Top Ten Resorts for Late-Season Skiing - PlanetSKI (2024)

7th April 2024

It may seem odd to still be thinking of skiing and snowboarding with Spring underway and currently some very warm temperatures in the Alps.

• April heatwave hits the Alps

However, many resorts are still open and some even offer skiing into May.

PlanetSKI is in Austria and we are still making some turns:

• PlanetSKI’s Innsbruck stay spreads its wings

Here is the selection from Maison Sport in its own words:

Val Thorens, France.

Val Thorens is the highest point of The Three Valleys, the world’s largest inter-connected ski area.

Sitting at an altitude of 2,300m, it is the ski resort with the highest village in Europe, so it has reliable snow cover both in resort and on the slopes.

Linked to the neighbouring ski resorts of Méribel and Courchevel, The Three Valleys ski area offers over 600km of terrain to explore and is home to six glaciers.

90% of the runs in Val Thorens sit above 2,000m and the resort stays open until early May.

Tignes, France

Sitting in the Espace Killy ski area at an altitude of 2,100m, Tignes is one of the best ski areas in the world for reliable snow and offers good conditions for skiers of all abilities.

Tignes takes one of the top spots for snow reliability in the Alps with the majority of its slopes sitting above 2,100m.

Its position near the Italian border creates a unique microclimate that means it gets snow not only from the north but also from the south-east.

The Grande Motte glacier in Tignes is at 3,456m.

Val d’Isere, France

The neighbouring ski resort of Val D’Isère sits slightly lower than Tignes at an altitude of 1,850m.

Val D’Isère also forms part of the Espace Killy ski area which offers 300km of high-altitude skiable terrain and has some of the most reliable snow in the Alps.

Val D’Isère also has its own glacier – the Pisaillas glacier, which reaches up to 3,300m in altitude and offers some summer skiing.

Better suited for intermediate and advanced skiers, Val D’Isère offers some thrilling runs, such as La Face.

Cervinia, Italy

Cervinia is the most snow-sure ski resort in Italy and offers access to over 360km of ski runs including an extensive glacier terrain (shared with Zermatt).

Despite its sunny westerly-facing slopes, the high-altitude terrain promises excellent snow cover throughout the season.

The village sits at 2,050m and its highest slopes reach up to 3,450m, ensuring good cover and a long ski season running from November into May.

Zermatt, Switzerland

Sitting on the Swiss side of the Matterhorn and sharing its ski area with Cervinia, Zermatt is an equally snow-sure ski resort.

With slopes reaching over 3,800m, the full ski area typically stays open until the last week of April, but you can ski the glacier all year long.

Zermatt is home to the highest ski area in the Alps.

At 3,883m, the Matterhorn Ski Paradise ski area boasts 360km skiable terrain that offers stunning views of the surrounding peaks.

Saas-Fee, Switzerland

The charming, car-free village of Saas Fee is one of the most snow-sure resorts in Switzerland.

Boasting one of the best skiable glaciers in Europe, Saas-Fee sits at 1,800m and skiable terrain reaches heights of up to 3,500m.

With 100km of pisted slopes, Saas-Fee doesn’t have the largest ski area, but most of the runs sit between 2,500m and 3,500m, ensuring usually reliable snow cover.

Scenic runs and excellent conditions make this snow-sure resort a top choice for a shorter ski trip or for beginner skiers who can make the most of the nursery slopes.

Avoriaz, France

Avoriaz village sits at 1,800m with the highest ski lift reaching 2,466m.

The resort is situated on a sloping shelf high above the town of Morzine and is a gateway to the expansive Portes du Soleil ski area, which offers 600km of diverse, skiable terrain.

With a seasonal snowfall average of nearly 8m, it is statistically the snowiest resort at the resort village level.

The car-free resort is one of the best ski resorts for families, offering lots of ski-in-ski-out style accommodation and some incredible snow-sure skiing throughout the season.

Les2Alpes, France

Les Deux Alpes offers 200km of snow-sure skiable terrain.

It has the largest and one of the highest skiable glaciers in Europe at 3,600m which is usually open for 9 months of the year.

The village itself, sitting at 1,650m, is France’s second oldest ski resort behind Chamonix and retains some traditional alpine charm.

The resort offers runs for skiers of all abilities.

Les Arcs, France

Les Arcs is made up of five villages, but Les Arc 1950 and Les Arc 2000 are the two highest, so head to these for reliable, snow-sure conditions.

Due to their high altitude, both villages and their slopes are snow-sure.

Their location on a sheltered north-easterly facing bowl bolsters their reliability for excellent snow conditions and makes the area one of the most snow-sure locations in the French Alps.

Les Arcs’ glacier, Aiguille Rouge, offers skiing at 3,226m and most of the runs sit at an altitude above 2,000m.

Soelden, Austria

Despite having fewer high-altitude resorts than its neighbouring countries, Austria has the most glacier ski resorts of any country in the world.

Sölden, sitting at 1,377m, boasts two glacier ski areas, Rettenbach and Tiefenbach, and is the only resort in Austria that has three skiable peaks above 3,000m.

With all the slopes sitting between 1,350m and 3,340m, snow is reliable.

Hence, why the FIS Alpine World Cup Tour kicks off in Sölden at the end of October each year.

Here at PlanetSKI we’d add the Grands Montets in Chamonix in France to the list.

Plus some of the glacier resorts in Austria that are open into next month:

• Stubai
• Hintertux
• Kuenertal
• Piztal
• Kitzsteinhorn

Ischgl in Austria is also a good bet too.

And don’t forget walking uphill is a very pleasant way to make some late-season turns.

• Father and daughter ski touring in St Anton

Happy Spring Skiing!