Christmas Ski Weeks Are The Best

We all dream of a White Christmas, and when you head to the mountains for the festivities, you’ll actually get one!

Christmas in ski resorts is pure magic: snow-dusted chalets, twinkling lights, Santa skiing down the slopes and a festive après-ski scene create a storybook atmosphere. Days are spent carving fresh powder; evenings a stroll around the advent market and then some mulled wine by the fire. You’re living the dream of all those Christmas number one pop songs.

Pick Your Week

The first thing to decide is whether you’d like the pre-Christmas week or at the actual Christmas week! This year, the big day falls on a Thursday, so head to the mountains the previous weekend and you’ll have plenty of time to prepare for the big day and then recover afterwards before the flight home. If you want to get into the Christmas spirit early and benefit from quieter slopes and lower prices, you have the option to head out during the pre-Christmas week, returning home the weekend before the 25^th.

Ski Holiday Deals Here

Choose Your Resort

© Tignes-Development

Although most ski areas will have opened by mid-December, Christmas week does come early in the season, which makes some skiers nervous about how much snow they’ll find waiting for them. One way to avoid the risk is to choose a resort with a glacier or high-altitude slopes that have already been open for a month or more before the big day. The only problem is that most of the more classic ‘Christmassy’ resorts are low-altitude, traditional villages. One way around that is to pick a traditional resort with high-altitude terrain on its doorstep. You’ll find a few suggestions that fit the bill in our “Best Ski Resorts for a Fabulous Christmas” feature up next.

Let Someone Else Deck The Halls

Another advantage of going away to the mountains for Christmas is that the decorations are done for you, and an amazing Christmas lunch is prepared. There’s no washing up, leftovers to get sick of or tinsel to take down. British ski chalet holiday companies like Skiworld, Ski Beat, VIP SKI and others offer festive, home-from-home experiences in their beautifully decorated chalets with twinkling lights, trees and stockings. Christmas Day will usually include a traditional roast lunch with all the trimmings, plenty of fizz and even mince pies. Staff often organise games, carol singing and even a visit from Santa.

Christmas Events

Most resorts have lots of extra activities, many of them with a family focus, at Christmas. A whole programme is woven at La Plagne during the festive week, for example, including appearances by Santa, children’s productions, fireworks and hot chocolate to drink. Or over in Austria, Leogang, in the state of Salzburgerland, celebrates Advent with live festive brass band music to cut the chill, and items that have a personal touch. It’s also one of many ski areas that now have Christmas markets to add to your experience on the slopes, and you’ll find details of some of the biggest and best later in this section.

Festive Food – Alpine Style

Although it’s usually possible to have a proper British Christmas lunch in the Alps, it can be fun to mix in local traditional dishes or mountain favourites. Traditional Alpine Christmas dishes are hearty, warming and deeply rooted in mountain culture so can include rich flavours like a festive raclette, fondue or tartiflette, but you’ll also find roasted chestnuts, mulled wine and spiced biscuits at festive markets. Look out for Kiachln (fried dough) and Spätzle, which reflect centuries of winter survival and Christmas celebration across Alpine villages.

Christmas in the Alps is a magical blend of snow-covered villages, twinkling lights and festive traditions. From lively markets and torchlit descents to hearty mountain feasts and authentic charm, it’s the time to give yourself the gift of skiing while enjoying a truly White Christmas.