Spring Skiing: Why April Might Be Your Best Week on Snow

Spring skiing gets a slightly unfair reputation.

By April, the serious powder chasers have usually gone home, the crowds have thinned out, and people start talking about summer instead. Which is a shame, because there is still plenty of skiing to be had - and the mountain has changed character in ways that are mostly good.

The days are longer. The weather is generally kinder. Lunch becomes an integral part of the day rather than something to be eaten quickly between runs. And if you pick the right resort, there can still be excellent snow.

It isn't mid-winter skiing. And that's kind of the point.

Start early. Follow the sun.

The great advantage of spring skiing is also its main complication: the snow changes considerably over the course of a day.

An early start can mean firm, fast pistes and excellent groomers. As the sun moves around the mountain, the softer south-facing slopes come into play. By lunchtime, lower slopes can be getting heavy, while high and north-facing terrain may still be skiing very well.

This makes spring skiing a little more tactical than January.

The basic rule is simple: follow the sun. East-facing slopes warm first, south-facing slopes follow, and west-facing terrain can come into its own later in the day. High, shaded and north-facing pistes tend to hold their snow and stay firmer for longer.

Get it right and the conditions can be excellent for hours. Get it wrong and you can spend the afternoon wondering why you thought skiing through mounds of warm porridge was a good idea.

More daylight, (slightly) less clothing

There is something to be said for not spending the entire ski day dressed like an Arctic expedition.

Spring brings longer days and, on the right day, considerably more comfortable temperatures. You can ski hard in the morning, stop for lunch without freezing, and still have plenty of daylight left afterwards.

Some resort even run their lifts later, although lift closing times vary, and some resorts start winding down their operations as the season progresses.

The extra daylight is still useful. It just doesn't necessarily come with an extra hour on the lift.

The mountain gets a little more relaxed

Peak-season skiing can be busy. School holidays, Christmas, New Year and February half-term bring full accommodation, busy restaurants and the inevitable lift queues.

Spring is different.

Once the main holiday periods have passed, resorts often become noticeably quieter. The pace changes. There is less pressure to make every minute count, and a long lunch becomes much easier to justify.

In many resorts, spring is less about chasing the biggest possible week and more about making the most of what is there. There is something quite appealing about that.

Lunch is part of the skiing

Spring skiing and a mountain terrace were clearly designed for each other.

In January, sitting outside for an hour can be an exercise in poor decision-making. In April, it can be the best part of the day.

Italy does this particularly well, as anyone who has spent a sunny afternoon on a Dolomite terrace will know. The mountain restaurant is part of the ski experience rather than simply somewhere to refuel. A proper lunch, a bottle of something good and a view that makes going back to the piste feel slightly unnecessary.

Austria has its après. France has its mountain lunches. Italy has always understood that you can have both lunch and a ski day without treating either as an inconvenience.

Don't write off the snow

The idea that spring means the end of the snow is only partly true.

Lower slopes can certainly deteriorate as temperatures rise, and warm spells can make a noticeable difference. But higher resorts can retain good skiing well into April, and late-season storms can still deliver fresh snow.

The important thing is where you go.

Altitude matters more as the season progresses. So does aspect. So does the quality of a resort's snowmaking and the amount of terrain it has above the lower valleys.

A warm, sunny afternoon in a high-altitude resort is a very different proposition from the same afternoon in a low-lying village.

This is why spring is the time to choose your resort rather than simply choosing a resort and hoping for the best.

Higher is usually better

If snow reliability is your priority, look at altitude first.

Resorts such as Val Thorens, Tignes, Obergurgl and Sölden have a natural advantage later in the season because a greater proportion of their skiing sits high on the mountain.

That doesn't make them immune to poor conditions, and altitude isn't the only thing that matters. A well-oriented resort with good snowmaking and sensible spring operations can outperform a higher resort in the wrong weather.

But in general, the higher the skiing, the more options you have when temperatures rise.

And then there is the value

Spring is also when the economics start to make more sense.

Once the main peak weeks have passed, accommodation and travel prices can fall, while the resort itself remains open and perfectly skiable in the right conditions.

The saving isn't necessarily dramatic everywhere, and Easter can still be a busy and expensive period. But outside the main holiday dates, spring can offer some of the better value of the season.

There are also fewer people competing for the same pistes, restaurants and lifts. Which is not a bad bonus when you've paid to come skiing rather than queueing.

A few things to know before you book

Choose altitude carefully.
Later in the season, a high resort gives you more protection against warm temperatures. This matters particularly if snow reliability is a priority.

Think about aspect.
East-facing slopes are useful in the morning, south-facing slopes soften earlier, and west-facing slopes can be better later in the day. High and north-facing terrain tends to retain firmer snow for longer.

Ski early.
Spring snow is often at its best earlier in the day. If you are looking for fast, groomed pistes, don't sleep through the morning. Ski hard, lunch hard, finish early is often a good mantra for spring skiers.

Don't ignore the resort calendar.
Some resorts start closing lifts and sectors towards the end of the season. Check what is actually scheduled to be open for your dates rather than relying on the headline ski-area size.

Bring the sun cream.
Altitude, reflected sunlight and longer days make spring skiing particularly unforgiving on exposed skin. Sunglasses are not optional.

So, is spring skiing worth it?

Yes — provided you book it for what it is.

If your ideal ski holiday involves waist-deep powder every morning and temperatures well below freezing, April may not be the obvious choice.

If you like good piste skiing, long lunches, quieter slopes, sunshine and the possibility of finishing the day in a sun lounger rather than in a blizzard, it starts to look rather different.

The trick is choosing the right resort, the right altitude and the right dates.

And if you get a fresh fall of snow followed by a bluebird morning in April, you may find yourself wondering why you spent so many years insisting that skiing had to be cold.

Tell us your dates, your group and what matters most to you, and we'll help narrow down the resorts that make sense for spring - based on altitude, aspect, snow reliability, skiing, budget and the sort of holiday you actually want.