Club Med Cervinia, Exprit Ski Obergurgl or DIY Saas Fee

[ZLSP2014]

Hi,

I am looking into booking a ski holiday for a family of three including a 6-yr-old in December this year and have narrowed it down to the following options.

Club Med Cervinia - week before Xmas
Crystal Ski Obergurgl - week before Xmas
Esprit Ski Obergurgl - week before Xmas
DIY Saas Fee - Xmas week

I read all resorts are snowsure in December. The costs are all similar expect Esprit Ski package, which is supposed to be lower, but I couldn't get through the phone (tried several times already), so don't know if there are still spaces available for that week and what the actual price is.

My 6-yr-old has been skiing several times - one ski holiday in 2012 and a few ski lessons in Hemel's Snow Centre during 2012/2013, but he is still a beginner and can just about to manage snowploughs, so will definitely need lessons this time. My DH is an intermediate skier and I am a low-intermediate, so I would like to have some lessons too.

I would appreciate your opinion on which resort/package would be more suitable for us and provide the best experience, particularly for my 6-yr-old. I heard both Club Med and Esprit Ski provided excellent childcare, but in terms of ski school, which one is better?

Has anyone been to Cervinia and Obergurgl in the middle of December? Will the resorts be very quiet? People moaned about places being jam-packed, but you really do want to have the whole place to yourself either. :-)

Many thanks for your help!

We went with Esprit to Obergurgl about 4 years ago but later on in the season. Esprit- are not a posh option by any stretch of the imagination. You are paying for the childcare which is worth the money: DD loves going with them (have since been with them to Selva and Val d'Isere). She was very happy in the ski school too.

We ski every Xmas in Saas Fee as family own a place there. It is cold in December compared to feb half term or Easter, but Xmas week is always quieter than new year. We fly out after school finishes and stay usually til NYD (no kids but OH works in a school so tied to the same hols). I've always managed to ski almost every day, can count on one hand the missed days in the last 3 years, but even those days the beginner slopes in the village were usually open, we can just afford to be more choosy when we go out.

Esprit have a place right on the nursery slope so you could look into that. It seems popular. They use the Swiss ski school who are good, accompanied by esprit staff to pick the kiddies up etc. DIY-wise, the village is car free so of you plan on self catering you'll want to pick your location well between the supermarkets (near the Dom hotel) and the slopes. It does have a lovely traditional charm about it though, particularly at Xmas with the lights and the food. Some lovely evening walks in the dark.

The main downside depending on your skiing level is moving from the nursery slopes to up the mountain. There's a good long blue off to the right as you look at the map, but no way to access it so it's up and down via the lift unless you are happy on a long steep-ish red.

Not been to your other two resorts, but I'd say Christmas was the least busy of the peak holiday weeks, but is much colder and potentially less of the resort will be open. Earlier will be less open but less people more than likely.

Thank you, CaurnieBred and lampygirl, for your replies.

For various reasons we went to Seefeld in Austria for Christmas instead. Seefeld is a lovely place and the ski instructor my son had was fantastic. Unfortunately the ski conditions were quite poor for the first few days, but we still managed to do some skiing on the slopes covered with man-made snow. The runs there are mainly blue runs and most of them are one straight route down, so it did get a bit boring after several goes.

Christmas in Austria is fairly low-key, so we didn't feel anything special ( I heard it was the same in Switzerland). I was told by the locals New Year is a much bigger occasion, so maybe we will book the New Year week next time.

Happy New Year to you all.