Is Snow Guaranteed at Christmas?

The short answer

No Alpine resort can promise snow at Christmas, but the high resorts have come close. Measured on Christmas morning each year since 1996, the slopes above Davos and Zermatt had at least 30cm of snow on the ground on all 30, and St Anton on all 22 measured. Your odds depend on three things: how high the village and lifts sit, how much snowmaking the resort has, and whether there is glacier or very high terrain to fall back on.

Snow on Christmas morning since 1996

Our Christmas Snow Report looks at how much snow was lying on the morning of 25 December at 65 weather stations in and above 47 Alpine resorts, each year from 1996 to 2025. On the slopes, 90% of Christmases from 1996 to 2010 had at least 30cm, against 84% since 2011. Low villages have changed more: a white Christmas in villages below 1,400 metres came 79% of the time before 2011 and 57% since. The worst year was 2015, when 16 of 24 slopes stations had less than 30cm.

How early-season snow builds

The high Alpine resorts open in late November. Tignes, for example, usually opens in late November, subject to snow. By Christmas the season is only a few weeks old.

That matters because a ski resort needs a base, not just a snowfall. A single storm can leave the slopes looking white, but after pistes are groomed and skied, a thin early fall wears through quickly on rocky or grassy ground. What skiers call a good December is usually a series of storms through November and early December, each laying down on the one before, with cold spells between them to keep it.

Why altitude decides so much

Switzerland's snow and avalanche institute (SLF) has found that the trend towards less snowy winters is statistically significant at most stations below 1,300 metres, and that snow is arriving later in the autumn at lower stations. Above 2,000 metres, midwinter snow depths show no clear trend. For a Christmas trip, the village height and the home runs are where a poor December shows first. A high village keeps its snow; a low one may be green at the bottom while the skiing above is fine.

What snowmaking can and cannot do

Snowmaking is the reason many lower resorts can open at all in a lean December. It works by spraying fine water droplets into cold air, and it needs a wet-bulb temperature of around −2.5°C to start. Modern fan guns can work nearer −1°C when the air is dry. In a mild spell, even well-equipped resorts cannot make snow.

Machine-made snow is dense, typically 400 to 500 kg per cubic metre, which makes it hard-wearing but firm and fast underfoot. It also melts more slowly than natural snow, by two to three weeks by one estimate. That is why a resort may run a network of white ribbons through brown fields at Christmas: the main pistes and home runs hold, while off-piste and lesser runs stay closed.

Some areas have invested heavily. Dolomiti Superski reports snowmaking on about 97% of its pistes, which is why the Italian Dolomites can often offer piste skiing in a dry December even though their villages sit lower than the French resorts.

Glacier resorts as a fallback

A few resorts have lift-served terrain on or beside glaciers, and these usually open in autumn:

• Tignes: the Grande Motte glacier, reached by the Perce-Neige funicular, has lifts to 3,456 metres.
• Saas-Fee: the Metro Alpin underground funicular climbs to Mittelallalin at 3,456 metres.
• Zermatt and Cervinia: joined via the Plateau Rosa, with the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing lift connecting the two sides and usable without skis.
• Hintertux in Austria is open for skiing 365 days a year.

Glacier runs are a fallback rather than a holiday in themselves. In a thin year everyone in the valley heads up, so expect queues, and expect the skiing to be on a small number of runs.

If the snow is thin when you arrive

It happens, and a Christmas week can still be a good one.

1. Go higher by day. From Val d'Isère you can reach Tignes' glacier; from Zermatt the Matterhorn glacier area; from Cervinia the Plateau Rosa. In the Portes du Soleil, higher Avoriaz is usually better than the valley towns.
2. Ski early. Machine-made and thin natural snow is in better condition first thing, before it is scraped off or softens in the sun.
3. Plan the lessons. Beginners need snow at the bottom of the mountain. Ask the ski school where the nursery groups are meeting; some move higher when the village slopes are thin.
4. Use the other days well. The resorts that work for non-skiers are the ones where a thin week still feels like a holiday: sleigh rides, walks, and in Zermatt the Gornergrat railway to 3,089 metres.
5. Read your terms before you travel. Know what, if anything, your holiday provider does if lifts close.

How to read a snow report

A snow report is useful mainly in the fortnight before you travel, and it needs reading carefully.

• Upper and lower depths. The upper figure is usually the more encouraging one, because higher terrain is colder and gets more snow. The lower figure tells you about home runs and nursery slopes, which matter more to families and beginners.
• Depths are not comparable between resorts. Each resort measures in its own place, so 80cm in one is not the same as 80cm in another.
• Lifts open, not percentages. A high share of lifts open can hide a single important closure, such as the valley gondola.
• Recent snowfall and temperature. A deep base after a dry cold spell can be icy; a modest base with fresh snow and cold nights can ski beautifully.
• Treat the resort's own report as operational fact. It is the right place to check what is open. For snow quality, look at independent reports and recent photos as well.

For the resorts that have tended to be reliable, see our snow-sure resorts at Christmas.

Sources

• slf.ch — Below 1,300 m the trend to less snowy winters is statistically significant; above 2,000 m midwinter snow depths show no clear trend; snow onset later at low stations
• en.tignes.net — Tignes winter season 21 November 2026 to 2 May 2027; progressive opening from 21 November, link to Val d'Isère from 28 November, subject to snow; Grande Motte glacier reached by Perce-Neige funicular, top 3,656 m
• en.wikipedia.org — Snowmaking needs a wet-bulb temperature of about −2.5°C, fan guns as high as −1°C; machine snow density 400–500 kg/m3; melts two to three weeks later than natural snow
• en.wikipedia.org — Dolomiti Superski: 12 resorts, 1,246 km of slopes; about 1,160 km (97%) covered by snowmaking; Sella Ronda within the area
• en.wikipedia.org — Metro Alpin underground funicular opened 1984, runs from Felskinn (2,980 m) to Mittelallalin (3,456 m)
• cervinia.it — Matterhorn Alpine Crossing linking Cervinia and Zermatt opened 1 July 2023, usable without skis; winter closure 7 January to 26 February 2027; Plateau Rosa station 3,458 m
• tyrol.com — Hintertux Glacier is open for skiing 365 days a year
• skierandsnowboarder.com — Upper-slope depth is usually the more encouraging number; lower-slope figure matters for families and beginners; depths not measured the same way in each resort; a high percentage of lifts open can hide a key closure; resort reports confirm operations but are not neutral on quality
• en.wikipedia.org — Gornergrat rack railway from Zermatt to 3,089 m, open since 1898, runs year-round
• snowmagazine.com — Lifts turn on Christmas Day and many ski schools still offer lessons; high-altitude resorts tend to have more early-season snow