In Switzerland, snow at Christmas is mainly something you need to check for the lower-lying resorts in the west of the country. In Valais and the Engadine, where mid-mountain rises to 2,300–2,700 m, there was enough natural snow over the holidays in 30 of 30 winters 1984/85–2013/14. In the Jura and the foothills of Fribourg, with a mid-mountain of 1,100–1,200 m, there were only 3–10 of 30 such Christmases, while resorts near Geneva such as Villars sit somewhere in between. High resorts are in the majority here, so even a typical Swiss resort is more snow-sure than the best resorts of many other countries. What follows is the climate of the past 30 winters and model scenarios, not a forecast; for snow in a given week, the resort's own snow report is the place to look.
The site counts a Christmas as snowy if, between 22 December and 4 January, natural snow cover of 30 cm or more held for at least 10 days out of 14. A snow-sure resort scores 25 or more such holidays out of 30.
Contents
- Saas Fee, Zermatt, the Engadine and Verbier: not a single snowless Christmas
- Why a typical Swiss resort is more snow-sure than an Austrian or French one
- Bernese Oberland: Grindelwald and Wengen
- Resorts near Geneva and in the Jura: where holiday snow is in question
- Switzerland, Austria and France
- Frequently asked questions
- Where to go in Switzerland for Christmas
Saas Fee, Zermatt, the Engadine and Verbier: not a single snowless Christmas
Saas Fee and Zermatt - Breuil-Cervinia with a mid-mountain of 2,700 m came through all 30 winters 1984/85–2013/14 with snow over the holidays. The same goes for Corvatsch-Furtschellas in the Engadine (2,500 m), 4 Vallées – Verbier/La Tzoumaz/Nendaz/Veysonnaz/Thyon (2,300 m) and Crans-Montana (2,200 m). In Graubünden, a full score for Laax and Arosa Lenzerheide at 2,000 m, while Andermatt+Disentis+Sedrun at 2,100 m missed one Christmas out of 30.
Why a typical Swiss resort is more snow-sure than an Austrian or French one
Switzerland's median is 28 snowy Christmases out of 30 winters 1984/85–2013/14, and the make-up of the list explains it. All 37 resorts with a mid-mountain at 2,000 m and above passed the mark, while below 1,500 m the country has just 15 resorts, and none of them passed. Mid-mountain is measured halfway between the lowest run and the highest run and rounded to a height band of 100 m in the Crocus model from the Copernicus C3S dataset. The model treats an entire NUTS-3 region as one, so neighbouring resorts at the same altitude get identical figures (methodology).
Bernese Oberland: Grindelwald and Wengen
In the Bernese Oberland the score is slightly lower than in Valais. Grindelwald - Wengen (Kleine Scheidegg - Männlichen) with a mid-mountain of 1,700 m scored 27 snowy Christmases out of 30 winters 1984/85–2013/14: above the reliability mark, but three holidays in 30 went without the required cover. Neighbouring Grindelwald First at 1,800 m managed 29 of 30. With snowmaking both reach 30 of 30.
Resorts near Geneva and in the Jura: where holiday snow is in question
For anyone looking for a resort closer to Geneva, the picture is uneven. Villars/Gryon/Les Diablerets with a mid-mountain of 1,600 m got 19 snowy Christmases out of 30 winters 1984/85–2013/14, meaning every third holiday season passed without natural snow. In Fribourg, Charmey at 1,200 m scored 6 of 30, and La Robella in the Jura, which closes the table, 3 of 30 at the same altitude.
An example: a family flies to Geneva for a week after Christmas and is choosing between Villars and Verbier. Villars is closer, but roughly one winter in three there wasn't enough natural snow over the holidays, and they would have been skiing on snowmade runs (with snowmaking Villars scores 29 of 30). Verbier, with a full score of 30 of 30, removes that risk, so for the holiday week they pick it and leave Villars for February.
Switzerland, Austria and France
| Country | Snow-sure resorts (winters 1984/85–2013/14) | Median resort, snowy Christmases out of 30 |
|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 63 of 95 | 28 |
| Austria | 62 of 134 | 23 |
| France | 30 of 125 | 18 |
By number of snow-sure resorts Switzerland and Austria are almost level, but in Switzerland they make up two thirds of the list, in Austria less than half.
Frequently asked questions
Is Zermatt in Switzerland or in Italy?
On this site it is one ski area spanning the border of two countries, Zermatt - Breuil-Cervinia, with a shared mid-mountain of 2,700 m and shared figures.
Does snowmaking rescue low-lying resorts?
Almost everywhere. With snowmaking, 93 of 95 resorts get 25 or more snowy Christmases out of 30 winters; the exceptions are Charmey (24 of 30) and La Robella (23 of 30). Bear in mind this is typical snowmaking in the model, not the cannons of any particular resort.
Where in Switzerland is the season longest?
At the highest resorts: Zermatt - Breuil-Cervinia has 216 days with at least 30 cm in a typical season 1984/85–2013/14, Corvatsch-Furtschellas 211. Villars/Gryon/Les Diablerets has 110, Charmey 51.
Where to go in Switzerland for Christmas
With natural snow over the holidays in 30 of 30 winters 1984/85–2013/14, Saas Fee, Zermatt - Breuil-Cervinia, Corvatsch-Furtschellas, 4 Vallées with Verbier, Crans-Montana, Laax and Arosa Lenzerheide all managed it; any resort with a mid-mountain at 2,000 m and above passed the mark. Grindelwald - Wengen at 27 of 30 is snow-sure, though with a small risk. Villars/Gryon/Les Diablerets at 19 of 30 works if snowmade runs suit you, while Charmey and the Jura resorts are best avoided at Christmas.