Hi<BR>I'm wanting to go to Zermatt this Christmas for skiing and snowboarding. Has anyone out there done any skiing there around December? Any input on whether this is a good choice? Hotels, etc, wanting to have a white Christmas....thanks!!

Zermatt is a GREAT choice. Very good chance of good snow in December because it's one of the highest-situated resorts; plus, excellent skiing/boarding with big network. Just beware, it can be frigid in late December and into January, so be ready to stay warm and protect yourself against the wind. Book now if you want a hotel. Plenty to choose from: go to www.swisshotels.ch; click on Hotels; then, click on Guide Hotels; and do search thereafter...

Lots of luck. You'd have better luck finding a place for next Christmas. Zermatt is very popular at that time, and I'd be surprised if you have much luck finding a hotel at this late date.

www.zermatt.ch is great for finding hotels, info and packages.

The Hotel Julen is the most traditional and charming and probably booked solid. They own several other properties. White is guaranteed, no higher resort on earth! In fact extreme temps are common and often one ski area is closed for a day (others remain open). Be sure to do the day trip down the back side of the mountain to Cervinia, Italy. Lots of super charming on mountain privately owned restaurants, food is serious! Do NOT get a hotel without a pool and sauna, you will need it! This place is for the hearty. It is quite a hike to get there, two trains with various connections after the airport. Be careful on the logistics, use a travel agent. If you fly Swissair (do they still exist) you can check your skis and luggage all the way thru to the destination town and never have to touch them again. It is a challenging ski resort and the prettiest of them all!!! All hotels have packages including dinner so the rates are very fair in my opinion. Many guests are repeats, particularly from Britain, so pretty quick you will hook up with a group of new friends who will show you around. The photo ops are endless!

There is a travel agent in NYC called Chips Lindenmyer who specializes in Zermatt, I will see if I still have a phone number. She set up our trip. Don't worry...there will be room. I am on all the top Euro ski resort mailing lists and this year is light, Europeans are conserving their funds.

I've found that generally in Europe the slopes and hotels don't really get crowded until the day after Christmas (St. Stephens Day/Boxing Day) through New Years.

Someone mentioned a travel agent in NYC named Chips Lindenmeyer who specializes in Zermatt. Can you give me a full name and e-mail or fax number for this agent? I can't find anything using my web browser. Thanks!

Be aware, that a lot of hotels only rent out for a minimum of 10 days over Christmas/New Year. For Zermatt, being extremely popular, you are very late, if you're talking about this coming Xmas.<BR>Good luck!

If Zermatt is full, try Saas Fee. We were just there this weekend and it was fabulous. Everything is open and there is a ton of snow. The town itself is charming and completely surrounded by +4000 meter peaks. Saas Fee is next door to Zermatt. Good luck!<BR>Jan