 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
Like a lot of people I'm sure I've booked the 3 days between Easter and the royal wedding/May Day weekend as leave, giving me Friday 22nd April - Monday 2nd May (inclusive) off. Is there anywhere in Europe that still has decent snow that late? Just to complicate matters we'd be looking for both easy runs (for me) and a wide range of blacks (for my fiancé). Not particularly fussed as to country/airport though.
All advice gratefully received, even if it's telling me to forget it and book a week in the Med!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Val Thorens. Successive EOSBs have always had snow there. Mind you, it can be corduroy ice in the morning and heavy porridge by late afternoon.
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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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Maybe one of the glaciers along the Salzburg/Tyrol boarder...Hintertux or the Kitzsteinhorn? Maybe not extensive ski areas, but have year round skiing.
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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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Hintertux should be good as well as Stubai glacier. Or maybe do both.
Most of the resorts I guess will try to stay open but I don't see how all the low ones could offer any good skiing except maybe a few runs on top.
Definitely all the glaciers will be OK but very busy. Same with high resorts like Ischgl, Val thorens, Tignes etc.
I myself would fancy sort of road trip in Austria. Easier driving in spring and probably more accommodations without advance bookings.
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Sölden and the western Austrian glaciers will also provide a fair bit of skiing. Also look at Stubaital for a change as well. I've skied the Wilde Grub'n in late April before now (10km ski route from the glacier to the car parks)
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Ooh, thanks everybody. I know the boy would be very keen to go back to the 3 Vallées; I'll look at the Austrian stuff as well.
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| Quote: |
Most of the resorts I guess will try to stay open but I don't see how all the low ones could offer any good skiing except maybe a few runs on top.
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No, most of them won't be trying - almost all will have ended their seasons before the end of April (many on 22nd April). However much snow there is. However as indicated above there are a number of good options - and I don't think Tignes will be very crowded, actually. Most people have given up skiing and got their mountain bikes out by then. And at tignes it would be very, very, very, unusual to have only the glacier runs open at the end of April - it can be a fantastic time to ski. Sunny and warm, or possibly some big dumps of snow which don't hang around long but are great while they last.
Personally I think Tignes, or maybe some of those Austrian areas, will usually be a better bet than the 3 Valleys, by then. I don't know the Austrian areas - worth getting some good local info on how much is open last week in April. There are some experienced Tignes people on this forum who could give you detailed info about that.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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For what it's worth Ischgl often has about 90% of it's runs open at the end of the season (the runs down to the valley are tricky, but they work hard to keep them open). Like everywhere it will be Spring skiing and the day finishes earlier as the snow softens. You can get some great late season snowfall giving you fresh powder, you can also enjoy some lovely spring snow (timing and aspect become important).
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pam w, yes you right. I meant a lot will try to stay open until Easter Monday which is 25th I think but no longer.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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We have raced over in Italy at Sulden am Ortler, http://www.sulden.com/de/sulden/sommer/allgemein/webcam.asp they have a big end of season race on the Bank Holiday Monday and then the resort is closed 2011 on May 8th. The pistes were always rock hard corduroy, a real party atmosphere too, live bands , no black runs but as far as I know there are none up at Kitzsteinhorn either.
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Thanks folks, this is really useful. A quick Google tells me that the Trois Vallées close on Easter Monday, but it looks like there are still loads of options.
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You know it makes sense.
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Grands Montets closes around May 10 - it does have blue runs and plenty of tougher stuff too.
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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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| kooky wrote: |
| no black runs but as far as I know there are none up at Kitzsteinhorn either. |
That's not true. There are 2 black slopes up towards the top of the glacier accessed by a surface lift. However they are 2 of the easiest black slopes I have ever skied.
If Ischgl and Tignes stay open and hold snow as late as people are claiming they do then they would be your best options.
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Poster: A snowHead
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1. Val d'Isere;
2. Tignes;
3. Val Thorens.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Leeds_Skier wrote: |
| kooky wrote: |
| no black runs but as far as I know there are none up at Kitzsteinhorn either. |
That's not true. There are 2 black slopes up towards the top of the glacier accessed by a surface lift. However they are 2 of the easiest black slopes I have ever skied.
If Ischgl and Tignes stay open and hold snow as late as people are claiming they do then they would be your best options. |
There is a very short one up at the top, the other two blacks used to be red runs ...
http://www.rasc.ru/resorts/austria08/kaprun-map.jpg
http://www.bergfex.at/kitzsteinhorn-kaprun/panorama/
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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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Leeds_Skier, actually yes I remember those now but they are never open end April/May are they?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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1) Tignes
2) Val D'Isere
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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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kooky, Never seen them open to be honest and I've skied there out of the winter season most years. They are the ones we were looking at on the right-hand side above the Alpine Centre.
I think that part of the glacier is very vulnerable and so they seem to keep them closed rather than fish dipsticks out of crevasses 
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Tignes would be your best bet I would have thought.
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Samerberg Sue, yes I have skied them in Jan /Feb and they are very easy for black runs , there are some nasty crevasses over on the rock side you are right 
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Les Deux Alpes is open until 30th April. It's always been good when I've been there in April, I'm there until 20th next year.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Whitegold, I'd reverse that order.
lml82, the 3 Valleys as a whole finishes then but Val Thorens itself is open up to the 8th May.
That is the week of the EoSB (End of Season Bash) in Val Thorens.
Not only the wide range of runs that you're after but company at all ski levels too.
There will be guided off-piste groups that your Fiancé can join for the day and a good few blue-run/bar-restaurant skiers to keep you company if you like while he's doing so.
EoSB info / chatter is here
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They were open early April last year, however we had the slope to ourselves and it was well groomed. So, although it was relatively easy it was a good run.
On the panorama piste map what do the dotted red lines represent? A couple of us were tempting to go down a route which probably was the X2. On the key it says "freeride route", but are they particularly difficult? The fact that the slope seemed to vanish round a corner giving us little knowledge of what the route eventually lead to coupled with it being a glacier and the last run of the day kind of put us off.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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lml82, We did Tignes quite late on in the season one April. Lots of slush and pools of water down at resort level at the end of the day, but great up top.
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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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admin, have to say that does look quite tempting. I'll have a chat with the boy... The company issue is a thorny one - skiing isn't an ideal holiday for us on our own because of the ability gap - and this could be a good way of solving it.
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You know it makes sense.
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I think a dotted line relates to an itenary route (un-pisted)
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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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pam w,
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I don't think Tignes will be very crowded, actually. Most people have given up skiing and got their mountain bikes out by then.
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The area might not be crowded but book well in advance for a hotel for the weekend. I pitched up one weekend at the beginning of May without a booking and there was no room at the Inn. Did not go down well with the family. Actually we got somwhere quite nice in the end but only after going around every hotel in the resort and getting a cancellation for the night and then the second night and then the third night. Slopes were uncrowded though.
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Poster: A snowHead
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One option which isn't really europe but scandinavia has great snow still at the end of april. Heading up to norway or sweden could be exotic and offer some fun stuff at that time of year, riksgränsen for example has almost 24h sunlight by then so long glorious days of skiing!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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wiiskier,
Welcome to  's nice idea that.
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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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lml82, Resort that are usally open end of april beginning May
Kaprun, hintertüx, Neistift, Axamer Litzum, sölden, St Anton, Zermatt/Cervinia, Saas Fee, Argentiere/Chamonix, Tignes, Val Thorens, Masella/La Molina, Sierra Nevada,, and there is more, 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Samerberg Sue wrote: |
kooky, Never seen them open to be honest and I've skied there out of the winter season most years. They are the ones we were looking at on the right-hand side above the Alpine Centre.
I think that part of the glacier is very vulnerable and so they seem to keep them closed rather than fish dipsticks out of crevasses |
That side has avalanched in the past onto the Gratbahn lift station below so they tend to be careful.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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