The Benefits of buying in a Snow Sure resort

Waiting for the snow to arrive at the beginning of each season can be a tense game, and rarely is it more so than this season. So we were very relieved to find that this week has seen snow finally arriving across Europe.

While the Christmas period has seen some resorts wheeling out the snow cannons and others piling snow onto the piste, hoping to cover enough ground for the tourists to leave happy, January skiers will be happy to hear that big resorts like the Three Valleys have had over 50cm so far this week, while old favourites St Anton, Verbier and Val d’Isere have seen almost as much.

We all know a poor start to the season is not the be all and end all, but with the last three seasons showing slow starts, it seems that now more than ever buying in a snow sure resort is an important consideration when looking at ski property. Areas like the Espace Killy, the Trois Vallees and Chamonix in France, as well as Zermatt, Saas Fee and Verbier in Switzerland have a great snow record and skiing up to a high enough altitude that even the slowest start to the season sees enough snow.

Resorts like Courchevel 1850 and Val Thorens in the Three Valleys are safe bets for early and late season skiing, while both Tignes and Val d’Isere keep the snow long into spring each year. Looking for high altitude resorts, or resorts with glaciers, is a great way to find something that will reliably have good snow from December to April.

The home to several Olympic ski teams during the summer months, nowhere in Europe is quite as snow sure as Saas Fee; as a year round ski resort, the slopes there are open for ten months a year, offering plenty of good skiing in even the summer months.

Europe’s higher resorts might not have had too much cause for alarm, but the rest will no doubt be breathing a sigh of relief at the arrival of the snow in the last few days. And with more on the way, the season looks finally set to kick off in earnest.