If you are anything like us, the ski season can never start early enough and you maybe wondering whether or not you can make a sneaky getaway one of the early season ski resorts for an early season ski chalet holiday or snowboard trip with friends or family. By early, we mean a break in November or early December.
In particular, questioning whether the early season ski resorts will be open, and if they are, will there be enough snow.
So here are our thoughts and tips on early skiing and snowboarding, and the criteria for select the best early season ski resorts for your vacation.
Early Season Ski Resorts and Holidays: November and December Skiing and Snowboarding
Let’s start with November. Yes, skiing and snowboarding in most high ski resorts typically starts in November. Occasionally this is right at the start of the month, but we would not recommending you chance your arm until after mid-November, unless you are 100% sure the ski resort is opening. In simple terms, there will always be availability this time of year, so wait and see, unless you have the weeks booked off work, or don’t need to work nowadays (lucky you), and don’t mind doing something else if there isn’t enough snow yet.
Most ski high-altitude ski resorts in recent years have been planning to open the last week (or two) of November, Chamonix, Cervinia, Courchevel, Tignes, Val d’Isere, Val Thoren, Zermatt, et al. But will pull this forward if snow falls big, and early, or back if snow conditions are not as good as expected. For example, a few years ago we had amazing skiing in Cervinia and Zermatt (coming to Chalet Ski Holidays in 2026) the second weekend of November, around the 8th from memory.
While nothing can be guaranteed in the Alps, from our experience living in Chamonix for two decades, by the end of November, most early ski resorts start to see a good build up of snow, particularly above the mid-stations, and open, with a few waiting to early December.
In November in particular, by opening, in most ski resorts this is a partial opening of the ski runs. Why you might ask, the slopes are relatively empty, so it works ok for both skiers, snowboarders, and lift operators. Lots of free space to enjoy, and ski resorts manage their operational costs in line with demand.
Early Ski Season Resorts: What to Typically Expect
We have operated Chalet ski Holidays on the principle of honesty and trust. So first things first. We would not recommend November for beginners. This is a month for the keenest of the keen. Even on sunny days, the weather is changing fast, nights rapidly drawing in, and it is therefore cold at the start, and later in the day. Wrap up warm, with 10am to 3pm is probably the optimum time to ski, before retreating for a hot wine and tails of being hardcore and out on the hills long before the ‘tourists’ arrive! And while it doesn’t, in our opinion compare to skiing Scotland, everyone should experience it once (we won’t ever forget our experience – Scotland really is hardcore skiing and snowboarding), this is nevertheless, in the Alps, often storm season. One day it might be sunny, the next, hammering down with snow and windy too.
November is also a quiet month (some business owners taking their ‘summer’ holidays at the now quiet time), so we suggest you don’t expect all the shops and restaurants to be open, some will be, but not all. December starts to change as more runs typically start to open, and similarly shops, bars, restaurants, amenities, etc. While early on, and the following is not based on any scientific evidence, it never seems quite so cold the first weeks of December as it does in November skiing and snowboarding. It can be wintery nevertheless, so don’t expect and spring skiing sunshine, and wear appropriate layering.
Choosing Early Ski Season Resorts and Chalet Holidays
Our five top tips when selecting early season ski resorts:
- The higher the better, piste runs ideally above 3,ooom, but at least 2,700m in our view.
- Glacier skiing is ideal too – and that the glacier runs match your groups abilities.
- Bigger the better – we mentioned partial opening, that means even the large early ski season resorts might be operating anything between 30%-60% of their ski lifts, depending when you are going.
- If you can, and skiing and snowboarding is essential, leave it as late as possible to book, there will be choice, and check the snow levels before booking.
- Seek advice from trusted sources – people that have knowledge and experience – and care about you making a good choice.
Check out the list of early season ski resorts we mentioned above, most generally fit this criteria, and we would add to the early ski resorts to consider list; Alpe d’Huez, Deux Alpes, Hintertux, St Anton, Sölden, and Verbier – let us know in the comments any we might have missed.
