{"id":1300,"date":"2015-12-01T14:47:56","date_gmt":"2015-12-01T13:47:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1300"},"modified":"2016-10-14T13:39:05","modified_gmt":"2016-10-14T12:39:05","slug":"how-to-avoid-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-avoid-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Bah Humbug >> How to Ski Avoiding Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Supermarkets have been selling stocking fillers since September, and now festive fellows all over the planet are gleefully peeling back number 1 on those blasted Advent Calendars. If you’ve had enough of Christmas before it’s even begun, the last thing you want is more merriment on the mountains…
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"christmas-skiers\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever your feelings about The Most Wonderful(?) Time of Year<\/em>, there\u2019s no denying that the end of December\u2019s a terrific time to ski \u2015 it’s the beginning of the season\u00a0after a long, snowless summer and autumn with bank holidays left, right and centre.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re tempted by the timing but would rather avoid the sugary-sweet celebrations this Christmas, read on for a guide that will set you on the right, tinsel-free piste. We cover places to avoid, resorts for celebrating a less commercialised Chrimbo and top tips for escaping yuletide, wherever you ski.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1. Avoid the resorts that clearly\u00a0wish it could be Christmas everyday<\/em>:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Walking in a<\/em> Whistler<\/a> <\/span><\/strong>Wonderland <\/strong><\/em>– Bah, Humbug!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Whistler\"<\/a>

<\/span> Whistler: one of the most festive resorts on the planet \u00a9 Coast Mountain Photography<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

It’s a time-honoured tradition to dress up as Santa on the slopes here, leading to the weird (and for some, wonderful) experience of sharing a chair lift with 3 Father Christmases… The ticket office actively encourage skiers to don the iconic red hat, beard and suit (offering free lift passes to those that do).<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Merry Little<\/em> Megeve<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Megeve<\/a>

<\/span> Christmas charm pours out of every nook and cranny \u00a9 Megeve Tourisme & Simon Garnier<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

This place is so\u00a0‘Winter Wonderland’ that even Vogue have waxed lyrical about it’s Christmases. We expect the Place d’Eglise here\u00a0would give the Grinch a heart attack\u00a0– famed for\u00a0an enormous tree\u00a0once decorated with Swarovski crystals.\u00a0One-horse open sleighs\u00a0<\/em>jingle to and fro just like the Christmas song (including one ferrying around Mr Claus himself, who annually visits to give out free gifts). This place REALLY loves Christmas\u00a0– there’s even a piste called ‘Pere Noel’…<\/span><\/p>\n

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Lapland <\/a><\/span>– we love<\/em> children, but couldn’t eat a whole<\/em> one…<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

<\/span> Lapland<\/a>, where Santa and his reindeer live. Photo: Visit Finland & Lapland<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

If you’re hoping to steer clear of yuletide joviality, it\u2019s not a wise move to spend the week in Jolly Old St Nicholas\u2019<\/em> back yard, where reindeer outnumber people and everyday activities include sleigh rides, carol concerts\u00a0and trips to \u201cSanta Land\u201d \u2026 steer clear.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Instead, ski somewhere\u00a0we doubt\u00a0Wizzard has\u00a0been played yet:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A small Austrian <\/a><\/span>resort<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Axamer<\/a>

<\/span> Axamer Lizum is usually quiet, the main event being a small traditional market.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

If it’s the commercial claptrap you’re fed up with, there’s nowhere better to\u00a0take refuge than\u00a0in one of Austria’s tiny villages – Axamer Lizum<\/a><\/span> and Bad Kleinkirchheim<\/a><\/span> are full of the olde-worlde charm we don\u2019t see much of these days. Instead of sitting, arms-crossed, through parachuting Santas and Christmas discos, you’ll\u00a0join in\u00a0age-old celebrations like markets and midnight mass.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Somewhere quiet in Italy<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Champoluc\"<\/a>

<\/span> Crowd free skiing in Champoluc<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Christmases in the Italian resorts\u00a0are probably\u00a0among the least commercial: when the smaller resorts put on any sort of ceremony, it\u2019s a long-established annual market (less Christmas tat, more genuine article) or a church service.\u00a0 You certainly\u00a0won’t spare a thought for the turkey when tucking into the mile-wide\u00a0pizzas here\u2026 Try Sansicario<\/a><\/span>, a diddy village in the massive Milky Way ski area, or Gressoney <\/a><\/span>and Champoluc<\/a><\/span>, low-key options in the Monterosa ski area.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A\u00a0country that doesn’t celebrate Christmas<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Oukaimeden

<\/span> Oukaimeden, Morocco, Photo: Flickr user simon_music Paris, France, caperet.com<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Primarily an Islamic nation, Christian events are less likely to be a big thing in Morocco.\u00a0Oukaimeden in the Atlas mountains\u00a0is the highest ski resort in Africa, where the\u00a0skiing (let alone Christmas) is far from\u00a0the\u00a0standard affair. The closest thing you’ll get to Christmas is that donkeys (but not Little Donkeys<\/em>) are used to\u00a0ferry skiers\u00a0from the ski\u00a0lifts. Marrakesh isn’t much more than an hour away, for a December 25th of\u00a0palm reading and spice tasting\u00a0in a Moroccan souk.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. If you can’t bear to part from a favourite resort,\u00a0never fear,\u00a0there are\u00a0methods of\u00a0fending off\u00a0the inevitable\u00a0festivities:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Book a chalet for sole occupancy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Chalet<\/a>

<\/span> Chalet Marmot in Flaine sleeps 8-10<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

You can wager\u00a0pretty heavily, if you’re staying in a catered\u00a0chalet, that the big day will see a\u00a0Christmas dinner with all the trimmings: crackers, champagne and if you’re in a family property, sometimes a special guest appearance from Santa himself. Book sole occupancy, and you can request a week of non-Christmassy catering and make sure there are strictly no Chestnuts Roasting on the Open Fire<\/em> when you arrive.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Or Self Cater<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Les<\/a>

<\/span> Les Granges du Soleil apartments in La Plagne<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

You’ll have\u00a0an apartment\u00a0to yourself, leaving you blissfully\u00a0free to make the week as un-Christmassy as\u00a0you like\u00a0\u2015 tuck into a takeaway pizza or\u00a0 lasagne ready meal on the big day and lock yourself away with a good DVD box set (avoid Richard Curtis flicks at all costs) while the rest of resort’s celebrating. The more remote the less merrier, it reduces the likelihood of those pesky carol singers knocking on your door\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let it Snow<\/em> – Spend the day off-piste, ski touring, heli-skiing or cross country<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Aspen<\/a>

<\/span> Aspen Snowmass has great powder at the moment. Photo: Zach Luchs<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Rise at the crack of dawn, head out\u00a0while the rest of the world are\u00a0opening their stockings and ski until the sun goes down. Hire a local expert and get them to take you as far from the madding crowd as possible (companies are usually still in operation throughout the holidays) – that way it\u2019s just you and those mountains.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It’s not too late to snap up a week of skiing over you-know-what <\/em>– check out what’s available here <\/a><\/span>and have a very unchristmassy Christmas!\u00a0 <\/span><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Supermarkets have been selling stocking fillers since September, and now festive fellows all over the planet are gleefully peeling back number 1 on those blasted Advent Calendars. If you’ve had enough of Christmas before it’s even begun, the last thing you want is more merriment on the mountains… \u00a0 Whatever your feelings about The Most […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ski-holidays","has-post-title","no-post-date","has-post-category","no-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1300"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6702,"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1300\/revisions\/6702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}