 Poster: A snowHead
|
I'll be completing my manuscript in mid May and reward myself with an overdue ski trip.
Is there any decent spring skiing option in mid May in the Northern hemisphere?
I live on the East coast of the US, so flying to Europe is certainly as good an option as to flying to the Rockies.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
I have skied in Geilo Norway before in May and the snow as fine. The prices not so fine though as Norway is very expensive - so I recommend self catering if you can!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
Zermatt should still have skiing
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Just book the time and fly to somewhere like Geneva or Zurich or Munich.
Somewhere not too far from one of these hubs will have snow and great skiing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
It's been a bad year for snow coverage in a lot of the Alps and ongoing above average temps for forseeable future. I would gove Europe a skip this May and come next year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Or wait another month or so and head to the Southern Hemisphere, depending on how their snow looks early season. As has been said, it's not been the best of seasons in Europe, and by May a lot of resorts will have closed, or have reduced skiing, so you'd be looking at a glacier resort really such as Hintertux etc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Basin will probably be going past 4 July
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
peanuthead, + 1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
peanuthead, not quite right...
It's been an excellent and above average year for snow coverage in Haute Savoie and Savoie, France above 1,500m (after a slightly delayed start) and in Northern Italy.
My next door neighbour in Chamonix, who is a high mtn guide, was raving about conditions last week.
The Grands Montets last Sunday were in terrific shape and will happily remain so until closing day, May 4.
We drove up to Champoluc last night and I have never seen snow so low and so late in 14 years of regular trips throughout each season.
Feck, there's even still neves on the Saleve as I look out of my office window. Never seen that in April.
But for the OP, hmmm, most things close by mid-May. Grands Montets, 4/5/2014 (european date format), Cervinia 4/5/2014, Tignes 11/5/2014... Austria? Hintertux glacier?
OP do you tour? Maybe some guided touring would work?
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Riksgransen in North Sweden, I've been up there twice, think season finishes in June, also they have heli up there as well if you want to really treat yourself 
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
| under a new name wrote: |
peanuthead, not quite right...
It's been an excellent and above average year for snow coverage in Haute Savoie and Savoie, France above 1,500m (after a slightly delayed start) and in Northern Italy.
My next door neighbour in Chamonix, who is a high mtn guide, was raving about conditions last week.
The Grands Montets last Sunday were in terrific shape and will happily remain so until closing day, May 4.
We drove up to Champoluc last night and I have never seen snow so low and so late in 14 years of regular trips throughout each season.
Feck, there's even still neves on the Saleve as I look out of my office window. Never seen that in April.
But for the OP, hmmm, most things close by mid-May. Grands Montets, 4/5/2014 (european date format), Cervinia 4/5/2014, Tignes 11/5/2014... Austria? Hintertux glacier?
OP do you tour? Maybe some guided touring would work? |
True the Southern Alps have been inundated and when I was in the Dolomites in early March I could not believe the depth of snow - you could not see the view from the road due to the 2 - 3m high banks of white stuff. But as you say, touring might be the only possibility if the resort is shut.
NB Tignes is deffo closing on 4 May not 11 May, same as Val d'Isere. Again you might have some touring but there is less snow this year and off-piste has been distinctly odd with a lot of powder blowing away as soon as it's fallen.
Re Sweden - my instructor is desperate to get us there, he insists that heli-skiing is "not that expensive" ( ) due to the fact that you hire a chopper for an hour which only counts as time in the air so it can last all day. His photos from there are amazing. Looking for pennies down back of sofa even now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Violette, According to the Tignes official website the glacier at Tignes is open until 10 May, you can also buy lift tickets until then from the STGM site.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Violette, Val D always closes 1 week earlier than Tignes.
There was still some great snow to be found off piste last week. You may have to walk a little to get some fresh tracks but they are still out there 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
I had to look up "touring" in google. I've been skiing all my life but have never heard of it. I don't think it's a popular concept in North America. If there is no resort option in mid-May, maybe I'll try touring. Looks like fun!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
New Daddy, touring can be awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
moffatross, there's a not too terrible idea
New Daddy, maybe not so much east coast but there's plenty of it in the Rockies
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
New Daddy,
It's actually very popular in North America and Canada. We've been to Winter Park a couple of times and it's very popular in the area around there; and touring is extremely popular in the areas of B.C that we've been to.
I certainly wouldn't recommend trying it on your own outside the boundaries of a ski area however (or too far from the pistes in a ski area) as you need to be aware of the avalanche risk.
Best to hire a guide, in my opinion.
Do give it a go though! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| Bergmeister wrote: |
It's actually very popular in North America and Canada. We've been to Winter Park a couple of times and it's very popular in the area around there; and touring is extremely popular in the areas of B.C that we've been to.
|
Wait. Is touring what we call backcountry skiing here? Then, oh yes, we have lots of it in North America.
I somehow got the impression that the "European touring" is something different.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Daddy, hmmm. Maybe. Touring or "randonnee" is where you walk up the hill on skis to ski down again. I don't think (!) backcountry implies walking up necessarily.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
Touring or "randonnee" is where you walk up the hill on skis to ski down again
|
That's certainly what I did on my "introduction to touring" day. Using skins and skis with bindings which allow the heel to lift for the walking up hill bit and clip down for the downhill bit. I only did a little bit and enjoyed it very much BUT I wouldn't have done it without a guide. We were miles from any lifts (we got to the starting point in a van).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
