Which is a better family Christmas/Ski Holiday - Zermatt, Cortina d"Ampezzo, Mont Blanc?
 

We area a family of 4 from the US. Children ages 14 and 12. All are novice skiers.

We are searching for that quintessential Christmas Ski holiday in a picturesque Alpine village/resort with a great hotel, enjoying great food, sidewalk cafes, great shopping, and lots of non-skiing activities (sledding, bob-sledding, ice skating, sleigh rides, etc...).

We are currently researching Zermatt, Cortina d'Ampezzo, and Mont Blanc (French and Italian) - and would love your thoughts on these resorts.

Also, we welcome your ideas of other resorts/countries you believe offer us a great experience.

Thank you, in advance, for your thoughts and efforts!
Darryl & Catherine

Zermatt would definitely fit the bill, just keep in mind that many hotels and apartments in Zermatt have one week (or longer) minimum stays over Christmas and cancellation policies can be very strict.

We've visited Zermatt in December a few times (pre-holiday rush) and loved the whole Christmasy wintertime alpine village ambiance.

Wengen, Murren and Engleberg are also good options in Switzerland.

One of our all time favorite winter destinations was Berchtesgaden, Germany. We visited in December before ski season, just after a huge snowfall. Talk about a beautiful, idyllic Christmas setting! A quaint town surrounded by imposing Bavarian alps, a small local Christmas market, a lake, hot gluhwein, and the Christmas markets of Salzburg just a short train ride away...

Other options include Mittenwald, Innsbruck, and Garmisch.

Hi DM - You might find this recent thread helpful -

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...me=Steve_James

Steve

i have not been but friends of ours from germany loved saas-fee for their family.

Steve -

Thanks!

From the thread, it appears you are real fan of Val Gardena. My concern with Val Gardena is "Will we be guaranteed tons of snow in December?" Val Gardena is more comparable to Cortina in elevation and they are also "snow suspect" in December. I've been told Zermatt can guarantee a ton of snow in December due to its' higher elevation. Your thoughts?

I am also concerned about the "ski-ability" of Zermatt (since we are novice skiers) and the sightseeing/non-ski activities (not much mentioned in the thread).

Any thoughts on these 2 specific topics for Zermatt?

Thank you, in advance, for your thouhts!

DM

Mel -

Thanks!

We've begun to hear a lot about Engleberg as an good option with guarantee of tons of snow in December due to its elevation. True?

In regards to Berchtesgarden, that's a new one for us. Since the Christmas holiday is typically very crowded at most resorts, we are concerned with the ability of the resorts to handle large crowds - both on and off the slopes (restaurants, shops, non-ski activities). We are terribly worried about long lines in the streets and on the slopes - that would be a quick way to ruin our holiday.

Thank you for all of your insights!

DM

Regarding snow in Engelberg -

I spent Thanksgiving in Engleberg a few years back and we had a ton of snow.

Here's a site that lists Engelberg's snow history by month:

http://www.igluski.com/switzerland/e...w-history_3960

Here's Zermatt's snow history:

http://www.igluski.com/switzerland/z...w-history_1747

I don't ski, but I guess Zermatt is nirvana for intermediates, not so much for beginners.

Here's some info on Saas Fee (mentioned by lincasanova) which is located in the next valley over from Zermatt. It's less known, so it might be quieter and less crowded than Zermatt at Christmas. I like Saas Fee, but have only visited as a day trip. It's a little harder to get to as it's not serviced by the train, you'll have to take a bus.

http://www.switzerland.isyours.com/e...lais/saas.html

Here's a site for Berchtesgaden:

http://www.germanplaces.com/germany/...n-germany.html

While planning my own trip to Kandersteg, Switzerland just now, I discovered that Kandersteg is one of the best places in Switzerland for novice skiers.

Take a look:

http://www.switzerland.isyours.com/e...andersteg.html