Alpe d'Huez, France
Height: 1860m (snow range 1860-3330m)
Airport: Grenoble (approximately 65 miles, 1 hour 40 mins)
Chambery (approximately 81 miles, 2 hours)
Season: 6 December 08 – 26 April 09
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Alpe d’Huez is central to the Grandes Rousses Massif domain which includes over 200km of linked pistes over a vertical drop of 2230m.
The snow in April tends to be fairly reliable and the southern facing slopes make the most of the early Spring sunshine. April last year brought 120cm of fresh snow to the lower slopes and 219cm to the upper slopes. The resort also boasts over 850 snow cannons to ensure the slopes remain in prime condition.
Beginners are well catered for here with a number of easy green runs and a good ski school. Intermediates, meanwhile, have an excellent choice of blue and red runs. And the more advanced will find 16 black runs to test their skills, including Europe’s largest - La Sarenne.
There is also some varied terrain for snowboarders - freeriders will be particularly happy here.
Away from the slopes there is a well equipped leisure centre as well as indoor and outdoor pools, skating rink and a cinema. This is a fairly lively resort with a good choice of restaurants and bars.
Within town, le Quartier des Jeux is where you’ll find most of the hotels, shops and restaurants but it’s perhaps not as convenient for the slopes are some of the other areas.
Obergurgl, Austria
Height: 1930m (snow range 1800-3080m)
Airport: Innsbruck (approximately 58 miles, 2 hours)
Season: November – 20 April 09
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One of Austria’s highest resorts, Obergurgl enjoys reliable snow conditions and a long ski season.
This is a popular resort with families, partly due to the variety of slopes for beginner and intermediate skiers and the ski-in/ski-out facilities. There are opportunities too for a spot of cross country skiing (12km of trails) and there are a couple of challenges for snowboarders.
The resort boasts a pretty and fairly un-commercialised centre with a selection of traditional restaurants and bars. Away from the slopes there is also a bowling alley, ice rink and leisure centre with pool. Other local activities include tobogganing, paragliding and snow-shoe trails.
The resort is also within easy reach of Solden where you’ll find year round glacier skiing and a more lively night life.
Iso-Syote, Finland
Height: 240m (snow range 240-432m)
Airport: Kuusamo (approximately 30 miles, 1 hour 20)
Season: 14th December 08 – end May 09
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Located close to the Arctic Circle, one of Finland’s largest ski resorts, Iso-Syote, lies within a National Park in Finland’s southernmost fell region. This is truly a winter wonderland where glistening trees, covered in tons of ice, make incredible snow sculptures and a blanket of deep snow covers the countryside. In fact, Iso-Syote receives approximately 3 metres of snow each year and, ideal for those looking for a late season ski holiday, the average snow depth in April is 62cm.
This is a small and quiet resort, mainly catering for families and beginners, with gentle slopes for first-timers and a children’s snow play park close to the slopes.
The smooth runs may be unchallenging for more experienced skiers (the majority are gentle greens) but make it a perfect choice for those travelling with youngsters - there are also dedicated family runs and an excellent ski school with English speaking instructors.
Due to its longitude, daylight hours in the winter can be short but the slopes are lit until around 7 or 8 in high season. By April, however, skiers here can enjoy about 17 hours of daylight.
There is also a network of over 120km cross-country ski trails for enthusiasts. And, across the valley, Pikk-Syote Fell offers alternative slopes for beginners as well as a dedicated slope for snowboarders.
Those staying at the Iso-Syote Hotel & Cabins at the top of the hill can enjoy the option to ski down the hill at the start of their day, rather than have to take a lift to the slopes. Whilst other visitors will find lift passes very affordable, particularly compared with many Alpine resorts. Much of the local accommodation is self-catering wood cabins, dotted throughout the surrounding forest. The centre is fairly small and apres-ski is very low key, with most activity centered around the hotels.
As well as skiing, there are many other exciting outdoor activities on offer in the locality, including snowmobiling, dog-sledding, reindeer sledge rides, ice fishing and tobogganing. If you’re lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights!
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