 Poster: A snowHead
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I guess this subject gets asked alot, but due to work commitments, we can't get away until Mid-April this year.
I actually thought that this would be too late having been to resorts the 1st week in April, and it being a bit sketchy.
I'm totally used to spring conditions (the good and the bad) so that doesn't bother me, but where is actually open 13th April onwards? I know that Val Thorens and Val'd'sere are good bets but expensive. I see Zermat is a good bet too?
Is les arcs any good this time of year? I guess I'm still wanting to explore the pistes, and not be contained to one lift and 1 run as I have experienced at lower resorts in the past.
Anyone have any experience of mid-april? Best places to go? I'm hoping with the good base and cooler conditions this year, that the season will hang out to mid april.
Regards
Rich
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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twinsign, welcome to snowHeads 
Are you fixed with the 13th? A week later a large group of sHs are heading out to Val Thorens - pretty good value for money, too. There are still spaces.
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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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Les Arcs? But Val D'Isere was even better late last April (can't exactly recall the date off hand - Easter was late and it was after Easter) - we stayed in LA where the lower slopes were going, upper were OK though, and had a day trip to VDI which was still pretty much perfect. Tignes is same ski area as Val but may be cheaper?
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Tignes is a good shout! I know Flaine and Les Contamines are usually still ok at the end of the season as most pistes are north facing and it could be cheaper. If you can go to Val Thorens though. Such a great resort and the snow will be fine! 
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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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twinsign, we are booked to go to St Anton, flying out on the 14th April. For next season I have booked Les Deux Alpes flying out on the 13th April.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi twinsign,
La Plagne and Les Arcs are both open that week - in fact they're open the week after too. It's impossible to guarentee end of season snow conditions, but at the moment all the signs are good and we've got a deep base so it looks set to be good right into april.
Happy planning!
Heather
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Firstly thanks for all the suggestions and the warm welcome, please keep them coming 
@ Chasseur - Yes unfortunately that was the earliest week we could both book, so the time is all booked off now. I guess I need to be aware of these sHs trips for future reference though.
@ snowyowl, I've been to Val D'Isere a few times (whilst staying in Ste Foy) in the first week of April, and at the top the conditions were amazing especially on the glaciers, I just think that the pass is worth the money when everything is open and you can ski/board all day, but quite expensive for that time of year. I don't know maybe I'm being fussy.
@Dia & @Chasseur - never been to Val Thorens, Been to Meribel a few times, always meant to go, but never made it over there, would you consider this "the place to go" in April? Is the rest of the 3 vallees shut down by then?
@ NickyJ - My very first holiday was Les Deux Alps many years ago - It has crossed my mind, I will look at St Anton too.
@ Snow and Sunshine - We went on a day trip to Les Arcs on new years day last year, I loved it, maybe it was because the pistes were so quite that day, but some great runs...Have you been there yourself in April? Can you ski back to 1600? Any benefits to La Plagne over Les Arcs? Is the Vanoise Express still going to be open?
So glad I joined up here any other comments welcomed...
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+1 For Val Thorens. Was there last year at the end of April / beginning of May and the conditions we're still very good. We also drove across to Tignes on one of the days and that was OK too.
You could also look at Hochgurgl/Obergurgl in Austria as they are usually open until the beginning of May.
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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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twinsign, Les Arcs/La Plagne including the Vanoise is open till 27 April. try www.lesarcs.com
The lower slopes in Plagne on the way to the Vanoise get very porridgey in late season. Last year mid April you could ski down to 1800 (just, avoiding the mud) but not to 1600, it would mean getting a chair down if you stayed there.
In Les arcs the ski pass is reduced after the 19th April to take account of the restriction in skiing area. I have not checked Val. If you have a car you can always go on a day trip- it's less than an hour.
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twinsign, Grands Montets will be open until May 9 or so.
Anywhere open is going to be crunchy in the morning and slushy at least lower down from mid-afternoon onwards, assuming normal seasonal weather. We've skied great powder (and I do mean powder) late April, but it surely can notbe guaranteed.
Late start, early long lunch on a sunny terrasse, very fine.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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twinsign: In a word...Tignes. We've been going there for May Day weekend for 6 or 7 years and it has always delivered in terms of snow cover and extent of skiing available. At that time (never mind mid-April) we've always found at least half of Espace Killy open and good to excellent cover on runs back to Val Claret, Le Lac and Lavachet. Les Brevieres (at 1500m) is usually a little more sketchy by the end of April but generally fine before then.
A further point is that, in general, resort runs are generally more user-friendly at Tignes than Val D'Isere - and that's without a late April slush-fest on the Face run....
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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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twinsign, welcome to snowheads. I'd go for Tignes, too. have a look at Mountainsun - good value and they can pick you up from geneva for a lot less money than most transfers will cost.
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Hi twinsign,
We live out in the area so often ski in April.
There is plenty to do that late in the season although usually the higher areas are better than the lower ones. 70% of the domain is above 2000m though so you've got plenty to choose from.
The Vanoise express will still be open then and they keep the runs down to it in good condition although as snowyowl, says the snow is often a bit slushy down at the Vanoise.
We've got chalet spaces available in Plagne 1800 and Plagne Village (2050m) for the 14th - 21st if that helps at all?
Happy planning!
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You know it makes sense.
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Are you trying to limit your options to France? If not, then high resorts in Austria are worth considering. Last year around 20th April I skied in Solden and Obergurgl. The latter had homerun still open (though very soft in the afternoon). On one day there was a massive dump and the next day plenty of fresh snow and no people to track it (not even myself as I didnt know how to ski powder:-(. In Solden you couldnt get down to the village anymore and they were closing Gaislachkogl (1-2 weeks before closing everything else, so worth checking beforehand).
Never been there but I heard Ischgl may be a similarly good bet as far as Austrian resorts are considered.
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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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Hi wyspa/all,
No not limited to france at all, although I'm slightly ashamed to say that in the last 15 years I've never been anywhere else (unless briefly going over borders counts)
Mauddib also suggested Austria Earlier in this thread so there must me something in it 
I'm thinking of waiting until the end of the month to book something, when I know where has the best snow?? Is that a good idea do you think?? How late do you leave it?
If anyone else is going the same week this year i'd be interested to see what deals people are getting?
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Poster: A snowHead
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twinsign: Although Mrs MA and I are confirmed late season Tignes Addicts, we've also skied in mid to late April in Soelden, St Anton, Ischgl and Zermatt/Cervinia. All of those would fit the bill too.
On our May Day Tignes trips we've skied powder (at altitudes of about 2700m and above) on 3 or 4 trips in the last 6 seasons - so that could be a fair possibility in mid-April if you go high enough .
Anyway, see there's bumper snowfall on the way for the Alps this weekend? There's no way that that will all be disappearing (at altitude) in the next month - so you can safely book now .
I don't know where you live but, speaking of late season snow, Scotland (and Cairngorm in particular) can very often be relied on for a (very) late season fix - we skied there on 23rd May last year and have done so into June in the recent past.
And don't forget that you can expect great snow - and fairly extensive skiing for the time of year - on the Alpine glaciers into June (eg Hintertux, Soelden, Pitztal, Kaunertal, Kaprun, Zermatt, Tignes, Saas Fee....)
By way of late season encouragement, here's Tignes on 1st May 2009 and an off-piste pic at Cairngorm on our late-May run last year - when the temperature was 27C when we got back to the car...:
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Mountain Addict, thanks for sharing this. I'm really now not worried about going so late thanks to all the replies on here. I think Tignes and Val Thorens are winning right now. I'm from Southampton, and I have priced up the trip many times to Scotland, and it's actually cheaper to get to Geneva from Bournemouth via easy jet, than it is to drive/train/or fly to scotland. Ridiculous really.
All good stuff here, thank you people... Now I just have to decide and book, again if anyone else is seeing any good deals for this week, please let me know, I'm going to check the usual suspects this weekend
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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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see there's bumper snowfall on the way for the Alps this weekend?
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I'm getting nervous about all this talk of bumper snowfall. Shhhhhh. It might go away!
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it's actually cheaper to get to Geneva from Bournemouth via easy jet, than it is to drive/train/or fly to scotland. Ridiculous really.
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but don't forget that getting from Geneva to somewhere like Val Thorens could easily cost more than the flight - you need to price in transfers for any options.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Though nothing can be guaranteed there is usually plenty of snow in April. In fact half of the times I have need snow chains to get up to Les Arc have been in April. Only once can I recall not being able to ski down to Arc 1600 in late April and that was the last day of the season a couple years ago. They were pulling out piste markers more or less as we skied in the 2000 bowl and almost every restaurant was closed while their staff had closing down barbeques. We drove to Tignes the next day and that was in full swing.
Much as I love Les Arcs I would recommend Tignes for your trip. IIRC the resort doesn't close until mid May
twinsign, I would have thought Geneva and Cairngorm were were about equi distant from Southampton.
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