Snow Report: There's plenty of snow on the mountains - you just need to know where
Sunday 21 March 2010
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The ski season may be drawing to a close, but there's still good skiing or boarding to be had for a few months if you know where to look. Lower runs in Europe may be becoming slushy, but there's plenty of fresh snow still falling higher up.
"The most important thing to remember in April and May is to aim high," says Jane Bolton, managing director of Erna Low (0845 863 0525; ernalow.co.uk). "Arc 1950 offers doorstep high-altitude skiing; the snow is still good in April and you can enjoy glorious views of Mont Blanc."
Ski Freshtracks (0845 45 807 84, skifreshtracks.co.uk ) offers its Bank Holiday Blast in Tignes from 29 April to 3 May, based at the three-star Hotel Le Levanna, for £595 per person. Meanwhile, there's a £495-per-head Off Piste Weekend package for the same dates in Zermatt – one of only two resorts in the entire world that endeavours to offer snow sports 365 days a year.
Later still, Europe's largest skiable glacier at Les Deux Alpes, France, opens its 11 runs from 16 June to 28 August. A six-day package will cost from £460 per person with Peak Retreats (0844 5760170; peakretreats.co.uk /Summer_Ski).
Scotland (ski.visitscotland.com) deserves consideration, too. With this winter being the coldest since 1962 and the snow lying several metres deep, midsummer skiing looks a distinct possibility.
Across the Atlantic, half a dozen resorts stay open to May or later, "Whistler [in Canada] has received more than 11 metres of snow and now has a base of about three metres, great news for its spring season through to 25 July," says Michael Bennett, managing director of Ski Independence (0131-243 8097; ski-i.com) which offers seven nights at the Tantalus Resort Lodge from £915 per person if booked by 30 March. The huge Telus Ski and Snowboard Festival is in resort 16-25 April.
Spring 2010 also looks good at Canada's Alberta resorts – Banff, Lake Louise and Marmot Basin (skicanadianrockies.com). Banff's ski season nears its end with the 82nd annual Slush Cup, which takes place at Sunshine Village on 24 May. The event signifies the closure of the ski hill for another year – or, rather, for about five months until the 2010-11 season starts in the autumn.
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