 Poster: A snowHead
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Booking a second ski holiday for april and the earliest we can go in April is the week starting the 11th.
I am keen on France, most notably Tignes or VT but the other half has asked me to find out about austria.
So basically i was wondering has anyone skiied in austria this late in season and if so what were conditiosn like. Could you ski back to resort and which resorts are open this late in april.
Thanks in advance for help.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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bodhi, That is Easter week.
Most resorts will try to stay open until the end of thaht week, but lower lying ones may not be able to manage it.
Your best bet in Austria at that time would be one of the resorts close to (or even on) a glacier, such as Soelden, Kaprun, somewhere in the Zillertal, etc. That way, even if there isn't much locally, you shoudl be able to ski on the glacier.
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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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bodhi, if you are used to mainly skiing above 2500m and living at 2100m (Tignes), there isn't anywhere in Austria that I'm aware of that will provide a similar experience. Most Austrian resorts are either low lying with skiing back to village level at the height of the season only, or they are high on a glacier with a cable car up from the valley. Exceptions to this are rare, but include Obertauern (1740-2526m) and Obergurgl (1930-3082), which are much higher up to start with, and therefore have less of an issue with cover and snow condition late in the season.
Or, if you are happy to take a bus or car back to the town from the bottom of the lifts, any of the glaciers will provide excellent conditions - Hintertux, Kaprun, Solden and Stubai.
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ousekjarr, Try Hintertux! 3,300 Meteres and Europes largets all year round ski resort. Should be pletny of snow at that time of the year
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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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I would recommend Obergurgl. we have skied there the same week a few years ago and it was fine. Plus it's near to Soelden so you have that as back up.
D
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Went to Obergurgl in mid-December (so quite early in the season) and it had been open since late November ... and according to locals, the season doesn't end until early May.
Plenty of tour operators go there and the transfer is relatively short from Innbruck too. 
Personally, I loved the place and would certainly go back. Good service, good food ... and the skiing wasn't bad either!
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Deliaskis, snap!
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Fattes13, thanks, but I didn't ask the question - and had already suggested Hintertux.
BUT - Hintertux is at 1500m, with a gondola up to 2100m before the skiing starts, so as I said, it doesn't really compare to the French resorts in that you can't ski back to the village (ski route 1a is unlikely to be open in mid-late April, even with snowmaking cover, since the temperature at 1500m is likely to be 6C or above, and snowmaking doesn't work at that temperature).
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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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bodhi, agree with others and add Stuben to the list - keeps snow longer than it's neighbours St Anton and Lech
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thanks for all the prompt replies. I do normally ski in France and within that the high resorts but we were looking into austria. I think if it were to be a runner we'd have to go to one of the austrian resorts that are high, such as Obergurgl as mentioned or one of the other lower resorts with access to a glacier.
It being easter week, should i expect busy slopes either in france or austria? One of the things that attracted me to skiing at this time of year was what i thought would be empty pistes.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| bodhi wrote: |
thanks for all the prompt replies. I do normally ski in France and within that the high resorts but we were looking into austria. I think if it were to be a runner we'd have to go to one of the austrian resorts that are high, such as Obergurgl as mentioned or one of the other lower resorts with access to a glacier.
It being easter week, should i expect busy slopes either in france or austria? One of the things that attracted me to skiing at this time of year was what i thought would be empty pistes. |
Easter week will always be busier than any oter week at a similar time of year.
But the later it is, the less absolutely busy it is likely to be.
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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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If Austria has relatively few places where you can ski high, so late, those few places could presumably be pretty busy at Easter? France has a lot more places where you can ski so late so possibly people will be more spread out, and pistes less busy, especially if you choose somewhere like Les Contamines which is not a big mecca for UK tour operators.
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Have been to Lech in this week and it was in great nick, Ischgl and Solden should also be good bets.....
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You know it makes sense.
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As Easter is relatively late this year I don't think it will be as busy as when it falls earlier in the season.
My experience from when I lived in Austria is that a lot of locals start to lose interest around the end of March/beginning of April as they start getting nicer weather and thinking about cycling and watersports etc., so you don't get the day trippers and weekenders like you do earlier in the season.
Obergurgl would still be a good bet I reckon and not too busy due to its price and fairly remote location, plus you will find more variety than the average glacier.
D
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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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I would say Obertauern over Obergurgl and conditions are fine there in April, lift queues are negligible, I have never found either particularly busy in April including at Easter. I have also been to Stubai glacier (stayed in neustift), Tignes/ValD'I and Val Thorens at easter, found Stubai to be really busy at key lifts and the queue for the lift down at the end of the day from the mid station was horrendous. Personally if it is just skiing you want I would choose Val D'i or Val thorens but if the bad things about France bother you such as, poor accommodation, poor apres ski, ridiculous prices and generally a lack of any atmosphere I would stick with Austria.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I know of an aprtment in Kaprun available 11April. As this is the second week of the school holidays it will not be as busy because a lot of the flights finish on the 11th April. I am flying back 18th on jet 2 but there is not much on the 18th. In Kaprun you can ski on the glacier , which is only 10 minutes away on the ski bus or the same lift pass will give you Zell am See and kaprun village so if the snow is OK you dont need to go to the glacier everyday, but i am there every Easter and the snow is so nice , and the weather is perfect with blue sky and sunny days, but it does not get too warm up there.If you want more info on the apartment please send me a PM. thanks. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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might be worth checking out Ischgl . Have a recollection of chatting to a bar owner there who said that they stay open later than many of the other resorts & indeed many of the snow workers from the resorts that close early go up there themselves to party & ski.
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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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thanks for all the info guys. Going to have to take this info in and then have a long think of where to go. I think it will depend largely on flights also but austria defo seems like a possibility now, although val di is up there, albeit its lack of everything Kaiser points out, it is awesome for skiing.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Switzerland???
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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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| nickH wrote: |
| might be worth checking out Ischgl . Have a recollection of chatting to a bar owner there who said that they stay open later than many of the other resorts & indeed many of the snow workers from the resorts that close early go up there themselves to party & ski. |
The Ischgl end of season concert is 2nd May. That's when the resort finally shuts. 90% of the resort is above 2000m. It's a good bet.
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On the 9th of April last year I enjoyed insane powder at Zauchensee....
Within Ski Amade; Zauchensee, Flachau Winkle, Wagrain and a few others were still very, very open.
Some areas closed after the easter week - not due to lack of snow but due to lack of punters!!
Obertauern is a cert.... there will be snow and plenty off it by the look sof things!
It has been a very heavy snowfall week out here - I think it has snowed 8 out of the last 10 days.
Looks set for a long season.
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Easter isn't that late this year and there should be plenty of snow in the resorts mentioned. I have regularly skied in Obertauern until the end of April/beginning of May. As someone says here, they close due to lack of punters rather than lack of snow. The closure date is negotiated with the owners of the land and it is fixed - ie cannot be changed at all. When you walk the pistes in summer you can see why - wonderful full and natural pastures as opposed the rock deserts in certain areas of the French ski circuses.
I remember going round with my head of ski school on the last couple days of the season giving out "thank yous" to all the mountain restaurant owners who had put up with us and our groups all season. BTW this was not in Obertauern, but close by. I was crying because it was snowing nights, clear during the day and the most magical champagne powder you have ever imagined - up to my waist (only his knees - I'm a short-@rse see!  ) As I remember that was something like the 25th April. I buggered off to Ischgl to ski the last week there and do the concert "Top of the Mountain" on May 1st. - think it was Tina Turner that year
Sue
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