 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all
I am a 5th time skier and really enjoyed Easter skiing in VT last Easter and we were also lucky to get late winter snow during March before our arrival. So, planning Easter ski holiday again and starting to look at deals available via sunweb. It seems with the snowcover already in most resorts, it may be safe to book a lower height this time around. There are some good deals in places I haven't been to such as Valfrejus, Superdevoluy etc?
So, looking for advice based on experienced people if I should take the decision and book something already? I know how long is a piece of string- but are the resorts which are at a lower height likely to sustain the snow levels even if there is no snow say for the month Feb and March or is it too risky and therefore, either book later or book something like VT? Thanks for the advice.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Travelling with my family and have 2 boys aged 15 and 9 and so have to stick to school holiday- I am afraid.
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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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The state of snow cover in early January (which is by no means spiffing all over) is pretty irrelevant to what will be happening at Easter. And altitude may turn out to be less relevant than longitude and aspect.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@pam w, Is correct about longitude and aspect but Easter is early this year and there is currently alot of snow at altitude in the North Western Alps . So a good North Facing resort in that area with plenty of skiing above 1800m is set fair for Easter in my opinion . Valfrejus is on the edge of that area south of the Vanoise and has not quite had the same amount of snow as the area just to the north of them but I’d think it should be ok, Superdevoluy further south I’d be more unsure
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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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@Artistxman, I think if you’re fairly flexible about location and accommodation choice, a late booking for Easter is fine. Then you’d have a much better idea of likely snow conditions.
If you’re choosier on location and accommodation and feel more comfortable booking soon, I’d go high, to have the best chance of good snow. VT, Tignes, etc.
No guarantees of good snow in April at lower/sunnier areas, even if there’s a good base now. I’ve seen most of the snow washed away by a torrential rainstorm one day in Meribel even in late January. Fortunately it snowed again the next day.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Artistxman, Easter is earlier this year than last, but in realty the couple of weeks makes little difference. We have skied Easter more or less for the last 40 years, mainly from Arc1600 and generally had good snow even when the Easter holiday has been late in April. As the French school holidays do not start until April 6 there will be plenty of accommodation available. You don't have to book early. Do not be fooled to thinking the only options late in the season are Tignes or Val Thorens there are plenty of other places.
You haven't mentioned your travel plans but be cautioned many airlines are severly cutting back their flights from Easter Saturday.
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Any high resort like VT or Ischgl or the glaciers have guaranteed snow at Easter, always. Definitely safe to book now.
Whilst lower resorts (lower than 1500 m) are tricky anyway. Not so much because of lack of snow, but because of the likeliness of (extreme) slush.
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| Quote: |
Not so much because of lack of snow
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Though there can very definitely be a lack of snow in late March under 2000m. Last season some were really only rescued by the remarkable winter conditions and snow at the very end of March and early April.
I'd agree with several posters that it's likely that quite a few lower places, like Valfrejus but lots of others too, might well be absolutely fine the first week of April. If you can leave it, and live with the uncertainty, that's what I'd do. Otherwise plump for something safe and predictable like Val Thorens!
One argument against late booking is that if ski school is important, it could well become difficult to book exactly what you want if you leave it too late.
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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.
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I did a whole load of research on Easter skiing last year and we ended up going to Valloire in the Maurienne valley and had a blast. Aim for resorts with lots of skiing above 2000 m with predominantly North facing slopes and all will be fine. I only researched France as we were driving, but you could probably lower that to 1600 m in Austria.
Budget was a big issue for us. My good value recs are below. We wanted cheap and reasonably extensive. Sunweb/snowtrex cover the first two well.
Valloire-Valmeinier
Val Cenis
Montgenevre (a little pricier and more difficult to get to).
If no issue with budget, many of the mega resorts will be great:
La Plagne/Les Arcs
Tignes/Val d'Isere
Val Thorens/Les Menuires
In the North:
Avoriaz
Les Contamines
Flaine
I'm sure there are more, and many will have other views, but that's my Easter snow sure lot (in France).
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Neither Flaine nor Les Contamines have "lots" of skiing above 2000m. LC just has one short drag. But it is, for other reasons, generally a good late season destination provided you don't assume the Veleray area (with the black pistes) will be open. Easter last year was extraordinary, with some good late snow rescuing a generally dismal season in that part of the world. Easter 2023 is probably not a terribly reliable guide to Easter 2024.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Langerzug wrote: |
Any high resort like VT or Ischgl or the glaciers have guaranteed snow at Easter, always. Definitely safe to book now.
Whilst lower resorts (lower than 1500 m) are tricky anyway. Not so much because of lack of snow, but because of the likeliness of (extreme) slush. |
This.
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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.
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Thank you all, I am selfdriving and have booked the Ferry already(fingers crossed we don't get a storm like last year- remember the Coaches arriving 2 days later than planned arrival date at VT with all the English university students exhausted). Sounds like better to to book later even though the choices of accommodation will be less...but rather have good snow to ski than a fancy accommodation with not good snow/ski conditions. I did enjoy VT last year(but gather most resorts were good as the snow arrived later for all the resorts), just wanted to try something different if the snow is good in other resorts. Thanks for all the recommendations.
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We skied in Les Arcs at Easter last year. Booked because we had a Christmas trip that was predominantly ice and no fun to ski on. I remember that storm well as we drove from home to Folkestone in it and then from Calais to Auxerre with it still raging. It was on the French leg of the trip, in the dark, we found that French motorways don't have cats eyes. It was tense in the car. However, I am so glad that we booked the train not ferry as I wouldn't have liked to have done the crossing in that storm. I flat refuse to get the ferry any time other than August.
Les Arcs was super easy to book last minute.
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You know it makes sense.
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Last year year did first week of April in Val Cenis and got pretty lucky with great conditions, especially high up. This year we are very restricted time wise, so can only go 20th April. We've booked for VT for obvious reasons.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Artistxman, ...good dumps late in season seem to be .... er ... seasonal, these days. We had amazing conditions late in March and April last year, in the Valais. But rain kills snow faster than anything else and I regret that the Big Storm (Edith? Erica? something...) hitting UK today is predicted to give rain right up to 2000m over the next few days. We just book, and look forward to being in the mountains....
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Poster: A snowHead
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@valais2, "rain right up to 2000m "
- depends where you are and what forecast you look at. I like Meteoblue and they're predicting a very brief spell of rain in e.g. Argentiere (1,250m asl), then moar sno ... (a bit more rain in Cham at 1,000m but hey ho).
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