France in Spring: The smart skier’s secret season

Think the snow’s past its best by spring? Think again. High-altitude French resorts offer superb late-season conditions, lively après-ski and hassle-free travel with Crystal Ski Holidays

(Getty/iStock)

Skiers often ask whether there’s still enough snow to go skiing in March and April. To which the answer is: ‘Hell, yeah!’

This is the time of year when a really solid base of snow has formed under the pistes, meaning almost all of the runs in major resorts will be open.

But if you want that winter-wonderland feeling of snow even in town, head high to resorts such as Val Thorens, Tignes and Val d’Isère.

They deliver top snow right up to Crystal Ski Holidays’ last departure on 11 April. With the big plus that you’ll be able to soak up the late-season atmosphere – parties on the slopes, drinks on sunny terraces and legendary nightclubs in town.

And why faff around at the airport with buses or taxis (easily £300 to £500 one way) when Crystal Ski Holidays will take you direct to your accommodation as part of the package?

You can arrange your lift passes, equipment hire and lessons in advance, so you’re ready to hit the slopes from day one. Or, if you’d rather decide once you arrive, Crystal Ski Holidays’ reps are on hand in resort to help, depending on location.

But for a sneak preview to whet your appetite, read on…

Val Thorens

(Crystal Ski Holidays)

Val Thorens is the highest resort in Europe and – with pistes up to 3,230m – the highest part of The Trois Vallées, the biggest ski area in the world, with 347 pistes linked by 162 lifts. Recently, it has added several fast new lifts, so you have lots of options. You can swoosh down the valley to Les Menuires, celebrated for its brutalist architecture and a good place to get lunch at a reasonable price. Or take a lift up to the high ridge that encircles Val Thorens, with its spectacular views, and swoop down into charming, tree-lined Méribel, its fir trees often covered in snow.

To navigate such a big area, use the Trois Vallées app, which shows your location and which runs are closed, or an old-fashioned paper piste map. If you start early, you can make it as far as upmarket Courchevel, with its perfectly manicured pistes, and still make it back in a day (happily, in France the lifts close later in spring). For partying, visit the piste-side Folie Douce, while Le Board, the new futuristic snowboard-shaped centre, hosts evening events.

Tignes

(Crystal Ski Holidays)

With an underground funicular railway that leads to the Grande Motte glacier at 3,456m, Tignes is well placed for spring skiing whatever the weather. And the connection with its neighbour, Val d’Isère, means you have a 300km playground to explore.

A must is skiing up to the Aiguille Percée, or Pierced Needle, a unique peak with a hole running through it. Or you can ski down through the trees to the charming villages around Les Boisses.

There’s plenty to do in the resort, which, like Val Thorens, is purpose-built but has been beautified with stone cladding. Try ice diving in the frozen lake. Or, if the Winter Olympics have inspired you to take part in a giant slalom yourself, go to the local École du Ski Français office to sign up for the weekly ‘flèche’ competition. As in all French resorts, it’s open to all comers for €10 or so, and you win gold, silver or bronze depending on what percentage of the world champion’s estimated time you achieve.

Val d’Isère

(Crystal Ski Holidays)

Val d’Isère is a quainter, traditional Savoyard town than its higher-altitude neighbours, but you can certainly party up a storm here. As well as several clubs in town, you can visit the original Folie Douce après-ski joint, where everyone gets lost in a cloud of dry ice, dancing on the tables.

There are blue runs for intermediate skiers, who can ski all the way from the Glacier du Pisaillas in the Vanoise National Park down to the top of the Fornet lift. But generally, Val d’Isère is a resort for more advanced skiers, with challenging slopes from the Face de Bellevarde to the many off-piste possibilities.

So if you thought you’d missed your chance this winter, think again. With high-altitude snow, longer spring days and flights, transfers and accommodation all included with Crystal Ski Holidays, spring might just be the smartest time to hit the slopes.

Ready to make this season count? Discover Crystal Ski Holidays’ range of French resorts and find your perfect late-season escape here.