Christmas Gifts for Skiers: Alpine Art Prints

Most skiers already own the jacket, the goggles and the gloves. What they rarely have is the place itself on the wall. The Alpine Hours is six illustrated resorts in the last hour of a winter day, three in the Swiss Alps and three in the French Alps, giclée-printed to order on Hahnemühle German Etching. Here is how to choose one.

Match the print to the resort

The simplest rule is the best one: give the resort they go back to.

• —[St. Moritz](/collections/the-alpine-hours/st-moritz): snow polo on the frozen lake, the grand hotels lit behind, the Engadin peaks turning pink. For the skier who goes every January, or who spends as much time on the terrace as on the piste.
• —[Zermatt](/collections/the-alpine-hours/zermatt): the last light on the Matterhorn, a sleigh in the lane, larch chalets lit amber at blue hour. For the skier who spends February in Zermatt, or the climber with the Matterhorn on a list.
• —[Gstaad](/collections/the-alpine-hours/gstaad): a week before Christmas on the promenade, a fir tree on his shoulder, gifts in her arms, the Palace lit on the hill. For the family that spends Christmas in the mountains.
• —[Avoriaz](/collections/the-alpine-hours/avoriaz): striped deckchairs in the snow and two cups still steaming under a cobalt sky. For the skier who skis for lunch, and for anyone who knows the Portes du Soleil.
• —[Chamonix](/collections/the-alpine-hours/chamonix): a rope over his shoulder on the bridge, the Arve running blue, the Aiguille du Midi in the last light. For the mountaineer, or the skier who has done the Vallée Blanche.
• —[Courchevel](/collections/the-alpine-hours/courchevel): a red plane on the altiport at 1850, a pilot carrying her skis. For the skier who flies in, or the one for whom Courchevel is the fixed point of every winter.

If they ski somewhere else, choose by mood. St. Moritz and Courchevel are the most glamorous scenes, Zermatt and Chamonix the most mountain, Gstaad the most Christmas, Avoriaz the most sun.

Choose a size for where it will hang

Every print comes in portrait in 30×45, 40×60, 50×75, 60×90 and 70×100 cm (canvas goes to 75×100 cm). Landscape is available in 30×45, 40×60 and 50×75 cm.

• —City flat, hallway or bedroom: 30×45 or 40×60 cm. Both work above a desk, a chest of drawers or a bedside table.
• —Living room, above a sofa or a console: 50×75 cm, or 60×90 cm if the wall is wide.
• —Chalet, double-height room or long wall: 60×90 or 70×100 cm, where a small print would get lost among the beams.

If you don't know their walls, 40×60 cm is the safe middle. It reads clearly from across a room without demanding a whole wall.

Choose a finish

• —Fine art print: giclée on Hahnemühle German Etching 310 gsm, a textured, matte archival paper, unframed and shipped rolled in a protective tube. The right choice if they like to choose their own frame.
• —Canvas: 400 gsm canvas stretched on 38 mm bars, ready to hang. No glass, so no reflections in a bright room.
• —Framed print: giclée on 200 gsm fine art paper behind an acrylic glaze with a white mount, in eight frame colours. It arrives ready for the wall, which makes it the easiest gift to give.

Each print can also be ordered titled, with the resort name at the foot of the image, or clean, without it.

Give two, or three

Each half of the collection is sold as a set of three, with 10% off applied automatically: the Swiss Alps (St. Moritz, Zermatt, Gstaad) and the French Alps (Avoriaz, Chamonix, Courchevel). The set adds one unframed 30×45 cm print of each, and works well as a row along a corridor or above a bench in a boot room. For the skier who does both sides of the border, one print from each set makes a pair.

Order by these dates for Christmas

Every print is made to order in 3–5 business days, then shipped with tracking. Delivery is free. To arrive before Christmas, order by:

• —8 December for the UK
• —30 November for the EU and Switzerland
• —24 November for the US

Orders to Switzerland and other non-EU countries may incur local import VAT or duties on delivery.

Last minute: a gift card

If the dates have passed, or you can't decide between Zermatt and Chamonix, give a digital gift card. It is emailed instantly, in fixed amounts, and the recipient chooses the place, the size and the finish. A card is single-use, valid for two years, and works in every currency we sell in.

If it isn't right

Every order has a 30-day money-back guarantee. If they are not happy with the print, email hello@envol.art within 30 days of delivery with the order number and a photo, and we refund in full. There is no need to send the print back.