 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm considering going skiing on Easter weekend (this year 10-13 April), and wondering where to go to.
I went to Val Thorens last year, and didn't like it at all - too slushy and crowded.
I'm looking for something with the best snow conditions possible, and close to an airport (2h max in order to get as much ski time as possible).
So far these made it to my list: Kaprun (Saltzburg), Cervinia (Turin), Hintertux/Stubai (Innsbruck), L2A (Grenoble)
Out of consideration: Obergurgl, Solden, Tignes/Val d'Isere (visited/planned for this season already)
Which of these would likely to have better snow and fewer people?
Any other resort I should look at?
Would it be better to book now or wait for the last minute for the weather? Are ticket prices likely to go through the roof?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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?
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@JimboS, Thanks! I've been to Hintertux for the early season, but never tried it for later. If I go to Hintertux I would definitely check Mayrhofen weather permitting. I wonder if Mayrhofen has better snow conditions compared to the French high alt resorts. Val Thorens is at 2400 and I was swimming in the valley in the afternoon.
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Out of your list, all should give you decent Easter snow. I've not been to LDA for a long while and never really liked it, for some reason, so others may want to comment. Stubai is a super easy journey from Innsbruck Airport (about 40 minutes realxed drive) and has probably the biggest variety of runs of your list, possibly a bit more challenging than the others; you won't be staying at the base station, so you'll need transport or buses from, say Neustift. Its usually been busy when I've been there but seems to soak up the numbers. Innsbruck Airport is easy to transit. Pretty much guaranteed snow.
Kaprun is a longer journey (but easy) from Salzburg Airport and a smaller ski area thatn Stubai; the new 3K lift link makes it really easy to stay in Kaprun itself, stroll to the Maiskogel lift and then get the link across to the glacier (pretty much guaranteed snow). You also have Zell am See potentially to ski. Salzburg Airport is also easy to transit
Cervinia at Easter will be just as good snow-wise and there's another thread recently taliking about the pro's and cons. I like Cervinia at Easter, good snow,OK lifts and the oprtion to ski in Zermatt, conditions permitting. IIRC, the drive from Turin is longer than for Kaprun or Stubai, but easy and only a bit winding towards the end.
LDA, as mentioned, was long time ago and never really liked the shape rf the resort, but otherss will be able to add a view.
TBH, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the first three or even all four; probaly my favourite is Stubai because of the option of skiing others resorts around nearby, depending on the conditions and if you have a car.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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It's always reliable here, L2A, in April and never particularly busy. This is April 5th last year, the lowest run here down to Mont de Lans, about 1500m. Over 2000m of vertical of skiing above that. About an hour and three quarters from Grenible airport. Not much more from Lyon.
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Hmm we did Easter school holiday week a number of years ago and found it quite busy is L2A. Appreciate @Claude B, is has more recent experience so have they had a significant drop in numbers since? We were there 6yrs ago and it certainly put us off returning.
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@NickyJ, I've been here every Easter since 2007. Never found it busy. I suppose it's subjective though. It depends also on snow conditions. Higher resorts are busier when conditions aren't as good and lower resorts aren't skiable. Generally the french don't ski at Easter, the Med is more of a draw.
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I had wanted to ski the black run down to town to try it out while my legs were fresh (I have dodgy knees and didn’t want to commit to it when tired), they closed the run for at least the morning - think it was to do with preserving it as long as possible, this meant a lot of people had to come back up a chair lift which was a 20mins+ scrum to fight our way up. If we came up via the main lifts in centre of town after kids had joined ski school that was a good 20min plus queue. Once up it wasn’t too bad but certainly not quiet and significantly more than we have encountered at a good number of other ski places during Easter school holidays.
We found Val Thorens similarly busy, but except when they closed almost all the lifts due to high winds, it didn’t have quite the pinch point of L2A.
Val d’Isere, Courchevel and La Plagne faired significantly better.
However places like Gressoney, Mayrhofen, St Anton we have found very quiet.
Gressoney we went up chair lifts without another person in site several times. Mayrhofen we encountered ski school groups stuck because they were waiting for enough adults to help get kids up (me and hubby made sure we split up and took one child each to help out)
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