 Poster: A snowHead
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Just starting to think about a late season trip in 2012. We have an off-piste course booked with UCPA in January, and an apartment in Flachau in March. Due to work I cannot go in February, but both MrsS and myself could go somewhere for a week from 14th April.
Where would be open (with a chance of decent snow then)? We would prefer Austria or Italy, and perhaps a nice (but not too expensive!) hotel with wellness etc. - anyone know which resorts do special deals including lift pass then?
We are both competent skiers, happy on any pistes, and if snow conditions allow might look at a guide for a day or so off-piste.
Any suggestions of resorts/hotels welcome....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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RobinS, Sölden, Stubaital, Zillertal, Kaprun/ZamS all give you the safe option of skiing glaciers if all else fails!
I've skied mid-April in St Anton with no problems apart from a bit of slush at the end of the day. also skied in the Sportwelt Amadé many times until mid to late April (when Easter is late). I know most of the hotels do special deals but they all end during the week after Easter.
Obertauern is open until the beginning of May most years - it was last season (2010/2011) although I have to admit the lowest slopes were a real slushfest on my last day there (April 30th) although it was snowing at the top and conditions underfoot were 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?
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Samerberg Sue, Solden looks a possibility, it has the glacier, but the "winter" ski area should be open then as well. The other glacier resorts are a bit limited - as the rest of the nearby ski areas will be closed - ie: Hintertux is open, but Mayrhofen closes on the 15th. We are in the Amade in March so don't want to risk it April as well.
St Anton could be good, as also Ischgl (which I know does lift pass inclusive offers then). I'll have look at Obertauern.
If anyone has any more ideas - or hotels to look at it would be helpful.
Robin
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We were in Livigno in late April last yeat and had a great time, resort runs were slushy after 11ish but everything above mid station was in great condition. If your travelling independantly a number of hotels, including some with good spa facilities, offer free lift passes after a certain date - 24th March if memory serves- making it a great value trip.
Tignes is also a good bet, we've skied into May before now and even had powder on 1st May!
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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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RobinS, When are you talking about? Most resorts have agreed their closure dates with the farmers who own the land you ski on. They want a period of quiet before all the snow melts to ensure their summer grazing is still intact and healthy. Most European based skiers start to think beach and warm holidays as soon as March is finished and the clocks have gone forward.
If you want a reasonably snow-sure wide area of skiing that late in the season perhaps you should be looking at Sweden or Norway!
The Stubai and Hintertux glaciers are far from limited areas. The Wilde Gruben 11km descent from Gamsgarten on the Stubai glacier system to the bottom station is often best done at this time of year. We were skiing the Kaprun area down to Langweid into May this year! I would take Neustift and the Stubai Glacier over Sölden in the late season any day - way more skiing with a wider range of slopes and lifts. Sölden skis over 2 glaciers (Tiefenbach is primarily a blue paradise - Rettenbach has mainly blue slopes and one very steep black wall of ice). Stubai is spread over 6 different glaciers and has all types of slopes and is, I believe, Europe's biggest glacier skiing area.
Obertauern was still fully open until the 3rd weekend of April this year (acknowledged to be a poor year in terms of actual snow fall!) and in the past I have skied there into May. OK not the full area but we could still do most of the Tauern Runde.
You say you would prefer to ski in Austria or Italy and then say the areas are too limited! 
You could also look at Kaunertal as that stays open for a long time.
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RobinS, Might blow the budget and not Italy or Austria but you can't beat Zermatt in April...
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RobinS, I am afraid I'd suggest booking flights into Geneva and making resort and accommodation decisions based on snow forecast.
Glacier skiing by definition is somewhat pedestrian.
Austria and Italy have rather shorter seasons, generally, than some of France and Switzerland.
Just my 2p.
Bob's Zermatt suggestion sounds mighty fine to me, I haven't skied it extensively, but given that late season skiing can often be rather more social and relaxing than full on season, I'd think Zermatt would have much to recommend it for those late start, early finish days...
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under a new name, Hintertux is open all year round - how is that a "shorter" season?
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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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| Quote: |
If you want a reasonably snow-sure wide area of skiing that late in the season perhaps you should be looking at Sweden or Norway!
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or Tignes?
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RobinS, Why dont anybody suggest Chamonix/Argentiere Grand Montets is usally open to first week in May, not last year, but everyone knows about that season in france, if you are a competent you will find Grand Montets excelent, so Why just make choice in Austria and Italy?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Samerberg Sue, I said generally didn't I?
What percentage of Austrian resorts are mostly operational and still open April 14?
Also that Glacier skiing is typically quite pedestrian...
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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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Not trying to knock the glaciated Austrian resorts (  ) but for the last few years I've been to Chamonix at that time of the season. The Grand Montets always has great skiing on it, and the lower areas are normally pretty good too. There's always the Aiguille du Midi if you fancy some off piste, and there's usually an offer on the lift pass price. I'd definitely have it on my shortlist...
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under a new name, Depends entirely on when Easter Sunday is! They keep open until the weekend after Easter Sunday as far as possible! When it is very late in April such as last year, most closed on Easter Monday or Tuesday. The rest closed on the Saturday after Easter.
pam w, Tignes = 20kms of summer skiing on the Grande Motte glacier (checked against the Tignes web site just now!) 12 lifts and 1 snow park
Stubai Glacier: 40km of summer skiing spread across 6 glaciers using 20 lifts. They open and close the lifts according to demand and also to ensure that the areas are not too heavily skied in the warmer months. Predominantly blue runs with 7 or so steep reds and one black. All the other black runs that used to marked as such have been turned into Ski Routes, e.g. the Wilde Grub'n 10km long was a mixed black and red piste when I first skied it. Now it is a ski route.
Hintertux: 42km of summer skiing and this year it was the only glacier in the Alps that stayed open all summer. Used by all the national World & Europa Cup squads for training.
Kitzsteinhorn (the name of the Kaprun glacier) 41km of prepared pistes with 12 lifts and 2 snow parks. There is ski in ski out accommodation there as well! Not exactly 5* but very convenient too 
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You know it makes sense.
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Samerberg Sue, Have skied Hintertux in the winter, but very interested about Stubai - I had no idea there was so much skiing there - my view of it was from a mountaineering trip where we saw the skiing in the middle of summer - and there certainly was not much then! I will look into it further. Research has indicated that the "big" Austrian resorts open from 14th - 21st March are the most expensive ones as well, so a smaller place could be better value. Looking at the likes of Ischgl and St Anton our "nice hotel" was looking more like a cheap B&B!
BobinCH, I would like to go to Zermatt - but we were there last March, and it is astronomically expensive compared to most Austrian resorts, and way beyond budget for a third trip.
We have not ruled out France - it's just we prefer Austria, but as we will probably drive we could go anywhere in the alps - this means we ahve no rush to book anything, but I am trying to get some options costed up.
Robin
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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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RobinS, I think you may get some really good deals later in the season even in places like St Anton. I got a last minute deal in a hotel there one Easter which was less than half the asking price paid earlier in the season and embarrassingly cheap compared to the Neilson's clients who were staying there at the same time. They were paying High Season prices because it was the school holidays, even though the resort season was actually one of the lowest priced ones.
On that trip by the way, they closed the Rendl lifts even though they said the "full area" was open! All week they were closing down lifts left right and centre as they obviously did not have the volume of traffic expected, even if the snow was there! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Sue - which hotel in St Anton ..... I have had great stays in Tyrol and Sport but they are too expensive to take whole family for a full week !
This season I am planning a late family trip in first or second week in April.
Is it better to approach hotel directly or the UK operator ?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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RobinS, Dis you mention already you were driving? In that case, what on earth are you doing trying to plan anything now?
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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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PBJ, Arlberg and Rendlerhof - a bit further down the main street but within easy walking distance of everything. I dealt directly with the hotels and drove down.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
Tignes = 20kms of summer skiing on the Grande Motte glacier (checked against the Tignes web site just now!)
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But I thought we were talking about mid April, not summer? In the average year Tignes will have loads of stuff open in mid April. Even Les Saisies has been almost entirely open in mid April every year but last year (when they were closing runs early because of the poor conditions) and that tops out at 2000m!
There are several Tignes-based SHs, including Stewart Woodward who teaches there, who could give a more accurate notion. When my son spent a season there he said April was the best time of the season.
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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.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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pam w, I was comparing the glaciers which is best done by looking at the summer areas as they are the true glacier areas. I agree that in at least part of April as much will be open as at any time, but it is difficult to be precise at such along distance to the period (which has still not been clearly defined or did I miss the dates?)
If going independently I would wait and see what the season throws up and then go wherever the best deal is to be found that suits your needs.
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The OP says w/b 14 April. I agree it makes sense to wait - that's almost always the case at any times other than peak periods.
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The Stubai Glacier get's my vote - we had some fantastic powder late season this year. There are some good itinerary routes. When we were there we had thigh deep powder. There is also a freeride school and guides are available for hire. I have skied Hintertux, Kaprun, Zermatt,Tignes and several others and for my OH and myself this is our favourite area at the end of season - apart from Zinal/Grimentz /Andermatt in CH - but with the exchange rate we have switched our attentions to Austria for the last couple of seasons - as the yanks would say "you get more bang for your bucks" - I enjoy a beer or two at the end of the day in Austria we have had large beers for as low as 2.50 euros - happy days 
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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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| Quote: |
I enjoy a beer or two at the end of the day in Austria we have had large beers for as low as 2.50 euros
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Yep, €2.5 for a big beer in Neustift last weekend! Stubai glacier was indeed excellent!
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Thanks for the comments everyone. We will definitely be waiting until much closer before we book anything, but Stubai looks like it could be a distinct possibility - and the prices there are low, so we could stay somewhere nice. The Freeride school could be of interest as well. Will also look out for bargain deals to Ischgl and St Anton if the snow looks good - but given the high prices in those places it would need to be a bargain! And if the snow is bad in Austria and good in France we may even look at the Espace Killy.
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FAQ
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who visit in late season every year. Mrs MA & I have been in Tignes/Espace Killy for the last 4 or 5 May Day weekends. Every year we have found at least half of the Espace Killy open; have skied back to Val D'Isere (1800m) every year; down to Les Brevieres at 1500m in every year except May 2011; have found winter conditions at altitude; have enjoyed virtually deserted pistes; and have skied powder at altitude about 3 times 