 Poster: A snowHead
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Is it possible to ski in the Europe at the end of August? Any glacier skiing?
OH is approaching 30 and we want to do something to remember it! We were thinking of hiring a cottage somewhere nice in the UK for a week and have all our friends join us, but I suggested a chalet in France or Austria instead (likely much cheaper than staying in England!).
Then I started to wonder if its possible to ski anywhere in August......?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Chile with the rest of the World Cup racers
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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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Sometimes the glacier at Tignes is open at the end of August, but snow conditions can be at their worst at that time. I think this summer it had already closed by the end of August, although it's not unknown to get a little bit of fresh snow if you're lucky at that time of year.
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As much as I love all my friends, I'm not paying for them to go to Chile!
May have to stick to Europe 
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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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shootinstar9, Try Hintertux glacier
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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shootinstar9, Hintertux is probably the best you'll get at that time. Which doesn't mean you are likely to get good skiing, just better than anywhere else in Europe.
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Thank you!
Damn summer babies.... why couldn't he be born in winter like the rest of the family?! 
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It's a pretty iffy time as some of glacier resorts that will have been open close for maintenance like someone mentioned Tignes. I've skied on a couple of glaciers in the summer but due to their very nature the terrain on glaciers is relatively flat. I still think it makes for a good holiday, the mountains are a nice place to be in the summer anyhow but the skiing is more of a novelty than anything else IMO. There are usually large parts of what is already a small area cordoned off for race training, the lifts open early and it's hard and icy in the morning then you have a couple of hours where it softens up to something a kin to spring type conditions it then gets heavy and wet with lifts closing around 2ish being the norm from my experience of Zermatt. If you don't base the trip around souly getting several good days skiing I wouldn't ditch the idea. Zermatt is a wonderful place to be at any time of the year.
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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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Of course Hemel and stay at the Novotel
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Les Deux Alpes is open up to the end of August also I believe.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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You could hire a cottage near Gloucester dry slope? Best of both worlds
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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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The more I look into it, the more I'm realising that it isn't really an option!
I think a chalet in Austria or France would be nice though... beautiful scenery, lovely weather, good beer/wine and makes a change from dreary old England!
Any recommendations for a group of 30-ish-year-olds who love good beer, good wine, good food and walking/cycling/scenery?
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shootinstar9, don't know about chalets, as we stayed in a hotel, but Mayrhofen was great in August, with lots to do and stunning scenery. You can also get a day's skiing on the Hintertux glacier, just a bus ride away, if you still want to do that.
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You know it makes sense.
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shootinstar9, I've had summer holidays near Les Deux Alpes and Hintertux with the purpose of doing a bit of glacier skiing. While you wouldn't want to make skiing an all-day/every-day activity, it would be worth doing for the odd morning or two and there is loads of other things to do in the Alps in the summer.
When we went, the weather in the valley was warm enough to sun-bathe 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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There's actually a beach set up around a man made lake in the summer in L2A. My daughter had a morning sun bathing there rather than trudging up the mountain with me. This photo of it was actually taken in September a couple of years ago after the end of the summer season
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Poster: A snowHead
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Claude B, I thinks Mayrhofen is prettier in summer and you can get the train up and down the valley too.
Les 2 Alpes is better skiing in winter though!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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maggi, Possibly! I didn't ski when we went in the summer. Did other things instead, there is a lot going on.
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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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shootinstar9, I skied Hintertux this summer and intend to again next summer. This year we actually had some good snow during the summer and could ski quite extensively in September. There are loads of race clubs/teams there that cannot afford to go to southern climes and they mange quite well.
I'm an early Autumn birthday and skied on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier on my birthday then had glorious cale and sticky things at one of my favourite hotels. The Kitz is closed to skiing in high summer though.
I don't think you will find the raving thumping Après Ski scene at the Hohnehaus at Tux, it never looked open when I was there (all through the summer months) but you could probably get a very good deal for you and some friends at some extremely posh (or not so posh) hotels at that time of year. Loads of mountain biking, walking, rafting canyoning and other activities to indulge in if the snow is not quite up to scratch.
Go for it loads to do and it is something special!
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I went up to Tux this August and would not have bothered skiing. There were a few racers on the top T bars but everything below that was grey glacier. But two years ago in August I was able to ski down to Tuxerfernerhaus but there was a "river" running down the piste for some of they way. So, I wouldn't be booking up to go there in August. It would take an awful lot of luck to get the conditions half-way decent.
Saas Fee / Zermatt probably a better bet but, to be honest, there are better things to do in the mountains in the summer.
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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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shootinstar9, The Alps are very beautiful in summer - but scrap the skiing idea.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We went to Saas Fee towards the end of July a couple of years ago. It wasn't a ski holiday, more of a walking/eating/swinging across the gorge holiday, but with all the fresh snow we had that week (and down to 2500m a couple of days), it would've been rude not to! We just went skiing once as ideally you need to be on the lift before 7.30am to get the most out of it, as they close again early afternoon, and also it's insanely expensive.
The racers and ski academy seemed to be having a good time, but they have another reason to be there than just leisure. We were there for the novelty of skiing fresh snow in July, but you wouldn't do it every day.
What about going somewhere for mountain biking and walking? The alps are still a lovely place to be in summer. Somewhere like Morzine would likely be affordable and with plenty to do.
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shootinstar9, Glaciers open would be Hintertux, Saas Fee, Zermatt, Led Deux Alps and maybe Cervinia.
Skiing will be limited and anything past midday will not be great regardless of resort. Biggest ski area will be Hintertux prettiest villages will be Saas Fee and Zermatt.
Sass Fee and zermatt have loads of other activities for the days the lifts close & Plenty to do in the afternoon also, from Adventure forests to alpine costers, and walking.
Best of luck with the search
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shootinstar9,
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Is it possible to ski in the Europe at the end of August? Any glacier skiing?
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Yes. Tignes.
The snow may be good, or it may be awful -- it is the lowest point in the year for snow. But you can ski August Bank Holiday there.
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