22 Nov 2022
The best places to ski and board this Christmas
Flexible options allow you to get your festive snow fix for less!
Heidi, based in Bristol, UK is revolutionising the market through its smart technology which allows for multiple and flexible skiing opportunities. One of the key draws of Heidi for customers is the ability for snow hungry skiers and boarders to choose the duration of their trip and the days they travel.
WHEN IT COMES TO CHRISTMAS 2022, HEIDI REALLY COMES INTO ITS OWN BECAUSE THIS YEAR…
Christmas Eve falls on a Saturday, so a tricky day for anyone going with the mainstream package providers as they generally run Saturday to Saturday. The DIY option can be time consuming, expensive and leave travellers stranded without connections or holiday protection; not ideal at Christmas. With Heidi, you can go for shorter to get a bargain, or go for seven nights and avoid the Saturday so you aren't travelling on key Christmas/New Year days.
So, with this in mind, Marcus Blunt, co founder at Heidi has drawn up his top six of the best places to ski at Christmas and the magical reasons why!
In short!
Val d'Isere, France – Papa Noel, fireworks and carol singers!
Les Gets, france – Guided tour of the enchanted forest and elf workshops!
Zell am See, Austria – Christmas market, Christmas tree light dive and enchanted night walk!
Megeve, France – Horse drawn sleighs, ice rink and midnight mass!
Chamonix, France – Street parade, ice cave and Santa torch lit descent
Zermatt, Switzerland – Michelin-starred Christmas dinner, lake skating and fondue heaven!
Val d'Isere, France
https://www.heidi.com/ski/france/val-disere
If you're looking for a magical Christmas this year, complete with Father Christmas, fireworks, giant snow and ice sculptures and Christmas carols, then Val d'Isere is THE place to be! So much to keep the kids entertained, with snow sure Christmas skiing.
The old town is still the centre point of the festivities and on Christmas Eve a wonderful street parade fills the streets. Huddle together to listen to the carollers, enjoy the live music, and sip on vin chaud and hot chocolate. Papa Noel will make his way through the town on his sleigh before arriving in the main street to greet the children and smile for photos.
Holidays from £634pp for 2 adults and 2 children for 7 nights departing 20th December
Les Gets, France
https://www.heidi.com/ski/france/les-gets
Turning into a snowy winter wonderland, Les Gets pulls out all the stops at Christmas. There are guided tours of the enchanted forest where Father Christmas lives with his elves. For even more Christmas spirit, there are elf workshops with face painting and chocolate making, and Father Christmas tells magical stories where the children can join in.
Keep your eyes open for Father Christmas who is often spotted skiing around the village. On Christmas Eve there is a torchlit ski descent with fireworks and you can see how many wonderful ice sculptures you can spot around the town. To top it all off, there is also a beautiful enchanted night walk light show which really brings the forest to life.
Holidays from £1,158pp for 2 adults and 2 children for 7 nights departing 20th December
Zell am See, Austria
https://www.heidi.com/ski/austria/zell-am-see
Stunning at the best of times, Zell am See takes beautiful scenery to a whole new level at Christmas. The centre is home to one of the finest Christmas markets in Europe. With woodwork, toys, baked Austrian sweets and Gluhwein by the gallon, the chaos of Christmas shopping at home will be a distant memory.
On 25 December, everyone in town gathers to watch the annual Christmas tree dive, when the local water rescue team sink a lit tree into the lake and then rescue it. As they dive in, a torch-lit circle is made to festive music as the tree is brought to the shore.
Holidays from £620pp for 2 adults and 2 children for 7 nights departing 20 December
Megeve, France
https://www.heidi.com/ski/france/megeve
Few towns look as magical as the glamorous French ski resort of Megeve at Christmas time – it's covered in fairy lights, horse-drawn sleighs and ice figurines that tell the story of the nativity.
At the centre of the village is the eye-catching giant Christmas tree, beautifully decorated and sumptuously lit with a different theme each year.
Megève has particularly scenic ski runs past wooden chalets and cosy mountain restaurants. Non-skiers can browse the boutique shops, indulge in a spa treatment or learn how to skate on the ice rink. Choose from over 80 restaurants for your Christmas meal, but make sure you've booked it in advance.
On Christmas Eve, Santa arrives with hot chocolate for the kids and vin chaud for the parents. For an extra special event, the midnight mass in the historic 13th-Century church is not to be missed.
Holidays from £786pp for 2 adults and 2 children for 7 nights departing 20th December
Chamonix, France
https://www.heidi.com/ski/france/chamonix
The grand Savoyard buildings of Chamonix are cloaked in fairy lights come Christmas, with the whole spectacle topped off by the beautiful backdrop of the Alps. Managing to ski all day can be a challenge with so much going on.
At this time of the year a Christmas market pops up in the centre of town with stalls in small wooden huts, selling local, handmade gifts, jewellery and a lot more. Indulge in some vin chaud or a local beer while you wonder around the stalls.
Christmas Eve is traditionally marked with big street parades and carol concerts, with Santa famously arriving on Le Train du Pere Noel - or on skis, in a torch lit descent into town. The restaurants tend to go all out too, with festive menus of champagne and traditional food. For a real yuletide treat, visit the Ice Cave via the wonderfully old-school pinion cog-railway.
Holidays from £513pp for 2 adults and 2 children for 7 nights departing 20th December
Zermatt, Switzerland
https://www.heidi.com/ski/switzerland/zermatt
This place begins to look like something straight off a Christmas card as soon as the first flakes fall, often in November. A picture-postcard town of Swiss wood and stone buildings, horse drawn sleighs, ice-skating on the lake and the mighty Matterhorn looming overhead. Zermatt's also known for the quality of its food, so take a long lunch break to indulge in cheesy fondue or browse the shops for traditional Swiss Christmas cookies. On Christmas Day, you can go to St Peters church for the English-language service that's been held every year since 1870. Then enjoy dinner at Capri or After Seven for a Michelin-Starred banquet that'll blow all other Christmas dinners out of the water.
Holidays from £1,467pp for 2 adults and 2 children for 6 nights departing 21st December
For further information, high-res images or interviews, please let us know.
Thanks,
Rachel
About Heidi
Heidi was launched in 2018, formally known as Ski Zoom. Founded by the Blunt brothers, Marcus 39 and Alexander, 37, the company was born out of the lack of flexibility in the winter ski market and the desire the duo had to discover new destinations.
**The company has seen exponential growth from year one sales of £500k to year four sales of £11m, all with Covid sandwiched in between! This year Heidi is currently 160% up, year on year. The founders, who are half Norwegian, admit they were lucky to have snow as part of their DNA growing up in a country where enjoying the terrain of a white winter was part and parcel of everyday life. They then got to appreciate all the summer adventures the mountains offered, prompting their desire to provide package opportunities year-round and change their name from Ski Zoom to Heidi.
The millennials have successfully amalgamated their experience of working in the travel industry, in different guises with a savvy technical prowess to develop a completely new way of searching and booking ski trips, which brings a totally modern and flexible approach to today's market. Users of Heidi have thousands of options to choose from to find their perfect break, whether they're a family looking for a budget friendly option for beginners, or a group of friends after a quick, convenient mid-week getaway, close to the slopes, with tons of après ski. Customers can now build their perfect break in minutes and everything is planned and covered by Heidi, which is protected under ATOL. Ski passes and equipment can also be booked online through the business.
Heidi is designed to break down the inflexible restrictions in the winter ski and board market and enable more people to easily enjoy the mountains year-round.
