Late Season Skiing: Resorts That'll stay open 'til May

With the season drawing to a close and April well underway, we take a look at the top 7 resorts for late season skiing.

While many of the lower resorts close in early April, these high altitude bastions of late season skiing stay open until May most years, and some re-open in the summer months too. Across Austria, Switzerland and France, we take a look at the best places to get some spring-time shredding.

Ischgl

With the skiing reaching well over 2500m, Ischgl is one of the highest resorts in Austria. The season ends with the Top of the Mountain Concert on April 30th, while the skiing tends to stay open later still. This isn’t a year round destination, but it’s always open late into the spring.

Saas Fee

The home to some of the Olympic ski teams in the Summer months, Saas Fee is a genuine dual season resort. It’s open late in the spring, and reopens again during summer. With a lively resort and great snow cover most of the year, Saas Fee is the perfect place to enjoy a spot of late season skiing.

Val Thorens

The highest of the Three Valleys resorts (and highest in Europe too), Val Thorens is open for business from November to May. From the original ugly bones, this has become a pretty resort with skiing on the glacier that means there is good snow throughout the year.

Verbier

Not only is this one of the largest ski areas in the world with a reputation for gnarly slopes, but Verbier is home to the Mont Fort glacier amongst others. The slopes reach up to 3330m, and there is good snow at the top long after it has melted from the village.

Les Arcs

The Paradiski area is home to both Les Arcs and La Plagne, and both resorts offer a huge amount of skiing well into April and May. Across all four main Les Arcs villages there is an excellent range of atmospheres and vibes, from traditional Les Arcs 1950 to futuristic Arc 2000.

Zermatt

One of the world’s most famous ski resorts, the slopes of Zermatt are open year round, offering skiing from the height of summer to the dead of winter. Although the Matterhorn is the best known of the mountains surrounding Zermatt, there are 38 summits above 4000m surrounding the village.

Tignes

The Espace Killy is one of the higher ski areas in the Alps, and the Grand Motte glacier is open through most of the summer (it’s closed for 10 weeks to preserve the snow). Although not the prettiest resort in Europe, Tignes is a famously popular destination for skiers looking for snow in the height of summer.