On the web and elsewhere, you can find many offers for " snow-guaranteed ski weeks ," a specific term that means that during your ski week, you're guaranteed to find the ski facilities open.
Climate change has led to a substantial instability of weather conditions and this has led to a significant impact on the trend of winters in the mountains. For several years we have witnessed increasingly unstable winters, going from super snowy winters to winters where you can ski on daisies due to the high temperatures or still rigid winters but without snow.
As if that weren't enough, snowfalls can be abundant in some areas of the Alps in the same period and absolutely absent in others.
It is for this instability that tour operators, tourist organizations and the various accommodation facilities have introduced the concept of "snow guarantee" the intention is to give customers security and let them plan their ski week in complete serenity without worrying about the conditions weather forecast.
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Snow guarantee, yes, but what kind?
It is obvious that no one yet has the power to make it snow on command (perhaps in the future?) and therefore no one can guarantee that a snowy landscape will be found, the snow guarantee in fact regards ski conditions. You should use the term “snow slope guarantee” but it sounds bad.
However, the snow guarantee is not the same concept for everyone, in fact there are different types and we want to analyze some of them:
Snow guarantee with the glacier
It concerns ski weeks in places where there is a skiable glacier, even if the reservation concerns a lower ski resort.
Example 1:
You could book a holiday in Cervinia and have a snow guarantee as you can ski on the Plateau Rosà Glacier at 3800m.
Example 2:
Book a holiday in any town in the Stubai Valley and you are guaranteed ski access thanks to the Stubai Glacier, even if you perhaps had a ski pass for another ski resort in the valley.
Advantages and disadvantages:
The advantage of the "Snow Guarantee with Glacier" is that you have a real skiable area available in any case and not slopes artificially built in the greenery. The disadvantage is that in the absence of snow, the ski week will only take place on the slopes at high altitude.
It is however one of the best snow guarantees that can be found.
Snow guarantee nearby resort
It is perhaps the most widespread and was born thanks to the agreement between mountain valleys that try to give each other support in satisfying holidaymakers. In this case, if you do not find the slopes open in the resort where you have booked, the tour operator will take care of taking you to a ski area with open slopes.
Example:
You booked on the Asiago Plateau (Veneto) but the slopes are closed so they took you to ski on the slopes of Folgaria (Trentino).
Advantages and disadvantages:
The advantage derives from the fact that you will still find an open ski area at your disposal, the disadvantages are having to move (often within a pre-established KM radius) and skiing in locations other than those chosen.
Artificial snow guarantee
It will become more and more popular but difficult to sustain for tour operators as guaranteeing skiability thanks to artificial snow requires adequate temperatures. It is gaining ground in the holiday offers of the large ski areas, especially the more modern ones. Some ski destinations are able to cover up to 90% of the area with snow in less than a week. Priority tends to be given to some specific areas so as to guarantee at least partial opening for tourists.
Example:
A tour operator in Madonna di Campiglio or Plan de Corones will assure you that at least part of the ski area will be open on the date of your stay, with artificial snow on the slopes.
Advantages and disadvantages:
The advantage is that of being able to have snow-covered slopes even if artificially. Disadvantage, with particular winters this guarantee could vanish (too high temperatures) or the skiable area could be limited to a few slopes.
Snow guarantee with refund or coupon
In case of absence of snow on the slopes, your holiday will be refunded in whole or in part or moved to alternative weeks with guaranteed snow or even you will be refunded with coupons to spend on other travel solutions.
Example:
The chosen ski destination is unable to open the slopes, the amount spent is returned to you with a coupon to be spent on another holiday.
Advantages and disadvantages:
Being able to count on a refund is always an excellent solution especially if you dream of a classic ski week with snowy landscapes and slopes with abundant snow, the disadvantage is that often this refund does not cover the entire amount spent and there are few tour operators willing to provide this type of guarantee.
Other forms of guarantee
Since the snow guarantee is an additional element offered to tourists, there is no standard for all tour operators, so there may also be other forms of snow guarantee, even if the main ones are the ones we have indicated above.
Always ask for the Snow Guarantee
If possible, always opt for a ski holiday with a "snow guarantee" and ask for information on the terms and conditions. Not all tour operators advertise it but there are now several who offer it as an added value to their holiday.
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