet.
Snowmaking: 115 of 125 resorts, but not the Vosges
With snowmaking, 115 of 125 French resorts get a snowy Christmas in 25 or more of 30 winters. The model does not know how many snow guns each resort has, though: it plugs in an average level of snowmaking and run preparation. Even so, the Vosges fall short: Gérardmer at 1,000 m scored 1 snowy Christmas out of 30 on natural snow and 18 of 30 with snowmaking, and Lac Blanc at the bottom of the table has the same 1 and 18 (methodology).
France among its neighbours
| Country | Snow-sure (winters 1984/85–2013/14) | Median resort, snowy Christmases out of 30 |
|---|---|---|
| France | 30 of 125 | 18 |
| Austria | 62 of 134 | 23 |
| Switzerland | 63 of 95 | 28 |
| Italy | 19 of 117 | 15 |
The typical French resort trails an Austrian or Swiss one, but the best French resorts are no worse than their leaders. The difference is that in France the snow-sure resorts are concentrated in a single region.
Which French resort to pick for Christmas
If snow over the holidays matters, go for the Tarentaise, the Maurienne and neighbouring high resorts: Val Thorens, Tignes - Val d'Isère, La Plagne, Aussois and Alpe d'Huez delivered 30 snowy Christmases out of 30 winters 1984/85–2013/14, Courchevel 29, Méribel 28, Chamonix with Brévent/Flégère also 30. Les Arcs on 24 of 30 and Avoriaz on 23 sit just under the yardstick. Take Les Gets-Morzine (20 of 30) if runs with snowmaking are enough for you. Serre-Chevalier on 12 of 30 is not the best Christmas choice despite its 2,000 m, and the Vosges won't do for the holidays even with snow guns. Of the resorts named, La Plagne has the longest season (194 days with at least 30 cm of snow), followed by Les Deux Alpes (190).