A cottage in Gerardmer is the right choice!
Gérardmer, or the 'Pearl of the Vosges' has always been a famous winter sports holiday resort with 9600 inhabitants. It is beautifully located, on the lake with the same name, and is surrounded by mountains and forests. The small ski region consists of 20 pistes over a total of 40km, with the longest slope in the Vosges (4000 m). Langlaufers can go to Bas-Rupts and have easy connections to the Gérardmer-Xonrupt-La Bresse area, with no less than 100 km. signposted langlaufloipes.
Winter sports activities in Gérardmer
The area is ideal for beginners and families (member of Les Ptits Montagnards, a quality logo for child-friendly ski areas), who want to enjoy a snow holiday in beautiful surroundings. The fanatical skiers who want non-stop action might find the offer too restricted. Besides skiing, langlaufing and snowboarding, you can go sleighing or take a guided walking tour to the lake, or you can make a dog sleigh trip (Gerbepal) There is also evening skiing (every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, and every evening during school holidays).
Nearby you can book a chalet in the snow
Winter sports in the Vosges: The middle mountains of the Vosges are a lot nearer than the Alps to Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands (about 6 hours' drive from Utrecht) and are therefore also suitable for a weekend or a mid-week trip. And it is also a cheaper alternative. The region is of course less high than the Alps and therefore less sure of snow or maybe less challenging, but there are snow machines on several pistes.
