1–15 April
Late season: who still has snow in April
Early April is the most dependable fortnight of the northern season for natural snow. The real question is how far down the mountain it reaches.
Deep, settled and reliable
Twenty of the 29 northern resorts we model had a skiable natural base at mid-mountain on every single day of early April, across all eleven seasons. Mid-mountain depths of 1.5 to 3.5 metres are typical in the high Alps and at Whistler.
Skiing back to the village
Spring is when the bottom of the mountain matters. Val Thorens (99% of days) and Cervinia (93%) keep snow right to the village. In North America, Alta (78%), Aspen Snowmass (64%), Vail (62%) and Jackson Hole (61%) usually do too.
Chamonix, Courchevel, St. Anton and Les Deux Alpes rarely have natural snow at the village by April, though the skiing higher up is excellent. Plan on downloading by lift.
Where it thins
Kitzbühel (52%), Grandvalira (55%) and Val Gardena (68%) are marginal by early April. Mammoth and Stowe usually have snow, but each has had an April with none at mid-mountain.
Spring conditions
Mid-mountain temperatures average close to freezing at Courchevel, Revelstoke and Hakuba, so expect firm mornings and soft afternoons. Higher resorts such as Cervinia and Zermatt stay around −6 °C and hold winter snow longer.