Late is great for a snow and sunshine break
February’s storms have left the slopes in peak condition for an Easter ski holiday. Patrick Thorne seeks out the resorts with guaranteed fresh powder
With the pandemic making us ask, “When can I ski again?” we may have forgotten that perennial concern of skiers: “What’s the snow going to be like?”
As restrictions continue to ease and tour operators, such as Inghams and Le Ski, announce that they are adding an extra week to the season (April 16-23) to cope with surging Easter demand, it’s time to start checking the webcams and forecasts again.
Skiing in spring usually means hardpacked slopes first thing and perfect snow on the pistes by mid-morning before things turn a little sticky in the early-afternoon sunshine. Many of us reward a full morning on the slopes with a long lunch on a sunny terrace, but if putting your feet up by 1pm doesn’t feed your appetite for high mileage, fear not – if you choose wisely, you can find resorts where the snow survives until later in the day.
It has been an odd season for snowfall in Europe. There were big dumps in late autumn, meaning a great start to the season. Not only was there euphoria that resorts could reopen after two locked-down winters, but they were able to open almost everything from day one. Then it all started to crumble as “dry January” took hold.
“We had a good start, but January wasn’t so great and it seemed every time it snowed the temperature shot up,” says Finbar Doig, a Tignes-based Scot who specialises in off-piste freeriding.
It was almost unheard of when snow depth began to decline in January, but the good news is that February has seen plenty of snowstorms and resorts remain in good shape to see out the season. The perennial spring-skiing advice is to aim for high-altitude or northerlylatitude resorts and 2022 is no exception.
“February dumps have recharged the snowpack nicely, but it’s still smart to book somewhere high for spring,” says Richard Sinclair, founder of specialist travel agency Sno. “If you love the 3 Vallées, pick Val Thorens for doorstep skiing, or for Tignes book in Val Claret, 2,300m up and nearest the glacier.”
Elsewhere in France, ski areas with glaciers include Alpe d’Huez, Les Deux Alpes, Les Arcs and La Plagne – all in good shape, with plenty of snow to see them through to May.
Outside France, other smart options include Kaprun and Solden in Austria, both with extensive glaciers and snow lying more than two metres thick. Kaprun’s Kitzsteinhorn glacier is so snowsure it stays open into the summer.
In Switzerland, Laax currently reports the deepest snow, approaching three metres. Engelberg and Murren aren’t far behind. Alternatively, Zermatt’s slopes aim to open 365 days, with the option of skiing across to Italy’s Cervinia.
The surprises come further south. Resorts in the Pyrenees, which can have good or bad seasons for spring snow, are posting one of the deepest snowpacks in Europe. Spain’s BaqueiraBeret
currently combines a deep base with around 100 miles of open slopes.
All of these areas have been reporting fresh snowfalls over the past few weeks, with more snowfall forecast for the start of March – painting a positive picture. Unfortunately, Scotland, hyped as an option when the pandemic closed international borders, had little snowfall until a few weeks ago. Things improved dramatically last weekend when nearly half of Scottish ski slopes could open thanks to snowfall, which fell as storms Dudley and Eunice blew through. It’s one to keep an eye on for a last-minute fix.
The alternative to high altitude is a northerly latitude. Snow depths have built steadily in Scandinavia, where the main ski areas stay open until early May. Norway’s coastal area around Voss has seen big February snowstorms and the resort of Myrkdalen has a two-metre base – double what it was last month.
And for the first time since 2019, Britons can now spring-ski in North America – though it has been an odd winter there too. There was little snowfall anywhere until Christmas, when massive storms buried Western ski areas several metres deep. Since then it has been largely dry, but it’s still lying 6-12ft deep at Mammoth Mountain in California, usually open to June or July. In Canada, ski areas around Banff, open to late May, have had regular snowfalls since November.
All in all the picture for spring skiing in 2022 is looking good. Not only are destinations easing travel restrictions, but there has also been plenty of fresh snowfall on top of now well-established bases. It’s looking reassuringly promising for the final few months of the season. As tour operator Ski Beat claimed as it unveiled its late-booking deals this week: “Easter is the new Christmas!”