Skiing season over......absolutely not !

Signs that Spring has arrived is evident all over the Alps but this does not mean that the Ski season is now behind us. In fact this time of year is arguably the best time to ski, when the mountain air takes on a renewed appeal, to those in the know and for many reasons.

• During the months of April and May there is plenty of sun, longer days, less crowded slopes, cheaper prices and a more relaxed and carefree atmosphere, enhanced by the numbers on the slopes being significantly lower than earlier in the year.
• For resorts at higher altitude, such as Tignes, Chamonix, Courchevel 1650/1850, Meribel and Val D’Isere remain open until May and Resorts with Glaciers, with plenty of snow to report on the slopes.
• Resorts such as Les Deux Alpes and Alpes D’Huez, where they have their own glaciers, you can ski pretty much all year around.
• The most important thing to consider when choosing to ski later in the season, is the altitude of the slopes above your chosen resort, not the altitude of the resort itself. The higher slopes, the better the snow.
• There can be as much snow fall in April as in February, although this year maybe an exception given the huge falls enjoyed across some part of the Alps during February.
• For those with energy after a full day on the Slopes, the après-ski is rather fun too in the Spring.
• Easter is very late this year, with school holidays starting at the beginning of April, which means Tour Operators are offering holidays during a time of year that would normally only allow for independent travel if you wanted to ski, so perhaps now is the time to try skiing in April.

Here are some of our favourite properties in those extended season resorts

Meribel

Tignes

Val D’Isere

In fact this blogger will be experiencing all that Val D’Isere has to offer in April this year and looks forward to reporting back not only on snow conditions, but in taking in all this wonderful resort has to offer when Spring is very firmly in the air.