Best Places to Ski in April

When you’re looking for the best resorts for skiing in April, when you want to be confident of good snow cover still this late in the season, the most important thing is to look high. 

Ski areas that have lifts climbing above 3,000m altitude are usually a safe bet when your searching out where to ski in April, ideally with much of the terrain above 2,000m and with fast lifts to whisk you from the resort up to the best snow, which at this time of year will most likely be higher on the mountain. 

Ski areas with glaciers you can ski on have an extra appeal for April skiing as these are the most snowsure of all, with some of them re-opening in June – August for summer glacier skiing, a good sign of snow reliability in early spring.  

Here are some of the top choices: 

Tignes 

Tignes is open more days of the year than any other ski area in France, thanks to the slopes of its Grande Motte glacier which climb up to 3,456 metres and are open from October to May. They even re-open in June and July for summer skiing, so it’s almost year round. Its snow reliability at the ends of the season make it popular with race teams from around the world looking for training venues. It’s one of the safest bets for April skiing because its always one of the last areas to close for the season in France and never before early May.

St Anton 

St Anton is famed for its exciting skiing and exuberant night life, but the Arlberg region which it shares with neighbouring Lech is also actually one of Austria’s best resorts for skiing in April, with a ski season that continues to the start of May. There’s always something of a party atmosphere in St Anton in April with some big races like the infamous no holds barred white thrill race down from the Valuga ridge to the resort. The lifts here climb up to very snowsure 2811m.

Zermatt 

Zermatt is one of the most snowsure resorts in the world, aiming to open its glacier slopes, the highest lift-access slopes in Europe, 365 days a year, so it is undoubtedly one of the best resorts for skiing in April that you’ll find anywhere. It has only been thwarted for more than a day or two twice in its non-stop opening for many decades. The first time was in spring 2020 by the country’s pandemic lockdown (along with almost every other ski area on the planet), the other in summer 2022 when an exceptionally hot summer made the snow-cover on glacial crevasses on the ice to thin for safe operations for a month or two. But it had re-opened by September!

Chamonix 

Chamonix is another of the best resorts for skiing in April, simply because some of its slopes stay open in to May. True Chamonix itself is down at 1035m so April can be quite springlike there (although heavy April snowfall is quite common down to the valley floor too) but the Chamonix Valley’s Grands Montets summit reaches 3295m and glaciated terrain and is one of a select group of ski areas worldwide with a lift accessed vertical of more than 2,000 metres.

Innsbruck 

Innsbruck is an intriguing option for an April skiing holiday. Although the city itself is quite low lying and likely to be in full springtime mode unless there are late season snowfalls down to the valley floor, it’s excellent multi-region snowpass provides access to 13 ski areas surrounding it including a number of snowsure centres like Kühtai, one of Austria’s highest villages at 2020m above sea level – so it’s lifts start above the height of the top lift at many famous Austrian ski regions. However not even Kühtai is more snow safe than the Stubai glacier, also on the pass.

Sierra Nevada 

Sierra Nevada, Europe’s most southerly resort, right by the Mediterranean Coast in southern Spain with the coast of North Africa clearly visible from the top of the slopes might not seem like a likely candidate for where to ski in April, but it does have a reputation for piling up snow through the season so its lying 4 – 6 metres (13-20 feet) deep by Eastertime, sometimes the deepest in Europe. The fact that its highest ski lift and piste goes up to 3,398 m (11,148 ft), just below Veleta, helps a lot too. Those factors usually enable it to offer great spring skiing in April and as a bonus there’s a lovely atmosphere with the relaxed seaside atmosphere of southern Spain – very different to the ski resort norm, and lots of fun.