These high points in France, Switzerland and Italy offer the best chance of a white winter
-.
These high points in France, Switzerland and Italy offer the best chance of a white winter
https://apple.news/Am-fwd-JbQQCU_9RLHkRlsQ
Since buying their ski chalet in Les Diablerets in 2006, Sally and David Lomax have regularly started the year on the slopes of the Swiss resort. This year however, thanks to unseasonably warm weather, their days on the mountain involved a little more planning than usual.
“We only skied for three out of the six days we were in the resort and luckily could head to the glacier,” says Sally, 58. “The snow was not the worst we’ve ever seen and certainly better than reports we heard from friends skiing at the same time in France, but despite the snow cannons doing a good job, the resort needs more snow.”
Across many parts of the western Alps, forlorn resort chiefs spent the first week of January looking up to the skies for signs of snow. In Crans-Montana in Switzerland, instead of skiers, golfers were out in force. In Les Gets, one of a chain of low-level villages straddling the French-Swiss border in the Portes du Soleil, bicycle trails normally used in the summer season were opened. In nearby Morzine, a favourite with British skiers, the weather forecast on January 4 made depressing reading: light rain, mild temperatures and zero snowfall for the previous eight days.
Les Diablerets sits at a relatively low 1,200 metres but thanks to its glacier, has skiing up to 3,000 metres, providing snow-sure slopes even in seasons with poor snowfall. High altitude, access to glaciers and good snow records top many property buyers’ wish lists for a reason, says Jeremy Rollason, head of Savills Ski.
“Chamonix and Morzine are relatively low resorts, around 1,000 metres, but the key is not the altitude of the village but the altitude they provide access to,” Rollason says. “Chamonix has skiing up to 3,400 metres and Morzine has access to the entire Portes du Soleil. In those resorts, while the final runs back home might be green, you’ll always find snow.”
Rollason advocates taking a five-year view. “If this Christmas’s poor snow happened four or five years in a row, I would be worried, but that’s not the case. The three years from 2017 saw excellent snow across Europe. In 2017-18, while some of Colorado’s best-known resorts struggled, Europe saw epic snowfalls.
Resilience matters: Savills estate agency has compiled an annual ski resilience index for the past seven years, comparing snowfall, reliability, season length, altitude and temperature across 61 ski resorts.
This year’s top ten most resilient, snow-sure resorts feature the Swiss resorts of Zermatt and Saas-Fee (first and ninth, respectively), the US resorts of Vail and Aspen (second and third), Cervinia in Italy (fourth), Soelden in Austria (fifth), French resorts Tignes, Val d’Isère and Val Thorens (sixth, seventh and eighth) and Whistler in Canada (tenth).
“Ardent skiers will always chase altitude and the Three Valleys in France, the Four Valleys in Switzerland and Val d’Isère are among established favourites where you’ll always find it,” Rollason says. “I spent New Year’s Day on Mont Fort above Verbier in wonderful conditions. A colleague in Saas-Fee reported fresh powder last week, while conditions in Tignes were fantastic.”
France
The snow in many French resorts has been disappointing this season, agrees Roddy Aris of Knight Frank, yet he continues to do deals across the Alps this winter, including a “record-breaking” one in Megève.
“Climate change is real, causing more erratic weather, but this is just a bad few weeks in a five-month season,” Aris says. “The last bad December in France was followed by huge snowfall in January. Remember also, in low resorts like Morzine, you don’t need much snow to cover the meadows and make them skiable — and weather forecasts show that snow is on the way.”
Even at the start of January there was snow on the streets of Val d’Isère and while runs at the bottom of the village were icy, the top of the Solaise and Bellevarde slopes were well-covered. This is one of the most reliably snowy resorts in the Alps and an established favourite with British families and hardcore skiers.
“Twenty years ago, when I came to the Alps as a ski instructor, I looked for a high-altitude resort because it would mean more work for me,” says Tessera Swallow of the Free Spirit Alpine estate agency. “Now that I sell property, the reliability of the snow is one of the first questions clients ask. Generally people invest in a ski home for 15 to 20 years and skiing is still the driving force behind most purchases so being snow-sure is key. Val d’Isère and Tignes were undoubtedly two of the best French resorts at the start of January for snow conditions.”
The resorts share two glaciers (providing skiing up to 3,480 metres) and Val d’Isère is encircled by steep slopes, making it easy to get high-up quickly. Solid infrastructure investment, such as replacing chairlifts with gondolas, also means that after a day on the highest slopes, skiers can avoid returning home on less-than-perfect slopes by jumping into a gondola.
In good snow years and bad, the Three Valley resort of Courchevel remains one of France’s most desirable resorts, packed with five-star hotels, more Michelin-starred restaurants than anywhere else in the Alps, and a starry cast of celebrities (Kate & Will, Posh & Becks) who come to weave down the perfectly groomed pistes.
The successful auction of this double chalet close to pretty Le Praz village last month by Sotheby’s tells the tale. Despite fairly steep access and a location away from the heart of super-chic Courchevel 1850, the eight-bedroom property sold for €2.94 million, well in excess of its estimate of €1.5 to €2.5 million.
Even at the start of January there was snow on the streets of Val d’Isère and while runs at the bottom of the village were icy, the top of the Solaise and Bellevarde slopes were well-covered. This is one of the most reliably snowy resorts in the Alps and an established favourite with British families and hardcore skiers.
“Twenty years ago, when I came to the Alps as a ski instructor, I looked for a high-altitude resort because it would mean more work for me,” says Tessera Swallow of the Free Spirit Alpine estate agency. “Now that I sell property, the reliability of the snow is one of the first questions clients ask. Generally people invest in a ski home for 15 to 20 years and skiing is still the driving force behind most purchases so being snow-sure is key. Val d’Isère and Tignes were undoubtedly two of the best French resorts at the start of January for snow conditions.”
The resorts share two glaciers (providing skiing up to 3,480 metres) and Val d’Isère is encircled by steep slopes, making it easy to get high-up quickly. Solid infrastructure investment, such as replacing chairlifts with gondolas, also means that after a day on the highest slopes, skiers can avoid returning home on less-than-perfect slopes by jumping into a gondola.
In good snow years and bad, the Three Valley resort of Courchevel remains one of France’s most desirable resorts, packed with five-star hotels, more Michelin-starred restaurants than anywhere else in the Alps, and a starry cast of celebrities (Kate & Will, Posh & Becks) who come to weave down the perfectly groomed pistes.
The successful auction of this double chalet close to pretty Le Praz village last month by Sotheby’s tells the tale. Despite fairly steep access and a location away from the heart of super-chic Courchevel 1850, the eight-bedroom property sold for €2.94 million, well in excess of its estimate of €1.5 to €2.5 million.
Property for sale Free Spirit Alpine have newly renovated three-bedroom apartments in Val d’Isère from €2.64 million. Knight Frank have properties in Val d’Isere ranging from a central two-bedroom apartment for €850,000 up to a stand-alone chalet for €13.5 million.
Italy
The Ski Club of Great Britain’s snow reports at the start of January showed the Italian ski resorts of Courmayeur and Cervinia were faring well despite no snowfall since mid-December. On January 5, Courmayeur had all its lifts open, while Cervinia had 45 out of 51 running. Both are in the Aosta Valley, which includes slopes of four of Europe’s highest peaks: Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa and Gran Paradiso.
Cervinia links directly into Zermatt, with glacier skiing up to 3,000 metres. Yet it’s a resort that’s often overlooked, says Gemma Bruce of online agency The Viewing.
“Cervinia offers high altitude, good-quality skiing and is just over 90 minutes from Turin airport,” she says. “Italian ski resorts are authentic, even the more purpose-built ones like Cervinia, filled predominantly with Italians on holiday — and people like that atmosphere.”
They like the value too. Typical prices in Cervinia are €7,000 to €10,000 per square metre, Bruce says. On the other side of the Matterhorn, in Zermatt, where buying without a Swiss visa or passport is virtually impossible, Savills put prime prices at €21,971 per sq m.
Property for sale Bruce has a 184 sq m apartment in Valtournenche, currently undergoing a full refurbishment, for sale at €1.22 million. In super-smart Courmayeur, a one-bedroom apartment on the piste and easily reached by ski lift, is €425,000.
Switzerland
Switzerland has more glaciers than anywhere else in Europe but even when snow coverage is generally poor, the best resorts offer plenty even away from the slopes, says Cassandra Levene of Alpine Homes.
“In Crans-Montana we have had pop-up art galleries and shops set up, and there are excellent spas and thermal baths in the area,” she says. “I spent the new year hiking with friends and enjoying long lunches in mountain restaurants. If you come for just one week to ski every year, then it might be a problem if the snow is poor. But many of our clients are relocating to resorts like Crans and Gstaad, making the mountains their permanent residence. They are happy being at home in their chalets, meeting up with friends and knowing that later in the season, once the tourists have gone, the snow will come and the slopes will be quieter.”
Property for sale In Crans-Montana, Alpine Homes are selling a three-bedroom apartment for CHF1.15 million and off-plan three-bedroom apartments close to the slopes from about CHF2.2 million.
Leave a Reply