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Very late-season skiing holiday - Hintertux??

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
After getting myself all excited about booking a last minute trip to Tignes at the end of April, work committments seemed to have conspired against me, so April is now a no-go Sad

Looks like early May might however be possible ... but nearly everywhere seems to close at the start of the month.

The only place in Europe still on the go seems to be Hintertux. Anyone know much about the place and how much skiing will actually be available in early May?

I've already managed 2 weeks of skiing this winter - so I'm probably being greedy - but I'm determined to get a bit more in.

Any other recommendations would be gladly accepted! Very Happy
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
If you're talking early May, Tignes/Espace Killy is open until 3rd May - usually >50% of the area open at the end of the season.

Chamonix (ie Grande Montets) is open until 11.5.09 - I was there in the closing week last year and conditions were excellent.

Val Thorens is open until 3.5.09.

We're doing a 6 day combo of all 3 areas from 29th April - can't wait! Very Happy

Hintertux is not your only Austrian choice - Easyjet currently has bargain Munich flights (from Stansted) in May - there's a sale on until Tuesday 31 Mar. Why not do a selection of Hintertux, Kaunertal, Stubaital, Pitztal & Soelden glaciers in a mega road trip?? Kaprun is also pretty decent but is a bit far away if you are doing Pitztal/Soelden etc. Kaprun and Hintertux are within a couple of hours of each other though. At that time of year you will have no trouble getting accommodation by just turning up and knocking on doors.

The Zugspitz Glacier at Garmisch in Germany is also ok (not all that big though) - but I'm not sure of opening/closing dates....

Last but not least: Riksgransen in Sweden is is so far north (250km inside the arctic Circle) that although it's a non-glacier resort it is open until the end of May/June. I skied there 2 weeks ago and it's excellent. It's more extensive/challenging than Austrian glaciers with some steep on piste and unlimited (patrolled/secured) off piste comprising gullies, chutes ....and cliffs (if that's your thing...). The novelty of skiing there in May is that it's 24 hour daylight and the lifts are open until after midnight Shocked There's heliskiing too - which I have since read is the most reasonably priced in the world. Overall, it's a great area to visit - the Arctic wilderness is fantastic.
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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?
Thanks for the ideas!

As a matter of interest, how easy was it to get to Riksgransen. I'm guessing a rather long train ride though the pine-forests of Sweden?
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mountainaddict, would you care to share more on Riksgransen esp the unlimited (patrolled/secured) off piste Wink

Maybe start a new thread in the resorts section???

regards,

Greg
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
abj

For Riksgransen we flew to Kiruna via Stockholm. Kiruna to Riksgransen is approx 130km - on the one, ice covered wilderness road. The Avis hire car had studded tyres - amazing and felt like normal driving with excellent grip.

Only a couple of airlines fly to Kiruna, which is basically a landing strip and shed in the Arctic wilderness. Ended up going with SAS Scandinavian Airlines from Heathrow. At £280 the flight was on the pricey side to say the least - we are used to easyjet & Ryanair.... However it was a special occasion (10th wedding anniversary) & the skiing (x2 days at Riksgransen and 1 at Bjorkliden) was fitted around a night at the Ice Hotel, which is near Kiruna. The Ice Hotel had been on our to do list for years - so it was excellent to find out that you can ski within a reasonable distance. Even with the exorbitant flight price we sorted a DIY 4 night trip for about half the price of that charged by UK travel companies for an Ice Hotel stay and a trip of the same length.

There IS a train which goes from Stockholm to Kiruna. the distance is 6 or 700 miles and the train takes something like 14 or 15 hours....an overnight journey I think. The train stops about 100 metres from the chairlift. Bjorkliden is about 95km from Kiruna & the train stops there too. Bjorkliden is ok for a day - some nice steep runs and fantastic views - but overall is not as challenging as Riksgransen.

Alternatively, Narvik airport in Norway is only about 30 or 40km from Riksgransen. Not sure how feasible it is to fly there from the UK connections-wise but SAS does fly there. As mentioned, we were going to the Ice Hotel, hence the flight to Kiruna. All in all a fantastic experience - an unspoilt wilderness trip and the Ice Hotel surpassed our expectations - it's incredible.

kitenski
Will do!! Very Happy
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we skiied Hintertux week of May 18th last year and it was really good skiing, lots of km open, only downside was that visibility was poor due to weather. You can either stay up at Hintertux but I think that maybe it will be very quiet as not much up there. We stayed in Mayrhofen which we liked, and caught the bus up to Hintertux daily (you can buy a weekly ticket) takes about 45 mins. Would definitely go again.
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