Where to go mid april 08

Help folks please,

I'm going to be away out the country in a very hot and sandy place for a few
months, namely between dec and april. I'm will be back in the UK by april
11th all being well.
I don't want to be missing the ski season at all, but I also don't want to
pay for somewhere that will be snowless by then.
I know I'm going to be having to check snow conditions a lot closer to the
time, but can someone give me any ideas for starters at places that could
provide my desperately needed fix for the white stuff around that time of
the year.
Europe the most likely, but Canada and USA on a budget would also be a
outside option.

Thanks for your time

Onion

On Oct 4, 5:09 pm, "JP" wrote:
Help folks please,

I'm going to be away out the country in a very hot and sandy place for a few
months, namely between dec and april. I'm will be back in the UK by april
11th all being well.
I don't want to be missing the ski season at all, but I also don't want to
pay for somewhere that will be snowless by then.
I know I'm going to be having to check snow conditions a lot closer to the
time, but can someone give me any ideas for starters at places that could
provide my desperately needed fix for the white stuff around that time of
the year.
Europe the most likely, but Canada and USA on a budget would also be a
outside option.

Thanks for your time

Onion

Most resorts in France are still open until the end of April and if
the last 10 seasons are anything to go by (last year was the odd one
in 50 years I am told) you should still get enough snow in most
resorts with a ski range above 1500 after mid-April. Ok it may be
slush in the afternoon at the bottom but you should get some glorious
sunshine as well.

If you want a complete snow guarantee in late April then I would
recommend a few of the glacier resorts:

Les Deux Alpes has Europe's largest skiable glacier where you still
ski in August
http://www.peakretreats.co.uk/ski/les-deux-alpes.htm

Tignes also has a summer ski glacier
http://www.peakretreats.co.uk/ski/tignes.htm
http://www.skicollection.co.uk/defau.../loadindex.135

Val Thorens - part of the largest ski area in the world is also a very
safe bet
http://www.skicollection.co.uk/defau.../loadindex.137

Other high altitude resorts like Alpe d'Huez also have top snowsure
ski areas a massive 700 of snowcannons (or one of the satellite
villages like Vaujany or Oz-en-Oisans)
http://www.peakretreats.co.uk/ski/oisans.htm

No need to burn all that carbon to travel to the states!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
XS
Peak Retreats http://www.peakretreats.co.uk
Ski Collection http://www.skicollection.co.uk

On Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:09:57 GMT, "JP" wrote:

I'm will be back in the UK by april 11th all being well.

I know I'm going to be having to check snow conditions a lot closer to the
time, but can someone give me any ideas for starters at places that could
provide my desperately needed fix for the white stuff around that time of
the year.

In no particular order, here's my short-list for reliable late-season
skiing:

Saas Fee, Zermatt, Flaine/Grand Massif, Tignes/Val d'Isere, Val
Thorens/3V.

There are plenty of others, but these offer, IMO, the best chance of
good late snow. As regulars will know, I'd tend to put Flaine at the
top of this list, as I've had very good experiences of fresh powder
into the 2nd and 3rd weeks of April over the last few years.

--
Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
Ski Club of Great Britain - http://www.skiclub.co.uk
All opinions expressed are personal and in no way represent those of the Ski Club.

Ace wrote:

: In no particular order, here's my short-list for reliable late-season
: skiing:

: Val Thorens/3V.

From some time after mid-April Val Thorens drops out of the 3V (which closes!)
and goes on its own until about 1st/2nd week of May (AFAIR)

On 5 Oct, 10:52, Brian McIlwrath wrote:
Ace wrote:

: In no particular order, here's my short-list for reliable late-season
: skiing:

: Val Thorens/3V.

From some time after mid-April Val Thorens drops out of the 3V (which closes!)
and goes on its own until about 1st/2nd week of May (AFAIR)

Yeah - I think the rest of the three valleys were pretty much out of
snow early April last year. I seem to remember a lot of the Meribel
slopes are south facing, so they can take a pounding.

last April in Tignes was excellent. Glorious sun and still good snow
depth. Sharpen your edges for the mornings though!

Matt

"Matt T" wrote in message
ps.com...
On 5 Oct, 10:52, Brian McIlwrath wrote:
Ace wrote:

: In no particular order, here's my short-list for reliable late-season
: skiing:

: Val Thorens/3V.

From some time after mid-April Val Thorens drops out of the 3V (which
closes!)
and goes on its own until about 1st/2nd week of May (AFAIR)

Yeah - I think the rest of the three valleys were pretty much out of
snow early April last year. I seem to remember a lot of the Meribel
slopes are south facing, so they can take a pounding.

last April in Tignes was excellent. Glorious sun and still good snow
depth. Sharpen your edges for the mornings though!

Matt


And, by way of a wildcard, the Hautes-Pyrenees still had masses of snow when
they were closing last season - Luz Ardiden having probably the best cover
of all. It happens...

RM

www.mountainpassions.com - an Online Magazine with Altitude.

"Roger Moss" wrote in message
...

"Matt T" wrote in message
ps.com...
On 5 Oct, 10:52, Brian McIlwrath wrote:
Ace wrote:

: In no particular order, here's my short-list for reliable late-season
: skiing:

: Val Thorens/3V.

From some time after mid-April Val Thorens drops out of the 3V (which
closes!)
and goes on its own until about 1st/2nd week of May (AFAIR)

Yeah - I think the rest of the three valleys were pretty much out of
snow early April last year. I seem to remember a lot of the Meribel
slopes are south facing, so they can take a pounding.

last April in Tignes was excellent. Glorious sun and still good snow
depth. Sharpen your edges for the mornings though!

Matt


And, by way of a wildcard, the Hautes-Pyrenees still had masses of snow
when they were closing last season - Luz Ardiden having probably the best
cover of all. It happens...

RM

www.mountainpassions.com - an Online Magazine with Altitude.

Done Espace Killy twice post-Easter (once in the penultimate week) and had
better snow than mid-season. Breaks your legs after 3 pm though (I can
particularly recommend doing the Sache top to bottom!).

Went to Zermatt this April (straight after Easter mid-week). Below is my
trip report (or the snow conditions bit of it) produced on return:

The weather was warm, clear and sunny all day every day bar one when we had
some cloud and fog. In consequence, the snow line was retreating up the hill
at a rate of, I guess, lots of vertical metres per day. I know that we
skiied down a black from Furg to Furi on Wednesday and, by Friday it was
closed. The runs were rock hard until about 11 and wet sugar by 3. A red
down from Hothaali to Gant was a high speed involuntary slide slip for the
top two thirds and several others made you wonder where your edges had gone!
We enjoyed the little group of runs off the Rothorn down to the Kumme lift.
We ended up on the Kleine Matterhorn or over the Cervinia side quite often
just because the snow was in better condition. There was little to do on the
Gornergrat because you couldn't really ski below the Riffelberg. In general,
I was surprised that most of the pisted stuff was fast, wide and pretty
unchallenging - but this might have been because that is generally true of
glacier skiing and all the more interesting stuff was lower on the mountain
and, therefore, closed or just slush.

We had one interesting afternoon up around the Trockener Steg because half
the mountain was closed for a competition. To get down, we had to take to
the bumps off either side of the piste. That was entertaining enough to go
back and do a couple of times. Generally, though hors piste was
indistinguishable from piste though we didn't try any genuine back country
stuff

Another consequence of the weather/snow conditions was that the better
mountain restaurants were difficult to reach and by the weekend were closing
(either because of season end or because skiiers couldn't get to them). Most
of the eateries higher up the mountain were a bit ordinary - though we
didn't feel the same about the places on the Italian side!

YMMV

Paul

JP wrote:
Help folks please,

I'm going to be away out the country in a very hot and sandy place for a few
months, namely between dec and april. I'm will be back in the UK by april
11th all being well.
I don't want to be missing the ski season at all, but I also don't want to
pay for somewhere that will be snowless by then.
I know I'm going to be having to check snow conditions a lot closer to the
time, but can someone give me any ideas for starters at places that could
provide my desperately needed fix for the white stuff around that time of
the year.
Europe the most likely, but Canada and USA on a budget would also be a
outside option.

Thanks for your time

Onion




For about the last 20 years I have gone skiing at Easter, which has on
occaisions beeen very late in April and we have always had acceptable
snow, which is more than can be said for early January. Coming back from
Zermat one year we even had to drive very slowly at one point due to
heavy snow in the valley - it was, IIRC, 22 or 23 of April. For the last
3 Easters we have been in Les Arcs and the conditions have been good,and
you have always been able to ski back to the resort, even Vallandry. Two
years ago the snow depth was fantastic over easter and it seemed odd
that they were closing the resort as we left. However, I do recall being
there in April about 20 years ago when we had to take the lift down for
the first day or so, then a blizzard hit us and the resort was closed
for a morning while they blasted.

Any way we have had excellent April skiing in:
Tigne/Val d'Isere
Les Arcs
La Plagne
Courchevel
Les Menuires

And in
Zermat
Verbier
Whistler
Banff
Chamonix

where the skiing was very good high up but you had to take a lift down

Morzine and Avoriaz were the only area were the snow was very poor and,
even there, above 1800m it was acceptable.

Strangely we were able to ski to Val Thorens from Courchevel and over
the rest of the 3V from Les Menuires- it was a bit messy in Meribel
(when isn't it?) but the rest of the route was OK. When does Meribel
close for the season?

My suggestions for April a shrapen your edges, wear lots of sun block
and relax enjoying what you get.

By April snow base is fairly well established and IMHO you don't have to
wait to the last minute to decide. Either the snow is there in March, or
it isn't going to come. The storms that are common at that time of year
are not predicable a week in advance and even the day before you do not
know the altitude of the rain snow boundary. So a choice of resort in
March is likle to be as good as one the day before you leave.

With a good snow depth it is amazing how well the snow last. IF there is
no wind and if the skies remain clear overnight, daytime temperatures of
over 15 degrees barely dent the snow mass. The snow killing conditions
such as the foen affect massive regions so there is no real difference
at the same altitude between lots of resorts.

Just look at resorts with plenty of high altitude skiing.

Where are you actally going? I have a colleague who, when we were
working together in Ghana, would regularly use airmiles to go home for
the weekend using overnight flights in both directions!

John

In message , JP
writes
I'm going to be away out the country in a very hot and sandy place for a few
months, namely between dec and april. I'm will be back in the UK by april
11th all being well.
I don't want to be missing the ski season at all, but I also don't want to
pay for somewhere that will be snowless by then.

I have done exactly the same thing in the past. Espace killy always has
snow at that time. Just one tip. Don't think that a desert tan protects
you from the UV levels found at that time of year. I found this out the
hard way.
Stay safe and try to enjoy it.
--
Devs
"Punchdown Pete the old Kroner"