Baubles abound and the bubbly's broken open at Christmas time in Crans Montana, where, in past years, even Santa's put in an appearance on the 24th and 25th to present children with gifts beneath the huge, bristly tree in the square. Besides winter activities like ice skating on the frozen Etang Long lake and husky sledding, the Bibi Fun Parc is usually up and running at this time of year, with a snow tube run, tobogganing, drawing competitions and entertainment.
Many hotels include formal Christmas Gala dinners in their bookings, while those self-catering can create their own festive feasts (try the Cash Gourmet “boucherie” for quality ingredients) or chose from eateries as diverse as Italian Molino and the 2 Michelin-starred Didier De Courten to take preparations of the big meal off your plate.
With south-facing pistes, this is one of the best weeks of the season to enjoy the ski area at its best and there's every likelihood of catching some glorious Christmas sunshine. A number of the runs, like Les Marolires and Pas Du Loup, take you through the tree line if visibility is restricted due to snowfall (including the home runs to both of the villages) and at the other end of the scale, a third of slopes can be covered by artificial snowmaking if a top-up's needed.
Christmas Snow History
Top alt:3000m
Average snow depth
Christmas139cm
Bottom alt:1500m
Average snow depth
Christmas52cm
Resort alt:1500m
Christmas ski rating