Skiing in April

Hi,

My partner and I are looking at going skiing somewhere in France in April of next year on honeymoon. Having not been skiing in April before we would like to ensure (as much as you can these days) that there is enough snow! Currently we have the option of either going in the week commencing 6th April 2008 or 13th April 2008. If you have been skiing in the 2nd or 3rd week in April in the past we would like to hear your experiences of resorts and snow cover (both good and bad). We are currently thinking of going to France as we can speak French, we are however open to persuasion if anyone could recommend alternative countries and resorts at this time of year.

This post may assist others also looking at spring skiing in general so any information that you can share will be gratefully received and hopefully lead to a wider discussion.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. :D

Marv

I love Austria

I would say try ST Anton it is reasonably high up and one of the best places to ski in the world. There is also Hintertux I have skied there in April myself if things get a bit thread bare below you can ski on the Glacier.

I say Austria because the atosphere there when you are skiing is great and there is typically (IMHO) more to do at the Austrian resorts.

I have skied the 3 valleys in France in April to, we stayed at merribel Belvedere the appartment was great and we did have quite a dump of snow, but I wouldn't rate it as high next to the Austrian resorts i have visited.

hope this helps

cheers
Max

Before I suggest a country or resort, may I ask how much skiing you have both done, and what size of resort you would be happy honeymooning in?

Absolutely, just had a look at St Anton and think it is too advanced for us! I have been Snowboarding and skiing, we both have only 1 weeks experience skiing. We will however be going somewhere at Christmas prior to April meaning it will probably have to be a resort with plenty of blue runs! We went to Bansko this year which has only 12 lifts (from memory) they were nice broad slopes which for our level of experience was perfect. We were thinking France so that we could ensure food quality in resort will be high, but I guess Austria or Italy would probably be similar.

Like Max, i prefer Austria as well. I have skied more Austrian resorts than Fench ones though so i cant really give a properly balanced opinion on each. Austrian resorts tend to be lower in resort height but many resorts go above 2300m. Solden has a high ski area with a mixture of ability levelled slopes. Nightlife is good there to, but whether that is important to you or not i dont know. Nassfeld isnt to be overlooked either. They have a great snow record and ski area extends up to about 2500m, so it should be ok in April. Then theres Obertauern and Obergurgl which are the obvious high ones, both should have enough snow then.

If you do choose France, i presume you know all the usual higher resorts...Tignes, Val d'Isere, Val Thorens etc etc.

Good luck finding the ideal resort, and i hope you have an awesome holiday :D

As this will be your honeymoon, IMV, it should be somewhere very special, with good facilities and high standards both on and off the slopes. I would suggest either Zermatt, or Saas Fee, both of which have good intermediate slopes, amazing scenery and high quality hotels. French is one of Switzerland's official languages, though most hotel staff seem to speak English as well. Standards are, well,... Swiss, they take a pride in their work :D
Both resorts typically stay open most of the year for skiing, as both have glacier lifts. I ski in France and Switzerland, and believe that Switzerland gives better value for money.

Maria Alm in Austrai is very very pretty and cheap, and it also caters for mainly beginner to intermediates.

Conratulations by the way enjoy the honeymoon wherever you decide to go

Hi Marv,

If you want to go to a French resort in April I support the suggestions about choosing a high resort to be sure of decent snow.
For what it is worth I have ski-ed at Alpe d'Huez, Vals Thorens, Les Arcs and Les Deux Alpes in mid April and I have always enjoyed good skiing.
Alpe d'Huez ( or Massif des Grandes Rousses as it is increasingly known as) caters particularly well for skiers of all abilities. It also has the advantage of allowing you to choose between a large lively resort to stay in, i.e. Alpe d'Huez itself, or one of the linked satellite resorts , Oz en Oisans, Villard Reculas or Vaujany. These are small, relatively quiet and attractive villages set among the trees. They all have fast links into the main ski area.

Geoff Smith