1–15 March
Low-altitude resorts: when they’re worth it
Resorts with villages below 1,000 m offer short transfers and real towns, but natural snow comes late. Timing is everything.
Late starters
Low villages are where natural snow is least certain early in the season. In the first half of December, Kitzbühel had a skiable natural base on just 22% of days and Stowe on 12%.
Superb by March
By early March the picture is completely different. Kitzbühel is snow-sure on 99% of days and Stowe on 92%. Hemsedal and Åre in Scandinavia, both with villages under 650 m, reach 100%.
The exceptions
Some low resorts get so much snow that altitude matters less. Niseko’s village at 260 m is snow-sure on every day of early March, and Hakuba and Whistler average more than 2.5 m at mid-mountain by then.
The rule of thumb
For low-altitude resorts, book from February onwards. If you must go early, choose a high resort instead, or one that relies openly on snowmaking.