ski trips april

Where to Ski in April: 14 Best Destinations for Spring Skiing

Posted on Last updated: April 3, 2024

Just because much of the world is welcoming spring doesn’t mean you have to, as these are the best destinations for  skiing in April  around the world.

These destinations in Europe, Asia, and North America are home to the best ski resorts that are always open in April, so you can continue your winter fun!

What to Know about Going Skiing in April

April is the beginning of spring, so of course, not all destinations will have peak snow at that time. We have picked the best skiing destinations in April that usually still have snow. Make sure to check the conditions before planning your trip. Because while these are the best places for April skiing, the weather can vary from year to year.

Resorts in destinations like Austria, Colorado, Canada, and France are safe bets because of their high altitudes, as higher slopes remain skiable. Going in April can be ideal if you’re new to skiing as well! In April the weather is less intense, the snow is softer, and the slopes are less busy.

With Easter, kids may have off school, which is the perfect excuse to go on a family ski trip! Or if you don’t have kids (or don’t want to be around them), you can plan to go when the holiday is over.

In our list, you’ll find the best places to ski in April as well as some of the best ski resorts for April, with something for everyone – including families, couples, friends, and even colleagues! A ski trip sounds like a great idea for a business retreat, right?

We’ve put together some of the most epic resorts offering high-altitude runs, amazing Spring festivals, luxurious accommodations, and more.

Or, if you don’t want to plan it all yourself, you can also book skiing in April packages to destinations all over the world. These are great for busy people who want to spend less time planning and more time enjoying!

Best Destinations for Skiing in April in Europe

Europe is home to some of the world’s highest and largest spring skiing destinations. Here, we cover the best mountains and resorts for April skiing in Europe, including Austria, Sweden, France, and Switzerland.

Obergurgl, Austria (Altitude: 3,030 meters)

With an altitude peaking at 3,030 meters, Obergurgl is still fresh with snow in April. Known as the “Diamond of the Alps,” the slopes are well maintained and provide sweeping Alpine views.

The ski area is also ideal for families with children, as kids can learn to ski here and enjoy the  Winter Playground . The resort also offers yoga classes to pair with your skiing adventure to warm your body and prepare it for more winter adventures.

Sölden, Austria (Altitude: 3,340 meters)

With altitudes ranging from 1,350 to 3,340 meters, you’re bound to find yourself gliding along snowy, maintained pistes. The resort at Sölden is also home to two glacier ski areas, which you can connect by the sky tunnel or regular ski lift. Both glaciers serve a variety of levels. Tiefenbach Glacier boasts flatter terrain ideal for beginner and intermediate skiers, while Rettenbach Glacier serves steep black and red diamond slopes for thrill seekers.

Plus, if you love electronic music festivals, this ski area has just what you need! The annual  Electronic Mountain Festival in early April, where you can bounce to the beats on a snow-covered dance floor.

Åre, Sweden (Altitude: 1,427 meters)

Aside from being able to go skiing in April, one of the benefits of skiing at the Åre Resort is the long daylight hours. This is especially true in a country known for hours of darkness, making this a great time to visit in general!

In April, the sun still sets at about 7:30 PM, meaning you can bask in the sun all day. The resort offers opportunities to enjoy various activities on the slopes, from cross-country skiing to speeding downhill. And off the slopes, you can try your shot at ice climbing or relax by the fire sipping tea after a long day.

With two areas ideal for family and children, Åre Björnen and Tegefjäll, there’s plenty of space and activities to explore together.

Tignes, France (Altitude: 3,456 meters)

Open until the start of May, Tignes is one of the best places for skiing in April in Europe. It’s also a part of the 3 famous valleys (including Val Thorens and Val d’Isere). The over 90 square mile ski area has a peak altitude of 3,456 meters, where the Grande Motte glacier cable car station drops-off. Yep, you’ll spend most of your time skiing on a glacier!

The weather is also notably warm, so you might find slushier snow on the lower slopes. One of the top benefits of coming here in April is that it’s less busy (and quieter) on the slopes. Meaning you can immerse yourself in the peaceful scenery.

Val Thorens, France (Altitude: 2,300 meters)

Going skiing in Val Thorens in April is perfect to enjoy powdery snow, long days, warm sunshine, and quiet(er) slopes. Plus, you can enjoy gliding down pistes free of ice! If only I had a dollar for every time I slipped on ice growing up…anyways! Being a part of the 3 valleys, with Tignes and Val d’Isere, you can also explore the other valleys of ski resorts open in April.

The resort also offers a  high-end spa , ideal for unwinding and warming up after skiing in Europe in April. Plus, with the season’s end ringing in, you can expect stellar end-of-season parties and events.

Val d’Isere, France (Altitude: 3,456 meters)

One of the best reasons to come to Val d’Isere to ski is the many North-facing mountains, as South-facing slopes tend to get on the softer side come afternoon. Plus, over half of the slopes are above 2,500 meters. After you’ve finished skiing, you can further enjoy the warmer weather at resort restaurants, with comfortable terraces providing mountain views, hearty food, and cold beers.

There’s also a variety of unique non-skiing activities here, including airboarding, moon biking, and paragliding. And, of course, with the spring season ringing in, there are many festivals and events to enjoy off the slopes!

La Plagne, France (Altitude: 3,417 meters)

Like many resorts with the best spring skiing in Europe, La Plagne offers long daylight hours, bright skies, and events. As the weather warms, expect some potential slush on the South-facing and lower slopes. But not to worry—the higher slopes are still ideal for skiing!

La Plange is also home to the world’s longest Super Slalom at the end of April. Here, professionals and amateurs compete on a 2.4-mile track, zooming through 320 gates. It’s an awesome spectacle, and not to mention there is a live DJ, food, drinks, and more!

Zermatt, Switzerland (Altitude: 3,899 meters)

While the ski season doesn’t actually have an end date (you can ski all year long!), many lifts officially close here in mid-late April. In this case, it’s ideal that you book your Zermatt ski vacation earlier rather than later. Throughout the year, though, you can take the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car all the way to 3883 meters, making it the highest mountain cable car station in Europe!

You can also find some of the coolest experiences for highly experienced skiers in Zermatt, such as free-riding or even getting dropped off on 4000-meter peaks by helicopter. Some of the best resorts for April skiing are around here.

The village of Zermatt is also super charming, with no cars and more natural scenery. Not to mention the iconic Matterhorn Mountain?! This is your sign if you want to kill two birds with one stone, including experiencing the famous mountain and skiing in April here.

Best Destinations for Skiing in April in USA & Canada

Just like in skiing in April in Europe, you can enjoy sunny skies, warmer weather, and fewer lines skiing in April in the USA in Canada. So, if you’re from North America and can’t afford to get to Europe or want to witness the spectacular beauty of North American skiing resorts, these are the best destinations for skiing in April!

Whistler, Canada (Altitude: 2,182 meters)

For skiing in April in Whistler, the best time to hit the slopes is early in the month, because in mid-April, the route to the village isn’t so white anymore. That said, April does get a few powder days, so you might get lucky even later in the month!

If you love backcountry skiing, April is one of the best times to do it in Whistler because of the snow conditions and sunny views. For after-ski relaxation, the many restaurants offer patio seating (many positioned for maximum sun exposure!), perfect for hanging out with friends and taking in the Spring warmth.

Mammoth, USA (Altitude: 3,371 meters)

Located in California’s Eastern Sierras, Mammoth is one of the sunniest places to go skiing in the USA almost year round. But skiing in April brings a few more things to be cautious of, because the sun will be stronger, so be sure to bring good sunscreen and even goggles to protect your eyes.

With a skiing area of about 15 square miles and 60 miles of marked slopes, the options are seemingly endless and Mammoth has had snow into May many times. It’s the perfect destination on a California road trip!

Another reason to hit the slopes at Mammoth is the annual Spring Festival at the end of April. So, if you want to ski and indulge in the festivities, come then! Note that if you plan to come after mid-April, many resorts may already be closed, so plan ahead for accommodations!

Banff National Park (Altitude: 3,961 meters)

Aside from being a bucket list destination for nature enthusiasts, Banff National Park is also one of the best places for April skiing in North America. Skiing in Banff National Park will treat you to about 9 square miles of ski areas and epic views of jagged, snow-capped mountains.

Also famous for its wildlife; you might even see mammals such as elk. After a morning of skiing, you can try out fat tire biking or hiking around the park or some of the stunning lakes, since the daylight hours are longer and the weather warmer.

Lastly, another reason to visit is the MANY events held throughout April in Banff Sunshine Village and Lake Louise Ski Resort, which are some of the best places to ski in April, including concerts, festivals, and even children’s events.

Breckenridge, Colorado (Altitude: 2,182 meters)

With five peaks and over four square miles of ski areas, Breckenridge is one of the best places for USA skiing in April. There’s much softer snow in April; it’s the perfect time for beginners to embrace the slopes. With that said, expert skiers can enjoy the slopes as well!

Aside from skiing in April, Breckenridge offers unique activities such as fly-fishing and mine tours. You can embrace all adventurous sides of this amazing destination.

Breckenridge also offers an airport shuttle to make your trip easier (psst, you don’t have to rent a car!). Just grab the shuttle from Denver airport. You also won’t need to worry about getting around, as the town itself is quite walkable.

Snowbird, Utah (Altitude: 3,352 meters)

Conveniently located about 30 miles from Salt Lake City Airport, Snowbird is an easily accessible USA Spring skiing destination. With almost four square miles of ski areas, 140 runs, and Utah’s only aerial tram, there’s no shortage of places your skis can go! For advanced and expert skiiers looking to up their skills, you can even sign up for a sit-skiing camp.

For Après skiing fun, Snowbird hosts a Spring concert series, so you can jam and groove all month long. Want to enjoy some relaxation before you say goodbye to the slopes? Visit the Cliff Spa to indulge in massages, yoga classes, and more, surrounded by mountain views.

Best Destinations for Skiing in April in Asia

With so many articles on spring skiing mentioning North American and European destinations, we had to include one in Asia!

Niseko, Japan (Altitude: 1,308 meters)

Skiing in April in Niseko isn’t just an opportunity to experience skiing in the Land of the Rising Sun, but also to make a Japan vacation out of it (if you haven’t been yet!).

Located in Hokkaido in Northern Japan, a colorful spring always blossoms in Niseko, but you’ll still find white slopes! There are about 25 square miles of skiing areas and four different resorts to stay at. Plus, considering a trip to Japan is costly, you know…with all the ramen you’ll eat and souvenirs you’ll buy – this is also the ideal time to come as skiing rates will be less than during the high season.

You can also enjoy some other adventurous activities in the spring season, such as white water rafting and ziplining!

We hope this was a helpful guide to the best places to ski in April! Let us know in the comments below which destination you chose.

Privacy Overview

• Season Passes

Some ski resorts are better bets for April. These are the ones with lots of north-facing terrain, protecting snow from the acute rays of a sun whose influence on weather, and capacity to turn everything to hot mush, has greatly strenthened since the depths of winter. High elevation is also key here, which is the reason Taos, New Mexico appears on this list. Its southerly latitude counts against it, but its north-facing terrain and greater-than 12,000-foot elevations buy it a lot of points.

Some of the best ski days ever had are those in early December and in April, the shoulder seasons when ski resorts are usually open, but when tourists are thin and locals aren't yet into ski mode, or they've already moved on from the ski season. A snowstorm in April, and plenty of big ones take place every year, can be a magical thing.

We'll allow ourselves one gushy personal anecdote here. The latter end of April 2002 brought a prolific chain of storms to Utah's Wasatch front. The ski resorts, however, had closed for the year. Day after day the snow came, sending backcountry skiers up slopes on their skins and leaving others cursing, "Where was this in March!?"

On Wednesday, April 24, Alta announced it would re-open on Friday, April 26. By Friday morning, it had snowed more than five feet since the last skis ran through the woods off of Wildcat lift. It was, unequivocally, one of the three best skiing days for two of the ZRankings' crew. Lap after lap, fresh line after fresh line, bottomless snow. Just as important, and even rarer at Alta, there was zero competition. No racing other skiers, no lift lines. True bliss.

That kind of experience is hard to duplicate, but that's the kind of singular day that keeps skiers prowling for that perfect shoulder-season day, which, in many cases, can be far superior to any day had in January, February or March.

With that in mind, we know that many people choose to ski in April for all kinds of reasons:

• April is warmer, and popular for those who are cold-averse
• Lodging is cheaper
• It's spring break for many
• The Easter holiday often falls here
• Discounted lift tickets - for planners, sometimes buying next year's season pass early will offer a bonus that includes full skiing privileges for this season's April

For the best snow conditions in April, here's the things that matter most:

• The higher the elevation, the better, which is why Colorado can be a great April play
• North-facing terrain: this preserves snow and keeps it cold, avoiding the freeze-thaw cycle
• Low amounts of east-facing and west-facing terrain. Mountains such as Jackson Hole that are primarily east facing can get into tough freeze-thaw cycles. But elevation can mitigate this: Breckenridge's higher east-facing terrain is at such an elevation—11,000 and up, that it can stay nice and chalky into April

With those things in mind, strong options for ski trips in April include:

Aspen Snowmass, Colorado - 60% North-Facing, Elevations Up to 12,510 See Details: Snow Patterns, Lodging

Winter Park, Colorado - 50% North-Facing, Elevations Up to 12,060 See Details: Snow Patterns, Lodging

Copper Mountain, Colorado - 55% North-Facing, Elevations Up to 12,313 See Details: Snow Patterns, Lodging

Note: Most major ski resorts are open through the first week in April, but schedules change year to year, Some resorts, such as Snowbird and Mammoth, typically stay open deeper into the year, often well into May or June.

Ski Resorts with Best Snow for April

As recounted with mawkish anecdotal clarity above, April powder days are especially rewarding. Here are the places skiers and riders stand the best chance of finding good snow underfoot during the fourth month of the year:

Alta , Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah - April Snow Score: 100

Alta must always be given its due is the stalwart snow magnet and preserver that it is. There are ski areas that may have better winters here and there, but there is no place in North America with more consistent, prolific and high-quality snowfall. As the season stretches into April, and the days grow warm, Alta remains a premium location for skiers planning ahead of time and hoping to score good conditions. Not only does the ski resort receive copious amounts of snow on average, but it's also well suited to preserve the snow what has from the onslaught of the warm spring sun. A full 53% of Alta's terrain faces north, keeping it sheltered from the harshest warmth of the season, and allowing Alta to keep most of its slopes open as late as it pleases.

Snowbird , Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah - April Snow Score: 98

Being situated right next door to Alta, Snowbird is going to show up on most of the same lists. We actually prefer Snowbird in the spring as its tram allows skiers to access the good, high elevation stuff quickly, while the lines, due to the time of season, tend to be small. April is a fantastic time to ski Snowbird, which preserves snow well, as 50% of its terrain faces north. April also offers skiers opportunities on the lodging front. Spring can be a great time to pick up lodging bargains, especially at vanguard properties such as Snowbird's Cliff Lodge , the quintessential ski-in, ski-out, full service hotel.

A-Basin , Summit County, Colorado - April Snow Score: 93

There is no ski resort whose conditions relative to the rest of the continent improve at such a pace as the season wears as those of A-Basin. The ski resort is perfectly suited to preserve snow, with high elevations, topping 12,000 feet, and a high ratio north facing terrain, a full 55%. The early season at A-Basin isn't as dependable because it can sometimes be short of snow, but that it is rarely a problem come April; most of the snow it has received during the last three months remains on its slopes. So even in a mediocre snow year, A-Basin remains a dependable choice for a late spring ski vacation. It's a great resort to pair with trips to Breckenridge , Vail , and Beaver Creek , as they're all on the [Epic Pass].

Wolf Creek , Southwest Colorado - April Snow Score: 92

Of mainline destination ski resorts in Colorado, Wolf Creek is one of the sleepier spots, but it is often the snowiest spot among all Colorado ski resorts. It sits in a unique basin that funnel storms toward its peaks, giving it a more prolific snowfall profile than anywhere else in Colorado. This prowess for snow collection continues into spring, where Wolf Creek's slopes preserve well the bounty bestowed upon them, with 65% of terrain facing north. Getting to Wolf Creek can be a bit harder for destination skiers, as it is a long drive from Denver, about five hours. The best bet is to fly to Durango and drive the 84 miles east from there. It's unique spot, as it remains independent, and in many ways a smaller operation. But it has stretches of big time terrain, and history of snowfall that almost any resort would trade for.

Grand Targhee , Tetons of Wyoming, via Idaho - April Snow Score: 83

Grand Targhee gathers up snow at a rate only matched by Alta. As the leading edge of the Tetons, facing west, Targhee draws in a phenomenal amount of snow throughout the year, usually greater than 500 inches. This offers skiers a prime opportunity to find a deep snow base in April and the late spring. The freeze-thaw cycle can be intense at Targhee, so skiers are advised to search out corn at mid-day, and ski with the sun, which is always an enjoyable way to spend the day. Skiers can pair days at Targhee in April with a few days spent at Jackson Hole as well, and the Jackson airport offers one of the best local ski airport options available in North America.

Kirkwood , Southern Tahoe Region, California - April Snow Score: 82

Kirkwood is the unrivaled snow champion in the Tahoe region. Not only does the ski resort receive more snow than others in the area on average, but it also predominately faces north, with 65% of its terrain staying shadowy and cold throughout the midwinter into spring, preserving those prolific dumps of the California Sierra. For those seeking out a California ski vacation in the late spring, it's often worth the trip down to Kirkwood at some point to sample its superiorly preserved snow. And because Kirkwood is a Vail Resorts property, and is part of the Epic Pass , it pairs well with a trip that includes days at Heavenly and Northstar .

Brighton , Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah - April Snow Score: 79

Just north of the more famous Little Cottonwood Canyon sits a snow trap almost as effective. The funnel of Big Cottonwood Canyon delivers deep snowfalls to Brighton and Solitude every winter. Brighton, being at the end of the canyon, just as Alta is to the south, is best positioned to take advantage of this geographic oddity that turns run-of-the-mill systems into major snow events. Combine this with Brighton's terrain, 43% of which faces north, and skiers have a perfect vessel for snow preservation well into the spring.

Aspen Snowmass , Central Colorado - April Snow Score: 78

In addition to being near where the best towns in skiing, Snowmass possesses qualities that should pique the interest of any skier looking for April skiing action. The first of those qualities is elevation; Snowmass tops out more than 12,000 feet, among the highest mainline resorts in North America. In addition, Snowmass it built upon an overwhelming majority of north-facing terrain, with a full 60% of slopes positioned away from the sun, and out of harmful spring rays. A spring trip to Snowmass, paired with a day or two at Aspen Mountain and the revelry of being in the quintessential American ski town, makes for one of the best spring ski trips that can be had.

Solitude , Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah - April Snow Score: 78

When Brighton ends up on a list, it's likely that Solitude, which is parked right next door, will be there, too. Spring skiing is not the exception, as both ski resorts good bets for skiers looking for action during those first weeks of April. Solitude benefits from the same uncanny effects of the Big Cottonwood Canyon snow vacuum. The steepest terrain at Solitude is a bit more challenging than that of Brighton, but the very best skiing is reserved for those who put in a little work and bootpack their way to spots where fresh snow can often be found. Brighton and Solitude are great spots on Saturdays, when the ski resorts in Little Cottonwood Canyon and on the other side in Park City are packed.

Loveland , straddling the Johnson and Eisenhower Tunnels on I-70, Colorado - April Snow Score: 78

Loveland is largely the province of Denver area locals looking to get some quality turns without making the full and sometimes painful drive to Summit County or Vail/Beaver Creek. But people visiting from elsewhere shouldn't ignore this unique ski area that sits on the continental divide just off of I-70. Loveland is one of the highest ski areas in North America, topping out at 12,700 feet, with a full 40% of its terrain facing north. Add in one of the better average snowfalls in Colorado, with 347 inches per year, and you have a custom-built setup for spring skiing. Skiers traveling further west to Breckenridge, Vail or elsewhere would be well advised to stop and get some turns in at this gem that sits perched above perhaps the most famous tunnel in America. It should also be mentioned that Loveland's terrain offers legitimate sustained and steep fall lines. It's a place that even experts will enjoy.

Copper Mountain , Summit County, Colorado - April Snow Score: 76

Copper Mountain possesses a sharp proclivity for preserving snow. This characteristic is handy all winter, but especially useful at the end of the season. When other resorts may be showing stress and dirt in weaker spots, Copper powers on, its natural traits a vertiable deep freezer for the snow that has fallen during the last four months. Those strenghts start with Copper's elevation, which touches 12,300 feet, making it one of the highest ski resorts in Colorado. Perhaps more important, however, is Copper's terrain, 55% of which faces north, keeping the sun angles oblique and away from its snow.

Taos , New Mexico - April Snow Score: 74

The stalwart of New Mexico has usually received enough snow by late March to offer skiers superior destination in the southwest. The mountain preserves snow well because of its two prime characteristics, elevation and terrain. The resort tops out at 12,450 feet and 60% of the resort's terrain faces north, an absolute necessity for quality skiing in the spring at a latitude as far south as New Mexico. Skiers seeking out a unique spring experience should consider going to the Southwest.

Beaver Creek , Central Colorado - April Snow Score: 73

This bastion of service and chocolate chip cookies also offers skiers a great target for April skiing. Beaver Creek has one of the better snowfall profiles in Colorado, receiving an average of 328 inches during the course of the winter. That snow is well-preserved by the Beav's slopes, 55% of which face north. Hitting up Beaver Creek in the spring offers families a great opportunity to enjoy mild temperatures, sunny slopes and outdoor pools where the outside temperature can be 60 degrees at the end of the day. All while enjoying steep shots off of Birds of Prey and the ski resorts' other prime lifts.

Telluride , The San Juan Mountains, Colorado - April Snow Score: 71

One of the finest and most striking mountain towns in the world also offers skiers hey prime late spring skiing experience. Telluride only tends to be opened the first week of April, but it's often a glorious time to rip down its high elevation slopes tilted north, cranking into a classic old mining town that only Park City and Aspen can rival. The ski resort's top lift, Revelation, hits 12,570 feet, and there is a bevy of runs that stay high and cold. In addition, much of the resort's lower terrain that filters directly into town faces north and is lined by tall stands of Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir that help shield the slopes from the harsh spring sun.

Related Articles

Where To Ski In April? Find The Best Ski Resorts For Late Season Skiing!

April is a wonderful month for skiing, with many of the world’s best ski resorts offering top-notch conditions. Whether you’re looking for fresh powder or sunny slopes, there are plenty of great options to choose from.

If you’re wondering where to ski in April, look no further than this guide. We’ve rounded up some of the best ski resorts for late-season skiing so that you can hit the slopes before they close for the year.

From Europe to North America, Asia to Australia, we’ve got you covered. Discover the most incredible ski destinations and find out what makes them such popular choices for spring skiing.

“In life, it’s not about where you go – it’s who you travel with.” -Charles Schulz

Whether you’re traveling solo, with friends or family, these resorts have everything you need for an unforgettable ski vacation. Find your perfect match based on terrain, snow quality, scenery, and other factors that matter most to you.

So pack your bags, grab your gear, and get ready to hit the slopes! Let’s explore the best ski resorts for late-season skiing in April.

Discover The Top Ski Resorts That Are Still Open In April

Heavenly mountain resort.

The Heavenly Mountain Resort is one of the top ski resorts you can visit in April. Located in South Lake Tahoe, California, it offers skiers and snowboarders a chance to experience some of the best spring skiing conditions around.

This resort boasts an impressive 4,800 acres of skiable terrain, with over 97 runs catering to all levels of expertise. Beginners can enjoy gentle slopes like First Ride or Orion’s Belt, while advanced skiers will love tackling challenges like Gunbarrel.

In addition to skiing, visitors can also take part in other activities such as snowmobiling, ice-skating, or simply relaxing at the spa. With breathtaking views overlooking Lake Tahoe, this resort is truly an unforgettable experience.

Mammoth Mountain Ski Area

If you’re looking for some incredible late-season skiing, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is definitely worth considering. Situated on the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, this resort has one of the longest ski seasons in North America, frequently staying open until early June.

With an altitude of 8,000 feet and a vertical drop of over 3,100 feet, this resort offers plenty of challenging terrain for experienced skiers. But don’t let that intimidate you if you’re a beginner – there are also plenty of wide-open trails perfect for learning the basics.

Aside from skiing, visitors can check out Woolly’s Tube Park, go snowshoeing, or even take a scenic gondola ride up to the summit. And when the day is done, don’t forget to grab a bite at any of their delicious mountain restaurants.

Breckenridge Ski Resort

Breckenridge Ski Resort, located in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, is another excellent option for skiing in April. Known for its high alpine terrain and impressive snowfall record, this resort typically stays open until late April or early May.

The resort offers five peaks with 187 trails ranging from beginner to expert. The terrain is well-balanced, making it an ideal place for families or groups of friends with varying skill levels. Whether you’re interested in downhill skiing or looking to explore the forested trails on a cross-country ski tour, Breckenridge has something for everyone.

You can also enjoy après-ski activities such as ice skating, dog sledding, or simply lounging by the fireplace at one of their many lodges. And don’t forget to taste some local cuisine while you’re there!

“Spring skiing is highly underrated.” -Eddie Bauer

• If possible, try to visit these resorts mid-week, as weekends tend to be busier.
• Make sure to check weather conditions before heading out on the mountain.
• Don’t skimp on sunscreen – even spring sun can do damage to your skin at higher elevations.

Where to ski in April? These top ski resorts offer fantastic spring skiing opportunities that should not be missed. From breathtaking views and challenging terrain to fun-filled après-ski activities, they have everything you need to make your trip memorable. Book now and get ready to hit the slopes!

Late Season Skiing: Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Ski Trip

Dress in layers.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when skiing in late season is to dress in layers. You want to make sure you have enough clothing on to protect yourself from the cold, but also be able to remove a layer or two if you start to overheat.

Start with a base layer that will wick moisture away from your skin, keeping you dry and warm. From there, add a mid-layer such as fleece or wool to insulate your body. Finally, top it off with a waterproof outer layer that will shield you from wind and snow.

“Dressing appropriately for a day on the mountain is crucial to providing comfort and protection from the harsh elements.” -Forbes

Check The Weather Forecast

Before heading out to ski, check the weather forecast for the area. This will give you an idea of what conditions to expect and how to prepare accordingly. Keep an eye out for strong winds, heavy snowfall, and temperature changes, as these can greatly impact your safety while on the slopes.

If the forecast calls for inclement weather, plan ahead by bringing extra gear such as handwarmers, goggles, and facemasks to avoid frostbite and other cold-related injuries.

“Weather determines not only which trails are open, but also how crowded the mountain will be, how much powder you’ll get, and whether or not you’ll need sunscreen.” -U.S. News & World Report

Plan Your Ski Route Ahead Of Time

Planning your route before hitting the slopes is another key tip for making the most out of your ski trip. Take some time to research the mountain and trails, looking for areas that are less crowded or better suited for your skill level.

Make sure to also consider factors such as chairlift wait times and possible closures due to weather or maintenance. Having a backup plan in case of unexpected closures can help ensure that you have an enjoyable skiing experience without any interruptions or delays.

“Choosing a ski resort is perhaps the most important factor when it comes to planning a ski holiday. The terrain on offer should match skiers’ abilities, there should be plenty of variety, the scenery should be memorable – and all those boxes need to be ticked within easy reach.” -The Telegraph

Snow Conditions: Where To Find The Best Snow In April

Alta ski area.

If you are looking for a skiing adventure in April, Alta Ski Area is one of the best locations. Located in Utah, this ski area has some of the most exceptional snow conditions at this time of year. With an average annual snowfall of 551 inches, skiers have plenty of options to choose from.

The snow in Alta Ski Area is fluffy and light, perfect for powering through unique tracks or trying out different ski styles. Despite its relatively small geographic size compared to other ski areas, Alta boasts over 116 trails available at every level – making it a great place to test your skills and grow as a skier regardless of experience.

“The snow is deep and provides various experiences that can’t be found anywhere else.” -Mia Myklebust, Forbes Contributor

Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort

An alternative option for finding excellent snow in April is Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, located also in Utah. Known for receiving an incredible amount of snow each season, this resort is perfect for all levels of skiing, including those who want to hone their skills on challenging terrain.

This ski location offers fresh powder stashes throughout the spring season, extending all the way into May. Skiers can enjoy everything they expect from a world-class ski destination such as late-night skiing, outdoor hot tubs with mountain views, slopeside dining, and competitions.

“Snowbird’s density of powdery minerals are particularly ideal for backcountry touring in case parts of the resort gets too crowded,” -David Hochman, Forbes Contributor

Many people believe that finding great ski locations will solely depend on technique alone. While skill undoubtedly plays a role, knowing the perfect location and snow conditions in April can set you up for success. The two locations mentioned here are great starting points for your next spring ski trip, bringing together everything you’d love about skiing just before it ends.

Après Ski: Best Places To Unwind After A Day On The Slopes

After a long and exciting day on the slopes, it’s always nice to unwind with some good food, great drinks, and even better company. If you’re looking for the best places to relax and unwind during an April ski getaway, read on for our top picks.

Vail Brewing Company

If craft beer is your thing, then Vail Brewing Company is the perfect après ski spot for you. Founded by two friends with a passion for brewing, this local brewery offers a rotating selection of delicious beers that are sure to hit the spot after a day on the mountain. From hoppy IPAs to smooth stouts, there’s something for every beer lover at Vail Brewing Company. Plus, their lively atmosphere and friendly staff make it a great place to meet new people and swap stories about your ski adventures.

“Vail Brewing Company is consistently rated as one of the best microbreweries in Colorado, thanks to its creative brews and laid-back vibe.” -The Denver Post

Montage Deer Valley

If you’re looking for a more upscale après-ski experience, Montage Deer Valley has everything you need. Located just steps away from the slopes, this luxury hotel boasts stunning views of the surrounding mountains and a cozy lounge area where you can kick back and relax. Order a glass of wine or a handcrafted cocktail from the bar, savor some delectable small plates, and take in the breathtaking scenery around you. You’ll feel like royalty while still getting the authentic ski town experience.

“Montage Deer Valley is the epitome of luxury in the Wasatch Mountains. Its stunning design, impeccable service, and incredible amenities make it the perfect place to unwind after a day on the slopes.” -Forbes

High West Distillery & Saloon

If you’re looking for a true taste of Park City, Utah, head over to High West Distillery & Saloon. This unique après-ski spot combines classic western charm with modern mixology and culinary techniques, resulting in an unforgettable experience. Sample some of their award-winning whiskey or opt for one of their signature cocktails, all while feasting on elevated comfort food like bison chili and smoked trout dip. And be sure to take a tour of the distillery before you leave- it’s definitely worth it.

“With its cozy ambiance, inventive cuisine, and world-class spirits, High West Distillery & Saloon is a must-visit destination for any ski trip to Park City.” -Travel + Leisure

No matter where you choose to go for your post-ski celebrations, these three options are sure to impress. From craft beer to fine wine, hearty meals to gourmet bites, there’s something for everyone at these top après-ski spots. Just sit back, relax, and toast to another fantastic day on the mountain.

Family Friendly Ski Resorts: Perfect For A Spring Break Getaway

Keystone resort.

If you’re looking for a family-friendly ski resort to visit in April, Keystone Resort in Colorado should be at the top of your list. The spring skiing conditions are excellent, with plenty of sunshine and mild temperatures. Plus, there’s an abundance of activities for kids and adults alike.

Kids will love the Kidtopia programming, which includes everything from snow fort building to ice skating parties. There’s also a tubing hill, a terrain park, and night skiing available for those who can’t get enough time on the slopes. And while the kids are playing, parents can take advantage of world-class spa treatments or hit up one of Keystone’s many dining options.

“It’s a fun mountain for families—there’s so much for everyone to do here” -Skimag.com

Smugglers’ Notch Resort

Vermont’s Smugglers’ Notch Resort is another great choice for families planning an April ski trip. With its off-the-beaten-path location, it offers a more laid-back atmosphere than some of the bigger resorts, making it perfect for families with younger children.

The resort caters specifically to families with programs like SmuggsPassport, which encourages kids to try new activities like snowshoeing and ice climbing. Families can also enjoy après-ski events together, like movie nights and live music performances.

“Low-key vibe makes it awesome for families with small kids.” -Momtrends.com

Snowmass Ski Area

The Snowmass Ski Area in Colorado is part of the larger Aspen/Snowmass area but offers a unique experience that appeals specifically to families. The ski school here is top-notch, and the terrain is perfect for beginner to intermediate skiers.

Snowmass also has one of the best kid-specific activity programs in the country with its Treehouse Kids’ Adventure Center. It houses a kids-only ski school, as well as a climbing wall, indoor play area, and crafts center. Parents can enjoy time on the slopes while their kids are being taken care of in style.

“Ambitious family program that satisfies young action heroes and pooped-out parents alike.” -Forbes Travel Guide

Okemo Mountain Resort

Last but not least, Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont offers families an abundance of activities beyond skiing during their spring break stay. Families can take advantage of an ice skating rink, tubing hill, and snowshoe tours, among other fun options.

The resort recently invested in renovating its Jackson Gore base area with new dining options and a larger child care facility complete with a nursery and children’s ski lessons for very young kids. With so many different amenities on offer, there’s truly something for every member of the family at Okemo.

“A mountain escape that really delivers what it promises” -Boston.com

Budget-Friendly Skiing: Affordable Late Season Ski Deals

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly way to hit the slopes in April, Ski Cooper in Colorado is a great option. This lesser-known ski resort offers affordable lift tickets and lodging rates compared to more popular resorts such as Vail or Breckenridge.

But don’t let its affordability fool you – Ski Cooper boasts over 400 acres of skiable terrain and receives an average of 250 inches of snow each season. Its late season deals are some of the best around, offering discounted lift tickets and packages that include both skiing and lodging.

“Ski Cooper’s laid-back attitude and exceptional value make it one of our favorite undiscovered ski areas.” – OnTheSnow.com

If you’re looking for a ski resort with a little bit of everything, look no further than Ski Apache in New Mexico. With over 55 runs ranging from beginner to expert level, Ski Apache has something for everyone.

Not only does Ski Apache offer affordable lift ticket prices, but they also offer discounts for groups, military personnel, and college students. And if you’re looking to relax after a long day on the slopes, their nearby hotel offers comfortable accommodations at reasonable rates.

“Ski Apache is a hidden gem with plenty of wide-open terrain and fantastic bluebird skies.” – Forbes

Snowshoe Mountain Resort

For those willing to venture a little further East, Snowshoe Mountain Resort in West Virginia is another great option for late-season skiing on a budget. Offering over 240 acres of skiable terrain, Snowshoe has a reputation for consistent snowfall and exceptional grooming.

But what really sets Snowshoe apart from other ski resorts is their affordable package deals. Their Deals and Packages page is constantly updated with discounts on lift tickets, lodging, equipment rentals, and more.

“Snowshoe Mountain Resort has been lauded by skiers for its terrain variety, modern lifts, great grooming, superb snowmaking, fantastic views, decent nightlife and family facilities.” – Ski Magazine

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some popular ski destinations in april.

Some popular ski destinations in April include Whistler Blackcomb in Canada, Mammoth Mountain in California, and Aspen Snowmass in Colorado. Europe also has popular destinations such as Val d’Isere in France and St. Anton in Austria, which can still have good snow conditions in April.

Are there any ski resorts that offer deals in April?

Yes, many ski resorts offer deals in April. Resorts such as Killington in Vermont and Snowbird in Utah offer discounted lift tickets and lodging packages. It’s also a good idea to check with smaller, less-known resorts as they may offer even better deals to attract visitors during the end of the season.

What is the snow condition like in popular ski destinations in April?

The snow condition in popular ski destinations in April can vary. Some resorts may have great spring skiing conditions with soft, slushy snow, while others may have icy and firm conditions. It’s important to check the weather forecast and snow reports before planning your trip to ensure the best conditions for skiing.

Are there any ski resorts that are still open in April?

Yes, many ski resorts are still open in April. Resorts that are located at higher elevations and have a longer ski season, such as Breckenridge in Colorado or Mt. Bachelor in Oregon, may still be open in April. It’s always best to check with the resort directly to confirm their operating schedule.

What are some off-the-beaten-path ski destinations to consider for April?

Some off-the-beaten-path ski destinations to consider for April include Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico, Jay Peak in Vermont, and Bridger Bowl in Montana. These resorts offer unique ski experiences and can provide great snow conditions well into April. It’s always exciting to explore new ski destinations and find hidden gems.

Privacy Overview

Ski & Snowboard News

7 Places for the Best Skiing in April

Though the silver-white winters have melted into springs in most parts of the country, you’ll be delighted to know that most big ski resorts stay open until mid-April. That means you still have a shot at hitting the slopes before you have to trade your snow skis and parka for water skis and suntan lotion.

Use this guide to discover where to go for the best spring skiing in April:

1. Whistler Blackcomb

British columbia, canada.

Open until late May, the  Whistler Blackcomb  offers the longest ski season in all of North America. This bustling ski hub features over 200 ski runs across two mountains. And, when your muscles are screaming for some R&R, head to the Coca-Cola Tube Park and take a load off as you coast down some snowy slopes sans skis.

Why this is a great destination for skiing in April

There’s still quite a bit of snow falling in the spring, which adds to an already hefty base. Of course, you also get the added benefit of longer daylight hours.

It’s also the time for the  World Ski & Snowboard Festival . Ten full days of revelry, ski and snowboard competition, and the biggest free outdoor concert series comprise this annual event. And for those deep in the ski culture, it’s not one to be missed.

Planning your April ski trip

You can expect some sweet package deals before the ski slopes melt until next season. You can score a discount when you combine your lift ticket and lodging. As with most places, it pays (literally) to book online ahead of time.

2. Breckenridge Resort

Breckenridge, colorado.

If you’re looking for spring skiing state-side, head to the  Breckenridge Resort  before the slopes close in mid-to-late April.  This massive, culturally diverse ski community has plenty to do if the slopes wear you down, including over 200 restaurants, shops, and bars to give your muscles a break.

Each year, the Breck ends their ski season with a month-long “Spring Fever” non-stop party, both on the mountain and in town.

If you’re flying into Denver, expect about a two-hour ground trip to the resort. You can book your lodging and buy your lift ticket online  here .

3. Stubai Glacier

Stubaital, austria.

If you want exceptional spring skiing, sometimes you have to search abroad. The  Stubai Glacier  in Austria stays open until June, which should give you ample opportunities to strap on your snow skis at least more one time this season.

Waiting until peak season is over offers plenty of financial benefits. You can score a fair spring skiing deal via their website. Plus, it offers plenty of family-friendly activities like ski lessons, geocaching, an ice cave, and a children’s playground to provide a fun spring break destination.

Once you fly into the capital, Tyrol Innsbruck, you’ll have to travel by ground for about 45 minutes. You can usually catch a taxi or hotel shuttle bus to your accommodations.

4. Banff National Park

Alberta, canada.

Why settle for one ski resort when you can pick from three of the best places to ski in April, all located in Banff? Best of all, one lift ticket grants you access to all of them. Visit Norquay, Lake Louise, and Banff Sunshine on the same trip before the season ends in mid-to-late May.

By this point, most skiers have packed away their gear until next season, which means you won’t have to battle long lift lines and overcrowded slopes. Plus, you can score major savings on a spring skiing deal.

Head to their website to cash in on Banff’s  best spring skiing deals . If you’re flying, make your final destination the Calgary International Airport. From there, it’s about a 90-minute drive to Banff National Park.

5. Snowbird Ski Resort

Snowbird, utah.

Snowbird  starts closing lifts  and slopes as early as mid-April, but the last ones remain open through the first half of May.

Live music and party mode abound as the weather gets warmer and skiers can shuck bulky clothing in lieu of lighter attire. You can also expect an increase in live music and a drop in day pass prices.

Book your ground transportation from the Salt Lake International Airport ahead of time via Snowbird’s website. It isn’t free, but it will help ensure you get to the right place in the quickest, safest way possible. If you’re lucky enough to squeeze in several days of skiing in April, you might want to invest in their Spring Pass, which runs around $419 and lasts for the entire spring skiing season.

6. Ischgl Ski Resort

Ischgl, austria.

If skiing in the Alps is somewhere on your bucket list, consider checking it off during an April skiing trip. Lifts are open from the first of May, as are the abundance of restaurants, shops, ice skating, snowshoe hiking, and other wintry activities.

Right before the end of the April skiing season, Ischgl hosts the epic  Top of the Mountain concert  to close out the year, and entry to the show is included in the ticket price.

Make sure you download the Ischgl app before you go. This mobile app shows you everything you need to know about the resort, including ski runs, lift facilities, restaurants, and more. You can also  book your lodging  and purchase your tickets online ahead of time.

7. Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort

Mt. bachelor, oregon.

Even in April, the snow is still falling, which means you could be slashing through all that fresh powder until Memorial Day weekend. Unlike other ski resorts in the spring, this family-friendly resort continues to offer Ski School until they close for the season.

Since the snowshoe tours and the snow tubing course close in late March/early April, there’s nothing to distract you from some one-on-one time with the slopes. You’ll still have full access to most of the ski lifts in April, and at least three in May.

Plan to fly into the Redmond Airport in Bend, Oregon, then travel about 20 miles north to reach the Mt Bachelor resort. You can save yourself some money and time when you bundle your ski package via their website.

Best Skiing In April: Final Thoughts

It’s not too late to book a quality spring ski trip, even though photos of your friends in the sand and surf might be lining your social media feeds.

But if you really want to get the most out of your spring ski trip, make sure you don’t arrive before your gear does. Consider  shipping out your ski equipment  ahead of time so you can be ready to hit the slopes as soon as the landing gears touchdown.

Related Posts

• Best Ski Resorts for Beginners
• 7 Best Ski Resorts in Vermont
• 5 Best Singles Ski Trips and Tips
• 10 Best Ski Resorts in the World
• Where’s the Best Skiing in Michigan?
• Where Can You Ski in March?
• The Best Ski-in Ski-Out Resorts in the USA

• Local Freshies® Gal
• Bellingham, WA
• June Lake, CA
• Lake Tahoe, CA/NV
• Mammoth Lakes, CA
• Portland, OR
• Silver Valley, ID
• Sun Valley / Ketchum, ID
• Pocatello, ID
• Wallace, ID
• Whitefish, MT
• Red River, NM
• Madison, WI
• Upper Peninsula, MI
• Panorama, BC
• Revelstoke, BC
• Eat & Drink
• Guide To MTB – How To Start Mountain Biking And More
• Skiing & Snowboarding Gear
• Ski Weather Facts & Phenomenon
• All Things Splitboarding & Backcountry Skiing
• Ski Trip Planning – Plan The Best Ski Holiday Ever!
• Spring Skiing Tips & Tricks
• Skiing Facts, Snowboarding Inspiration, History, & Lore!
• Cool Off With Summer Fun In The Mountains
• Work With Us

Spring Skiing

The 10 Best Spring Skiing Resorts In North America

This article may contain affiliate / compensated links. For full information, please see our disclaimer here .

Does the spring equinox officially bring an end to winter? Does that mean your ski and snowboard season is over? The answer to that question is absolutely not! Think we’re crazy? Don’t know what we’re talking about? Let us prove it to you. Put down the bathing suits and grab the snow gear. Put that trip to the Caribbean on hold. This spring, head to the mountains! Why you ask? The days are longer, the crowds have reduced to a trickle, and the winter storms have given way to sunshine and warm temperatures. If you haven’t taken a trip out West this year, now is the time! Here are the 10 best spring skiing locales in North America!

Why You Should GO!

• Great deals to stay & ski
• Sunny weather and warm temps
• Non-existent crowds
• The ability to do other stuff like golf, mountain bike, AND ski in the same day
• Chance to get in a sneaker pow day

Before you pick your resort, there are a few things you should know about spring skiing . First, don’t expect to ride a full day. Instead, focus on the full experience. The Après ski is almost as important as the skiing in spring. Is there a cool town to hang in? Do you have a place to grill and a patio to chill? How about a mountain bike park or a golf course? Now you feelin’ it? These are quite different questions to ask than a winter trip, right?

Next, don’t expect the resorts to be at full operation, but this is good news. It means you’ll have a ton of terrain all to yourself and can lap those runs until you can’t feel your legs. Lastly, even in April or early May , there’s still a chance for a sneaker pow day. We’ve had quite a few, and they are awesome! If you want to learn the in’s & outs of spring skiing, what gear to bring, & why it’s our favorite time to go on a ski vacation, check out our comprehensive spring skiing guide:

Things To Consider When Picking A Spring Locale

Where should you go? Here are the things to consider when picking a resort:

• Historically open late into the season
• Large amount of terrain above treeline
• Deep snowpack
• Ski resort that’s received lots of snow for the season (at least annual average)

Best Spring Skiing Resorts in North America

#10 killington.

Average April/May Snowfall: 24 inches Projected Closing Day: Typically May dependent on weather

We had to at least tip our hat towards the East. Besides Mammoth on our list, Killington also pushes the envelope on extending their season as long as possible. Through mid-April, there’s a good chance the majority of the mountain will be open for you to shred. Killington has even been known to stay open into late May and even into June. With a summit elevation of only 4,241 feet, how can that be? They do this by making snow on one run called Superstar all winter long. The snow on this trail stacks up to nearly three stories tall. Talk about dedication to skiing and snowboarding!

#9 Loveland

Average April/May Snowfall: 71 inches Average Maximum Snow Depth: 70 inches Terrain Open: 100% open through end of April conditions permitting Projected Closing Day: Early May

Most people zoom past as they head to one of the major resorts like Keystone, Copper, or Winter Park. A no frills destination, Loveland is a great example of a mountain still tapped into the soul of skiing and snowboarding. The focus is all about the mountain and not about real estate. Receiving some of the highest snowfall counts in the region and hugging the continental divide, this translates to a season that starts in October and lasts into May or longer. Powder days still happen often in April! By this time of year, the snowpack is deep enough, allowing you to access all of the cool terrain Loveland has to share. This quaint mountain packs quite the punch and is highly recommended. The only reason it’s low on the list is because of its early closing date.

#8 Whistler Blackcomb

Average April/May Snowfall: 43 inches Average Maximum Snow Depth: 106 inches Terrain Open: As much as possible through April 15th and approximately 1,300 vertical feet of terrain serviced by only the Emerald Chair after April 17th. (subject to change) Projected Closing Date: May 20

Whistler embodies what every ski resort wishes to be. The village is car-less and there’s a plethora of different priced options to eat, drink, and hang out across town. The bad news first is the weather. With close proximity to the coast, there’s a possibility of overcast/rainy weather but this is more likely mid-winter than in the spring. Don’t worry though. Whistler makes up for it in spades with how many things you can do besides skiing.

Towards the end of April, you can ski in the morning in the upper alpine bowls and then mountain bike in the afternoon on the bottom half of the mountain. April is also when the largest winter sports and music festival in North America takes place right next to the gondola.

Will Whistler Stay Dedicated To Spring Skiing?

Over the past few years, Whistler’s dedication to spring skiing after April continues to dwindle so they’ve moved down the list. Before Vail’s purchase, they used to have AT LEAST 2,500 vertical feet of skiing and thousands of acres of glorious alpine terrain accessed by three lifts. Now, it’s just one. Good news is if you visit in May, you can still ski in the morning and mountain bike in the afternoon. After last year’s uproar from locals the question is will they transition back to their old spring operations? Only time will tell.

#7 Snowbird

Average April/May Snowfall: 74 inches Average Maximum Snow Depth: 109 inches Terrain Open: 100% open through end of April conditions permitting but typically only Little Cloud and Mineral Basin Express in May to closing Projected Closing Day: Still to be announced but traditionally at least through Memorial Day

If Alta is the powder capital of Utah then Snowbird is the spring skiing locale. Being the highest ski resort in Utah and most of its terrain facing north, these attributes help keep the snow in its best condition possible. In April, they receive on average nearly 64 inches, meaning the base actually gets refreshed. Finally, with it only being 30 minutes outside of Salt Lake City, the gateway to what some consider the richest and most diverse natural surroundings of any major city, you have access to hiking, mountain biking, and even hot springs. Good times for sure!

#6 Timberline / Mt. Hood Meadows

Average April/May Snowfall:  37 inches Maximum Snow Depth: 131 inches Terrain Open: 100% open through closing at Mt. Hood Meadows and 1,500 vertical feet on the Palmer snowfield (@ Timberline) which is skiable all summer Projected Closing Day: May 18th (Mt.Hood Meadows) / September (Timberline)

The actual Mt. Hood contains four major resorts that sit on its flanks each offering different terrain and feel. One of those is Timberline. It stays open all year round except for a few weeks of maintenance in September. It’s THE home for summer skiing and snowboarding in North America. Summer camps such as Windell’s build their own private parks for campers to shred. And the public gains access to groomed corduroy off of the Palmer chair. If you’re looking for a bit more of a challenge, Mt. Hood Meadows just down the road is open through at least the first week of May and for 2024 they’re targeting running into May 18th!

If comparing Oregon for the spring season, Mt. Bachelor offers more extensive terrain with far superior snow conditions to either of the Mt. Hood areas. Think about timing if heading to Oregon so you get the best spring skiing for the time you plan to hit the slopes.

#5 Lake Louise / Sunshine Village – SkiBig3

Average April/May Snowfall: 35 inches Maximum Snow Depth: 81 inches Projected Closing Date: May 20 (Sunshine Village) & May 5 (Lake Louise)

Always one of the first to open and last to close, spring is prime time for Lake Louise and Banff Sunshine Village. The extremely cold weather has retreated and the sun has begun to shine. Don’t fret about the snow conditions though. Even now, mid-winter powder conditions prevail due to its northern latitude. And for those looking for a party scene, Banff is only a few miles down the road. This town is filled with amazing cuisine, great shopping, and awesome watering holes. If that wasn’t enough, the views of Lake Louise from the summit are some of the most amazing in the world. One thing to consider with Alberta is to make sure they’ve had an average to above average winter for maximum coverage. One additional thing to note is that Banff Sunshine Village and Lake Louise are 36 miles apart.

#4 Palisades Tahoe

Average April/May Snowfall: 46 inches Maximum Snow Depth: 115 inches Terrain Open: As much as possible Projected Closing Date: May 27th

Tahoe ’s climate of cold freezing nights and warm sunny days plus the ski resort’s topography creates some of the best corn you’ll find anywhere. Since Palisades Tahoe installed the Base to Base Gondola to connect to Alpine, they’ve become one resort. The Palisades side may stay open longer, so we recommend trying to hit the Alpine side before it closes for the season. This big craggy mountain is a “follow the sun” type of mountain, lending itself a bit better for spring skiing. Start off the day hitting the south facing Sherwood. Then head over to the east facing sections of the Summit bowl for a midday corn harvest . Finally, finish off on west facing Scott and Lakeview area in the afternoon. For more about corn snow , check out our spring skiing guide found here .

#3 Arapahoe Basin

Average April/May Snowfall: 66 inches Average Maximum Snow Depth: 81 inches Terrain Open: 700+ acres through closing (almost all of the terrain) Projected Closing Date: At least end of May but most likely longer

Arapahoe Basin could be considered the “King of Spring” for the Rockies. Always pushing the envelope to stay open until the snow melts, there have been years that they’ve been skiing until July 4 th . Typically in April, it’s less about the corn and more about skiing and snowboarding their packed powder with the steep Palivaccini terrain facing more north and ranging from 10,800′ to 12,200′. The parking lot is called the “Beach”, and you can watch people skiing down the mountain as you grill right in front of your car. If this isn’t on your bucket list to visit… it should be!

#2 Mammoth Mountain

Average April/May Snowfall: 68 inches Average Maximum Snow Depth: 133 inches Terrain Open: 100% in April; at least 2,000 acres through May; 500-1,000 acres through June and July Projected Closing Day: Until the snow melts so could be as late July 4th or even later like last season .

Mammoth is a unique mountain compared to the others on our list. First, due to it close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, they receive snowfall with higher moisture content. Second, it’s elevation is comparable to the resorts in Colorado. What these two facts translate to is a deep snowpack with warm days and freezing nights, helping ensure that the best conditions are possible even into May! Mammoth’s dedication to grooming and having at least 2,000+ acres open makes it a great candidate to hit in late spring.

#1 Mt. Bachelor

Average April/May Snowfall: 68 inches Average Maximum Snow Depth: 145 inches Projected Closing Day: May 26th Terrain Open: 100% in April and at least 2,000 acres with over 3,100 vertical feet through closing

This place should be on everyone’s bucket list for spring skiing and snowboarding . It could even be argued that it’s better to visit Mt. Bachelor in the spring than in the winter. This is mainly because of the Summit chairlift. Accessing 1,700 vertical feet all above tree line, it’s closed at least 30% of the time during the winter due to storms barreling into Mt. Bachelor. In the spring though, this sometimes elusive terrain is wide open and ready for shredding.

Find Your Basecamp For Spring Fun

With nearly 2,000+ acres available to you, Bachelor has some of the largest terrain footprints open in late season. In between storms when the temperatures rise, you will find plenty of corn ripe for the harvesting. The resort is a giant dormant volcano, allowing you to use it as a sundial finding the perfect conditions based on day & time. When the snow begins to sour in the afternoon, the Après scene heats up . Being next to Bend, OR , an outdoor mecca, there’s plenty to keep you busy. From hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, paddle boarding, and even golfing, you’re sure to find an activity to occupy the rest of your day. After you’ve worked up a good thirst, there are dozens of breweries with relaxed atmospheres to sit back and wind down.

For more about Bend and the breweries, check out our write up here. If you’re looking for a guide to Mt. Bachelor, we got you covered there as well! Read our Ultimate Guide to Bachelor here .

March shouldn’t be the end of your season but rather the time for you to turn up the volume! What will you plan for April, May, and even June? Happy Spring Shredding!

11 thoughts on “ the 10 best spring skiing resorts in north america ”.

I would love to explore out these all in winter to enjoy most at there ahead.

I also explored these all fabulous resorts in my these tours and have joyful time with my family and friends. I hope you will have a joyful time there.

• Pingback: 8 of the Most Unique Pond Skimming Events in North America
• Pingback: 2017-18 Ski Season Record Setting - For the Midwest & East!
• Pingback: Memorial Day Skiing - Last Call 4 Lift Accessed Skiing/Snowboarding

I will prefer to explore these places in next days after mine 3 day trips from san francisco .

Thanks Douglas. 😀 We try our best to write fun content that’s got a little substance to it.

We skied A Basin on our honeymoon in early May of 1988 and it was awesome! Since then we’ve skied Loveland numerous times during Spring Break with our kids and rarely had a complaint about the quality of the snow, except when it was nearly 50 degrees in the afternoon and it would melt and be icy the next morning (only happened once or twice). Both are fantastic late into the Spring.

Heck yea! I love hearing stories like that. We’re big fans of the corn cycle here in California so temps in the 50s in the afternoon isn’t bad especially if it gets below freezing at night. You get to sleep in and then have the 2nd best snow after powder to enjoy.

Skied Mammoth in 1975 my birthday May 25 with no shirt on. Only time I ever did that. Speed skiing in the morning on the ice then corn as it thaws. Quite a place…

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Local’s Guides

• The Rockies
• The Midwest

Quick Links

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Fresh news, updates and more ski towns across North America.

Affiliate Disclosure

Local Freshies LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising & linking to Amazon.com.

Get the Ski Town Scoop

Fresh news, events, and more from Ski Towns across North America.

What do you want to read about?

• Skiing or Snowboarding only
• Biking only
• Outdoorsiest - Skiing, Biking, Summer Fun & more... plus Local Freshies Gal
• Local Freshies Gal Outdoor Perspective only

Skiing in April: where to go

By Toby Skinner

With ski season colliding with spring, the best destinations in April tend to be those with high mountains and high latitudes. But there’s still likely to be snow across most of the Alps and the higher North American mountains, even if the 3pm slush might make it more tempting to head for a terrace with a glass of rosé. April’s also a prime time for ski touring, especially up in Scandinavia, where the Sunnmøre and Lyngen Alps, and the Lofoten archipelago , are reaching peak condition.

Le Miroir, France

Best for: Seven spots in seven days

Le Miroir, a tiny village in France’s Tarentaise Valley, has appeared on the collective ski radar in the past few years due to the appearance of two chalets from Eleven Experience, the American company behind show-stopping heli-lodges in Crested Butte, Colorado, and Deplar Farm in Iceland , among others. Here, the five-bedroom Chalet Pelerin and the newer, seven-bedroom Chalet Hibou have been given Savoyarde-luxe makeovers by Blake Pike, wife of Eleven owner Chad, with Eleven’s signature hedonism: Xboxes in the games rooms, outdoor hot tubs and access to the Alpage, a remote shepherd’s hut converted into an evocative, candle-lit hideout for rock'n'roll, raclette and tomahawk steaks. As with all Eleven properties, chalet buyouts are encouraged, but you can also book individual rooms.

The real draw, of course, is the access to almost unlimited skiing on Eleven’s bespoke 'ski safaris'. The vast, snow-sure Val d’Isere and Tignes are half an hour south along the valley, past the sleepy, classically French Sainte Foy, with its powder-puff tree runs. Les Arcs can be seen high across the valley from the Hibou hot tub, and La Rosiere – one of the sunniest places in the Alps – is just a 20-minute drive up a winding road. Just a few lifts up over the wide red runs of La Rosiere, and a ski down to La Thuile in Italy, helicopters await for flights up into the powder fields above the Aosta Valley, and miles of virgin powder.

Insider’s tip Olivier, the charming manager at Hibou and Pelerin, makes a mean classic cocktail. An Old Fashioned in the cosy living quarters of either chalet makes for a soporific form of happiness.

Val Thorens, France

Best for: Snow-certainty, and decent food

Val Thorens was once an unfashionable, utilitarian sort of place — and forgivably so, given that it was built in the 1960s at 2,300 metres above sea level, making it the highest destination in the Alps. But ever since the Sibuets, the French family behind some of the Alps’ smartest design hotels , took a punt on the wood-and-glass Hotel Altapura, more smart stays have followed: places like Le FitzRoy and the Hotel Pashmina Le Refuge, both offering smart modern takes on the ski-in chalet.

The food’s surprisingly good, too, even if Jean Sulpice, the pioneering chef who won two Michelin stars here, recently headed down the mountain to open a new restaurant by Lake Annecy. The rustic Chez Pepe Nicolas, with its own cheese-producing farm, is one of the great Alpine slopeside eateries; and the log-fire Chalet de la Marine — from the Pashmina team that also runs a Michelin-starred hotel restaurant — serves dishes that seem too good for an on-mountain restaurant at 2,500 metres (the tender beef stew with foie gras is exceptional).

But the real attraction is still the same thing that attracted those Sixties planners: great snow, all but guaranteed well into May . There’s access to the entire Three Valleys, and it’s only a few lifts until you’re looking down over Meribel, with ritzy Courchevel another valley across. But you can spend whole days riding the legendary black run from the Cime Carron lift, or taking the Peclet gondola up to the glacier of the same name, from which five glorious red cruisers run all the way back to base, often with little powder fields between them.

Insider’s tip La Belle en Cuisse is one of the best butcher shops in the Alps. Aptly-named owner Pierre Bosseboeuf has been curing local delights such as Beaufort cheese and hazelnut saucisson since 1986.

Sunnmore Alps, Norway

Best for: Epic mountain-to-fjord skiing

The Sunnmøre Alps, a 90-minute drive inland from the Art Nouveau coastal town of Alesund in central Norway , are a secret that Norwegian skiers like to keep to themselves. There are no lifts away from little Stranda, but the area around the famous Geirangerfjord offers some of the most beautiful ski-touring in the world: putting skins on skis to scale beautiful peaks such as the sharply triangular Slogen, then skiing on, often all the way to the fjord. Like the Lofoten archipelago and the Lyngen Alps up in the Arctic Circle , skiing here is as much about meditative nature-worship as it is about carving powder.

Getting a guide is essential. Local company Uteguiden will do bespoke tours, from four-hour single descents to the seven-day Hjørundfjorden Haute Route, styled after the legendary hike from Chamonix to Zermatt . Another good option is to go with Headnorth Norway, run by an Englishman and his Norwegian partner, which offers hardcore skiing by day and serious comfort by night: from the Victorian-fairytale Hotel Union Øye, with its suit of armour in the lobby, which has been hosting the great and good (Arthur Conan Doyle, Edvard Grieg etc) since 1891; to the Juvet Landscape Hotel, a remarkable series of nature-facing glass pods that was the main setting for Ex Machina , Alex Garland’s 2014 AI thriller.

Insider’s tip At Juvet, ask to try the crisp local wafers, made down the road by bubbly centenarian Nikka Myren Grønning.

Alta Badia, Italy

Best for: Food and culture with your skiing

Alta Badia is increasingly the bon vivant’s ski destination of choice – a spectacular valley in the Dolomites that’s known as much for its food and unique culture as for its skiing. There are Michelin-starred restaurants along the valley, including locavore St Hubertus, one of just 10 restaurants in Italy to have three Michelin stars – but the food tends to be good everywhere you go. Much of the local Ladin culture, which includes its own language, is based on subsistence farming and a connection with the land; hence local menus tend to feature farm-reared smoked pork and homemade cheeses.

This is one of the sunnier ski spots, so powder days aren’t always guaranteed in April, but the lift pass includes access to Dolimiti Superski, one of the largest ski areas in the world, with more than 700 miles of pistes that include the snow-sure Marmolada glacier and the chi-chi resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo. Hotels here tend towards a rustic Ladin vibe, such as the wood-heavy Hotel Kolfuschgerhof, run by the Ebner family for more than 50 years. The newer Adler Lodge , an Arcadian eco-resort with outdoor thermal baths, is made entirely of wood, but feels more like a mod-minimalist Japanese onsen hotel.

Insider’s tip Maso Runch, an agriturismo run by a Ladin family for more than 200 years, is a great place to get a sense of the local farm culture. A six-course feast here might include panicia slow-cooked barley soup, tutres ricotta and spinach fritters, farm-reared pork shank and a secret strudel recipe using apples from the orchard.

Whistler-Blackcomb, Canada

Best for: A big mountain family escape

Whistler-Blackcomb, a purpose-built destination between two soaring mountains , is some folks’ idea of the best ski option on the planet. There’s the sheer user-friendliness of the lively car-free village, which is either charming or a tad Disneyfied, depending on your taste; and the fact that it is barely 90 minute’s drive from Vancouver (ideal as part of an adventurous holiday that includes nearby Vancouver Island ). But most of all it’s the skiing, with the ‘Champagne powder’ of local lore still likely well into April, when the World Ski and Snowboard Festival comes to town. The more than 200 runs include steep, high-mountain couloirs and bowls, and languorous cruises through tall fir trees. There are eight terrain parks, and extensive backcountry to be explored, with cat- and heli-skiing available. Every level of skier gets something close to best-in-class here, and the whole setup of the place makes it great for families.

Accommodation-wise, big chains dominate, such as the recently-renovated Four Seasons, Westin and Fairmont hotels, the latter a Bavarian-style monolith with 539 rooms — though there are more intimate stays, including the Sundial and Summit Lodge boutique hotels, and the new, Japanese-style Pangea pod hotel. For food, head to Araxi for Desolation Sound oysters, or Sushi Village for house specials such as the Tuna KFC Roll. Spanish-owned Oso is best for cocktails and tapas, while the Garibaldi Lift Company, or GLC, is the buzziest bar in town, where margaritas tend to come by the jug, soundtracked by raucous live music.

Insider’s tip For a shameless party, Monday night is 80s night at Tommy Africa’s, Whistler’s infamous nightclub, with gear giveaways and the likes of Wham! And Rick Astley on the stereo.

Like this? Now read:

Where to ski in March

Where to ski in February

Where to ski in January

The best ski resorts in the world

Best holiday destinations in April

Skiing in April: 20 best late season destinations in Europe

So It’s April and you have spring skiing on the brain and day dreams of aprés in the sun with friends. It’s not to late to plan an adventure this spring.

Usually, by April, many people have shifted their attention to beach vacations, not swooshing down the slopes for spring skiing dressed in a t-shirt and getting a killer tan. For the die-hard skiers, skiing in April sounds like a dream! Many people don’t know that there is still a lot of snow in April in most Alps. This is the best time as there are snowstorms and the days are longer and warmer. Additionally, the ski resorts in April are less crowded, and the costs are relatively low.

Enhance your late-season skiing style

Don't let the fading winter curb your fashion prowess on the slopes. At Ridestore, we understand that style and sport go hand in hand, even during the last bends of the season.

Treat your late-season attire to a style reboot with our latest arrivals. Are you ready to take on those refreshing April descents with a trendy and thermal twist? Dive into our collection and discover our array of  ski coats , meticulously crafted for both men and women respectively.

These sartorial pieces don't merely promise to keep you cosy, but they add a good dose of style to your skiing session. This upgrade is not just about apparel, rather it's about enhancing your late-season skiing experience. Impress fellow slope enthusiasts with your outfit, possibly stirring up a conversation on the chairlift! So, let the tail-end of the season be your runway as you hit the slopes in style.

April skiing: insider secrets

But what’s the catch with skiing in April? Well, to enjoy a late ski holiday, you’ve got to know where to go. Unfortunately, not all ski resorts are perfect for a late ski holiday. Luckily for you, we’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of great resorts to consider. Don’t worry, be have your back!

Note that these resorts aren’t in any particular order. They each have something to offer, so we leave you to make the final decision based on the information we provide. So let’s dive in, what do you need to consider when considering a skiing trin the April or during the spring. 

What to consider for a late season ski holiday in April

A ski resort's height affects more than just the snow conditions on the slopes. As you know, the higher you go, the colder it becomes. This is all because of low air pressure at higher altitudes. It helps maintain cool temperatures and ensures the snow is around for a longer, especially for late-season skiing.

The ski resort you choose should have high slopes to somewhat guarantee snowy slopes even at the end of the season. Now, it’s important to note that while altitude plays an essential role in maintaining snowy slopes, latitude is just as significant.

The ski resorts in lower latitudes experience high temperatures. As such, the snow melts faster. And with the changing climate, winters are getting shorter and shorter, leading to rising snow lines. On the bright side, many resorts have embraced snow-making technology, which helps to counteract this effect.

Good reputation for snow when skiing in April

Before you spend your time and money on any resort, you should research the resort’s reputation for snow. At the very least, the ski resort should be famous for having snow throughout the season due to altitude, latitude or technology embraced.

And with that, let’s now jump into short reviews of the best 20 ski resorts for a mind-blowing late ski holiday.

20 best places to ski in April in Europe

 tignes and val d’isere ski resorts.

Tignes and Val d’Isere are the heart of the Espace Killy region. This region was named after Jean Claude Killy, a famous French skier who won 3 gold medals at the Winter Olympics of 1968. While you might not have known about the gold medallist who made history in this region, you surely must have heard of the connected ski resorts – they are by far the best and largest in France.

Tignes and Val d’Isere are connected by snowy slopes stretching for 300 km (170 km of natural slopes, 78 km of intermediate slopes and 52 km of difficult slopes). The slopes rise to 3,456 m. Although you don’t need to be an expert to cascade down these slopes, you must have great confidence and strong legs.

These two ski resorts are often bundled together but are different. The Val d’Isere stretches along the main street in the area, while the Tignes is basically a collection of resort villages. You'll need to take a bus to move from one resort to the next.

Val Thorens

At 2130 m, Val Thorens is the highest resort in France as well as the whole of Europe. This is a big deal since its high altitude guarantees skiers snow cover throughout the winter season from early November to late April (into May). This is more than we can say of other ski resorts in the area.

Courtesy of its high slopes, the ski resort offers a beautiful and spectacular panoramic view of the world below. Its terrain is perfect for both experts and beginners – the diverse pistes are a testament of this. It’s also worth noting that the resort is linked to the Courchevel, Maurienne, and Meribel valleys.

And if you would still want to keep in touch with your spiritual side, there’s a church in the village, which was built in 1991.

It is well known for its snow reliability and beautiful scenery, along with ample and sophisticated ski amenities. Val Thorens is only 122 km from Chambery and 200 km from Geneva Airport.

La Plagne and Les Arcs

The Les Arcs ski area has an elaborate modern lift system. The snow here is reliable and is complemented by snowmaking machines. From the Les Arcs slopes, Mont Blanc and La Rosiere look incredible. Les Arcs is connected to La Plagne through a cable car, which can be boarded at Plan Peisey. The express cable car traverses over 425km of piste.

Apres ski on the ski resort is relatively quiet, which makes it perfect for those with families and are looking for a mix of fun, peace, and tranquillity. There are several nightclubs in the region, including George’s wine bar. If your throat gets dry and you need to quench your thirst, the fun ice bar on the mountain will come in handy.

For those with children, there is a kid’s slope and a toboggan run with floodlights that enable children to ski until evening.

Chamonix has been a preferred ski destination for many people worldwide since 1760. Yes, you heard that right. Chamonix went on the map centuries ago when a scientist won a prize for being the first to climb Mont Blanc (Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Europe). Since then, the resort has undergone some significant changes and transformations, which were kind enough to allow it to host the 1924 winter Olympics.

Given its facilities, mountain guides and ski instructors,  this resort is perfect for intermediate and advanced skiers but also features nursery slopes which are perfect for kids and beginners. The scenery from the 20km off-piste run is to die for. However, only confident intermediates and experts can enjoy these off-piste runs.

St. Anton is one of the best 5 resorts in Austria. It is one of the largest and most connected ski resorts. It takes pride in having snowy slopes stretching for 306 km and 200 km of challenging off-piste terrain for intermediates and experts. Moreover, it has an excellent and efficient lift system coupled with an attractive town below with stylish and charming restaurants, chalets and hotels.

At their high altitudes, the slopes are guaranteed snow for extended periods than most ski resorts. The highest lift rises to 2811 m above sea level. Speaking of lifts, the resort has a total of 88 ski lifts.

The resort attracts families and party animals alike. You are still guaranteed lots of fun when you are not on the slopes. You can get to St Anton through Innsbruck, 95 km away or through Friedrichshafen, which is only 130 km away. Zurich airport is also a great option, but it's 196 km away.

Obergurgl is quite unique. It is the highest of all the Alps in eastern Austria at 3082 m. This altitude alone guarantees snow on its slopes and a long winter season lasting until early May. UK and Irish residents are known to have a particular fondness for this resort. The resort has light traffic and is perfect for intermediates and beginners.

However, experts can still enjoy the 14.3 km of challenging runs. If you are out to have some bit of fun on the slopes, you’ll enjoy the apres scene on the slopes. It has a traditional feel to it. You can spend the afternoons dancing in some of the mountain restaurants. 

The village below is charming, and the scenery from the slopes is breathtaking. It also has loads of amenities, making it family-friendly. You can get there through Innsbruck Airport, 96 km away, or Otz Station, which is only 40 km away.

For years, Ischgl has been the top Austrian destination for German skiers. However, in the recent past, it has also gained a strong following from British tourists, mainly due to quality pistes and music. The slopes stretch for 239 km and rise to 2872 m.

Ischgl is 45 km away from St. Anton. It currently boasts of an innovative lift system, smart hotels in place of the old villages that filled the valley below, spas, apres ski bars and restaurants on the slopes.

Aside from skiing, you’ll be treated to exciting live concerts. In the past, the mountain festivals have hosted celebrities like Tina Turner, Deep Purple, Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Robbie Williams, The Killers, James Blunt and many more.

Back to the ski slopes, you’ll be pleased to note that the resort has snow canons and offers night skiing. In addition, it has loads of freestyle facilities, including a snow park with jumps, rails, and kickers. As icing on the cake, the snow park has two restaurants.

You can get to the resort through the Innsbruck Airport, which is only 100km away or through Zurich, 253 km away.

At such a high altitude (3250 m), you don’t have to wonder how they are able to remain open for a whole year. The high altitude guarantees the slopes of snow the entire year. And actually, it’s the only resort in Austria that opens 365 days a year (it’s one of two in the world).

This ski resort has everything a powderhound would have including cold temperatures, an extensive off-piste, reliable snowfall and easy access to neighbouring ski resorts such as the Zillertal and Mayrhofen ski resorts.

The ski resort is super convenient. The lifts are only 15 minutes away from the main village, and to cut down on time, you could book a room in one of the hotels at the bottom of the lifts.

The scenery from the slopes is impressive and quite magical. The slopes are designed to accommodate experts and beginner skiers alike. The expert skiers will feel more at home on the ski routes which stretch for 13 km. Hintertux is 25 m from Innsbruck. By road, it will only take you 90 minutes to get there.

If you are a James Bond fan and have watched Sceptre, some of the slopes in Solden will look oddly familiar. This is only because some scenes in the movie were shot at this ski resort. How cool is that? You could be in your James Bond element on the slopes.

In addition to this, Solden opened up an exhibition space for the’ 007 Elements’ But is that all the slopes have to offer? Certainly not. The ski resort has quite elaborate runs that are perfect for intermediaries and beginners. Also, the view from the slopes is breathtaking. To help you take it all in, Solden set up viewing platforms strategically on the slopes.

The ski area can be accessed using gondolas and ski buses. Last but not least, the ski resort is alive in the sense that it’s apres ski has a strong heartbeat. It’s kept pumping by countless pubs, bars, and clubs that play loud music till dawn. Apres ski is taken to the mountain slopes through restaurants. For those into extra activities off the slopes, the leisure centre is a gem. It is packed with water slides, pools, a gym, sauna, and a bowling rink.

Kaprun ski area is divided into 3; Maiskogel, Lechnerberg, and Kitzsteinhorn. Together, these areas provide a great ski experience.

Beginner tows are available at Lechnerberg. It is perfect for families and beginners. On the other hand, Maiskogel is respected for its family-friendly ski facilities at 960 m above the town. Kitzserinhorn is an epic ski resort, It rises to an altitude of 3029 m. This high elevation guarantees snow for most of the year.

Kaprun is not as impressive in relation to size. However, it more than makes up for its size with its picturesque church and scenery. Overall, the town is laid back and quiet. The closest airports are Salzburg and Innsbruck which are 109 km and 142 km away respectively. You can catch direct flights into Austria from anywhere in the world.

Switzerland

Verbier is one of the 4 Vallees ski domain. Given the fact that the slopes stand at a maximum of 3,330 m, they keep snow for long.

Additionally, the scenery from the slopes is to die for. From the slopes, you can see as far as Mont Blanc. Complementing the snow-sure slopes, the ski resort has snowmaking technology, which makes it safe to book late in the season.

If you are the kind that lives for freeride and off-piste skiing and snowboarding, then you will fall in love with Verbier. Though the runs are designed to accommodate easy, intermediate and expert skiers, there are more intermediate ski runs than easy and expert runs.

It’s also worth noting that Verbier is interlinked with 4 Vallees ski areas, which can be accessed through lift passes. 

Since Verbier is one of the largest ski resorts in Switzerland, it’s frequented by many skiers. As such, the 67 lifts come in handy in serving the intense traffic during peak seasons.

You can get to Verbier through Geneva International Airport, which is about 170 km away. This translates to a 2-hour drive.

Zermatt is yet another great resort in Switzerland. It is what many beginners and expert skiers, as well as snowboarders, crave for. You can ski on the Zermatt slopes all year long. The terrain is vast, and there are lots of elaborate runs, especially for the intermediate skiers. Most expert skiers fall in love with it because of the 38km ski routes it features, and the 53 ski lifts which serve the vast area.

It’s true that many ski resorts have a great view from the slopes. However, Zermatt’s view is one of a kind. The view of the mini-town below is exquisite. And though the village is more of a town, it has done a great job in preserving the ‘old town’ culture, and the traditional European charm tourists seem to love.

For the night owls, Zermatt’s nightlife is alive and vibrant. It will keep you engaged and entertained all night long.

You can get to Zermatt through Geneva or Zurich airports which are 2.5 hours and 3.5 hours away.

This is a beautiful ski resort in Switzerland with a traditional village that oozes beauty. The ski area is split into 3; Saas Almageli, Saas Grund and Saas Fee.

Saas Fee has a large area, perfect for beginners although intermediate snowboarders and skiers can have a blast as well on the pistes marked red. Experts have more fun on the ski routes.

Aside from skiing, you can enjoy other activities, including tobogganing, parapenting, snowshoeing and walking on cleared paths.

Saas-Fee created has an elaborate leisure centre with a 25m pool, a water slide, a kid’s pool, hot tub, saunas, a gym, and steam rooms. There is also an ice rink, and fun rollercoaster rides.

You can get to this ski resort through Sion, Geneva, and Zurich airports. Sion is only 75minutes away, Geneva 2 hours 45 minutes and Zurich 4 hours away.

Andermatt is an off-piste and powder mecca for serious skiers and freeriders. With the cold storms that hit the resort from all sides, Andermatt is one of the best freeriding destinations in the world. However, it also attracts intermediate skiers and families.

You can easily access the resort through Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn or its lift. Bear in mind that Andermatt has managed to preserve the traditional Swiss Alpine culture in the village despite the new and innovative additions to the ski resort.

Riksgränsen

You may probably wonder how this ski resort could be open till June and still have snow. Well, here’s a fun fact – it’s only 250 km from the Arctic Circle. Its proximity to the North Pole affords it snow sure slopes way into spring despite it not being as high as other ski resorts we’ve come across.

Aside from its late snow ski holiday, its other selling points include 24-hour daylight, again, owing to its proximity to the North Pole.

With 24 hour daylight, you can ski all day and all night long. The sun will still be shining, and you might not even know it’s midnight!

Additionally, you can enjoy affordable heliskiing and ski touring on the resort.

You can get to Riksgransen through Narvik, which is only 50 minutes away or through Kiruna, which is 2 hours away.

Riksgransen is connected to Sweden and Norway by rail and road.910

Are ski resort is more than a century old. It is proud of its off-piste guiding, dog sledging, apres ski and a fun nightlife. The highest run of the ski resort is 1270m high (this is more than a kilometre above the town).

The beauty of this ski resort is that it caters for the different levels of skiers. In 2007 it hosted the biennial World Championships. Several tunnels were built for the spectators in preparation for this championship. However, since then, the tunnels have been converted into pistes.

Beginners and intermediates can cascade down these pistes to explore more romantic and cosier trails. When you are not skiing, you can spend your time in the sauna.

Narvik is in Lofoten, Norway. It is surrounded by the open sea on three sides and has a new gondola on the biggest vertical. This gondola helped it host the 1991 Downhill World Cup. Given its small size, the resort is served by only 4 lifts.

But despite its size, Narvik has different ski slopes that accommodate all levels of skiers from newbies to experts. However, experts only have 2km of slopes to enjoy while intermediate skiers have 10 km. And with the Scandinavian climate, snow is almost guaranteed on the slopes.

If you are planning for a family ski holiday and don’t want an area that is crowded, you will fall in love with Narvik. There is also a ski school where your kids can learn the basics of skiing if this is their first time gliding on the snow.

Geilo is one of the oldest ski resorts in Norway. It speaks volumes and sets the trend in the Norway ski industry. It is most appealing to beginners and families – individuals who are looking to have a wholesome skiing experience.

The ski resort is located in a broad valley between Oslo and Bergen, on the edge of Hardangervidda – Norway’s largest national park- which makes the scenery spectacular. 

Geilo features two ski areas; Geiloloa and Slaatta. These two are connected using a ski bus. For the ski newbies, the gentle nursery slopes are the perfect place to learn the basics. Additionally, you can choose to enrol in a ski school with English speaking instructors.

The red ski trails are perfect for intermediates, while the experienced skiers can have a blast on the black-marked trails.

If you don’t want to spend all your time on the slopes, you can spend time taking snowshoe walks, tobogganing, ice fishing, go on horse-drawn sleigh rides or dog sledge safaris.

The ski resort is one big adventure. Take advantage of what it has to offer and have a blast.

Let’s start with some fun facts about the Ruka ski resort. First, it’s one of the top 10 resorts in Finland, and second, it’s a family-friendly ski resort. It is close to Kuusamo, which makes it even cooler.

The World Freestyle Ski championship awards were held here in 2005. Apart from skiing, Ruka has additional facilities, including snowmobiling, dog sledging, and a tropical pool. It also has a snowmaking machine, and the ski area has floodlights, which make skiing in the dark possible. 

It’s worth noting that Ruka sponsors the Finnish Snowboard Tea. As such, most international and local freestyle teams train with them. The young crowd at the Ruka ski resort is quite friendly and lively. They keep the resort alive throughout the season by inviting top DJs and live bands to perform and throw it down.

Cervinia  is located at the foot of Matterhorn. It has excellent dining and skiing experiences at affordable prices.

Before the ski resort was built, the Cervinia village was for mountaineers.

The ski resort has a beautiful landscape coupled with stunning views. The high altitude guarantees steady snow throughout the winter season.

We should point out that Cervinia is interconnected with Zermatt ski resort in Switzerland. If you’d like to test how much pain and strain your legs can take, then the intermediate and expert ski slopes are perfect for you.

Any of these ski resorts will be fun for you and your family. However, be sure to make the decision as a whole. This way, everyone will feel included and has a say on the ski holiday.

What are the benefits of skiing in April?  

Skiing in April presents a unique mix of advantages. You can enjoy longer, warmer days on the slopes, fewer crowds, and often lower costs compared to the peak season. Plus, the après-ski scenes at many resorts are vibrant with spring festivities.

Is late-season skiing (in April) less crowded?  

Yes, late-season skiing often comes with the benefit of fewer crowds. This, coupled with potentially warmer weather and lower costs, can make it an attractive option for your ski trip.

Wrapping up

That’s it that’s all folks. Now you should be all clued up on why skiing in April is the perfect vacay option for the Spring. Who would have thought, spending mornings slashing through the slushy snow, throwing down (either landing on your butt or on your skis) in the snow park then passing the afternoons on the slopes in the sun with a cold beer in hand. Doesn’t that sound dreamy? Tell us what you get by tagging us on Instagram #DopeSnow. Until next time!

Related Reading

• What to wear Spring skiing?
• Ski trousers for men / Salopettes for women
• Best ski resorts near Grenoble
• Ski clothing for men / Ski wear for women
• The best ski schools in France
• Best Italian Ski Resorts

• Shop on My Own
• Help From an Expert

Call an Expert 800-908-5000

1,000,000 +

happy skiers

in business

customized ski packages

Free trip planning

at 120+ resorts worldwide

How it works

• Answer some questions
• Meet your match
• Receive a call or email
• Customize your perfect trip

Expertly Curated Ski Vacation Packages

Ski.com Mountain Travel Experts

Averaging 28 years experience in the ski travel industry, our 65 Mountain Travel Experts live and breathe skiing and mountain travel. If you’re looking for that personal touch, attention to detail and insider knowledge about Ski.com’s 120-plus ski resorts worldwide, please call one of our Experts today!

Steamboat Springs, CO

18 years of experience booking ski vacations

Katie Morlind

Aspen Snowmass, CO

33 years of experience booking ski vacations

Cory McAlpine

Breckenridge, CO

17 years of experience booking ski vacations

Jennie Graz

Crested Butte, CO

19 years of experience booking ski vacations

What our customers say

Aug 22, 2023

Our agent (Cory) really delivered

Quick replies to emails and was able to find our desired location and accommodation. That we could not find otherwise. Our Fam is really happy we reached out to Ski.com.

Tks again, Del Valle Family

Sep 20, 2023

Amy was so helpful and knowledgeable

Amy was so helpful and knowledgeable about my needs for a vacation. She was able to quickly find the perfect vacation spot for me. Thank you so much for your help!

Aug 1, 2023

Great experience

Great experience. Nicki listened to what I wanted and immediately suggested the perfect rental for me. In addition, she was very personable and obviously knew her stuff. I have used ski.com a number of times and have always been pleased with the results.

May 6, 2023

Katie! She was amazing. I have never gone skiing and I have never booked a ski trip before and she was so good to explain to me all of the details and all of the things I needed to do/ask! Loved working with Ski.com and will do it again! 100/10!

Choose your vacation experience

SKI-IN-SKI-OUT

INTERMEDIATE

ALL INCLUSIVE

GUIDED TRIPS

VACATION RENTAL

OUR BEST-SELLING RESORTS

7 legendary Back Bowls

4 mountains in 1 destination

BRECKENRIDGE

Historic mountain-town charm

DEER VALLEY RESORT

Truly elevated experience

BEAVER CREEK

Family-friendly luxury

Famed Champagne Powder®

The largest ski resort in the U.S.

JACKSON HOLE

Steep and deep bucket list

95% ski-in, ski out

WHISTLER BLACKCOMB

Largest in North America

Matterhorn Views and Swiss Fondue

Experience the famous JaPow

Don't miss any deals

Sign up for exclusive offers, news, updates and more.

SKI.COM BRAND PARTNERS

What is the cheapest month to go skiing?

Where is the best place to go skiing, are there any all-inclusive ski resorts in the united states, does ski.com really offer free trip planning what’s the catch.

Yes! We offer free trip-planning services to all our customers and work directly with partners to bundle all the components needed for a complete ski vacation package at over 120 top destinations around the globe. As the largest provider of ski vacation packages in the world, Ski.com receives preferred rates, and we also have access to sales, book-by offers, promotions and exclusive deals.

5 SKI RESORTS WITH RELIABLE EARLY-SEASON SNOW | 2023

How To: Squeeze Every Last Dollar Out Of Your Ikon Pass

How to: Squeeze Every Last Dollar Out of Your Epic Pass

9 TOP NORTH AMERICA RESORTS TO LEARN TO SKI

THE BEST RESORTS FOR SKIING AT CHRISTMAS

PLANNED OPENING DATES FOR THE 23/24 SKI SEASON

BOOK YOUR SKI TRIP TO WHISTLER NOW – IT’S PRACTICALLY FREE!

MAJOR RESORT AND PROPERTY UPDATES FOR THE 23-24 SEASON

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Sweepstakes

April's Solar Eclipse Is a Once-in-a-lifetime Event for North American Skiers — Here's Where to View It on the Slopes

Shredding under an eclipse ... it doesn't get more epic than that.

JON OLAV NESVOLD/Getty Images

If you've ever been skiing at dusk, you know how beautiful it is to watch the sunset over mountain peaks while getting a final run or two under your belt. On Monday, April 8, 2024, you can experience that same vision twice within a few hours when a total solar eclipse comes to North America, bringing darkness in the day to a bevy of ski resorts. 

Most of North America's leading ski regions will only see a partial solar eclipse that day, with mountains in Colorado (about 65 percent), Utah (about 50 percent), California (about 35 percent), and British Columbia (about 20 percent) all within the moon's outer shadow. Only within the 115-mile-wide path of totality will it get dark, and the sun's beautiful corona — its spiky white outer atmosphere — be visible to the naked eye. 

That hallowed path will cross the entire continent, from parts of Mexico, 15 U.S. states, and five Canadian Provinces, exiting the continent at Newfoundland. Over three minutes of totality — when the moon completely blocks the sun and an eerie twilight descends — will be experienced in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada, where ski resorts are numerous. The mountains would be an excellent place to enjoy the 360-degree sunset that turns the horizon pinkish in all directions. It can also be easier to see the moon's shadow approach or leave while in the mountains. 

"Moving southwest to northeast, the eclipse will pass over ski resorts in states and provinces including Quebec, Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, and Maine as well as less well-known ski spots like Ohio," says ski travel author Patrick' Snowhunter' Thorne, author of " Around The World in 50 Slopes " and skier who built the most extensive database of skiing destinations in the world at over 6,000 ski areas. "It will be nicely timed to begin from mid-afternoon, with totality from around 15:20 EST, right at the end of the ski day." Some ski areas will, by early April, have closed, but others do stay open later into spring, said Thorne, who's planning a trip to Mont Sutton in Quebec, Canada, to coincide with the eclipse. 

Before you plan something similar, know the weather odds. You can read an exhaustive climatology guide to where on the path of totality has the highest chance of clear skies. In summary, it's Mexico and Texas, not the (possibly snowy) mountains in the U.S. and Canada, where there's about a 60 percent chance of clouds. However, on the day, anything could happen.

Here are just some of the ski resorts in the path of totality that may be worth visiting not only for the chance to ski during totality — if conditions are right — but also to get excellent mountain views during the celestial event. 

SEBASTIEN ST-JEAN/Getty Images

Since the moon travels from west to east, Ohio’s ski slopes—the farthest west of all mentioned here—will experience totality first. The only resort in the path of totality is Mad River Mountain, Ohio’s most prominent, which will be under the shadow for 3 minutes and 36 seconds at 15:10 EDT, the longest of any ski resort.

Upstate New York will be busy on eclipse day, with the cities of Rochester and Buffalo destined to be popular destinations for eclipse-chasers. You can get above all that by visiting a boutique ski area on the path, including Kissing Bridge (3 minutes 31 seconds at 15:18 EDT), Brantling (3 minutes 21 seconds at 15:20 EDT), and Bristol Mountain Ski Resort (2 minutes 32 seconds at 15:20 EDT). Farther east, close to Lake Placid, New York Ski Resort on Whiteface Mountain (3 minutes 25 seconds at 15:25 EDT) is planning a special event , including music for $40. 

Pennsylvania

The path of totality barely enters the Keystone State, crossing only its northwestern region that borders Lake Erie. Nevertheless, it envelopes Mount Pleasant of Edinboro (3 minutes 11 seconds at 15:16 EDT) and the Peek’n Peak (3 minutes 21 seconds at 15:17 EDT) ski resorts. 

With 3 minutes 32 seconds of totality at 15:26 EDT, Jay Peak Resort in Vermont can last the longest time in darkness. It's celebrating with The Whiteout , during which Pink Talking Fish will perform Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album in its entirety. It costs $365/night for two people or $516/night for a family of four. Just to the south is Stowe Mountain Resort (3 minutes 3 seconds totality at 15:26 EDT), while farther south again is Mad River Glen ski area (2 minutes 2 seconds at 15:27 EDT). 

Quebec, Canada

With Montreal right on the edge of the path of totality many Canadian eclipse-chasers will travel to the Eastern Townships. One drawcard is Parc national du Mont-Mégantic and its astrolab . Another is Mont-Orford Ski Resort (3 minutes 22 seconds at 15:27 EDT). Even closer to the centerline is the authentic alpine village ski resort of Mont Sutton (3 minutes 29 seconds at 15:36 EDT).

As the path of totality travels back into the U.S., it will darken the Pine Tree State’s largest ski resort, Sugarloaf , in the Carrabassett Valley (2 minutes 25 seconds totality at 15:29 EDT.)  

Courtesy of NASA Scientific Visualization Studio

Ski resorts with a big partial eclipse

To experience totality you must be in the path. Outside of it, all you will get to see, through solar filter glasses, is a partial eclipse of the sun. Some ski resorts are a tantalizing 50 or so miles from the path, so miss out, including Loon Mountain in New Hampshire, Killington in Vermont, Sunday River in Maine, and Mont Tremblant in Quebec. None will experience darkness in the day, instead noticing a slight drop in light levels and temperatures (about 10ºF). Nevertheless, Loon Mountain is preparing for the event, banning foot traffic and limiting lift access to skiing/snowboard guests only. Passholders should make a reservation , and day tickets must be purchased in advance . 

How rare is this total solar eclipse?

It’s rare for a total solar eclipse to occur in a specific place. In fact, you can expect to wait about 375 years to experience totality twice in the exact same location. History will repeat itself when totality revisits North America in 2044 , throwing Banff National Park and the Lake Louise ski area into darkness. Sadly, that will happen in August, making April’s total solar eclipse a once-in-a-lifetime event for North American skiers.  

The Best Ski Resorts in North America for Spring Skiing

March 24, 2024 | OnTheSnow Staff

Spring skiing means different things to different people and different destinations. For some, spring skiing is only in March, while in other destinations, the spring ski season can go into May and beyond. If you’re lucky and time it just right, you may even have a spring powder day. Just remember to layer up, and sunscreen up, as the spring skiing sunburn can be vicious. And, arrive as early as possible so you can get as much of the good snow as possible.

While it’s easy to make a list of the best spring skiing destinations in North America full of the major ski resorts, we’re taking a slightly different approach. We’re leading off with some of the bigger, more renowned ski resorts for spring skiing, while also including a few ski resorts that may not be on your spring skiing radar.

Plan Your Trip North America Lodging Check In Enter dates to find the best prices Check Out Enter dates to find the best prices Search

Ski resorts where spring skiing is legendary

Arapahoe basin , colorado.

Arapahoe Basin, or A-Basin as it’s often called, features some of the best spring skiing and riding in North America virtually every season. A-Basin’s ski terrain offers what is essentially two back-to-back bowls oriented north and south. That means lots of skiable terrain with 145 trails. Spring snow comes in all sorts of quality packages and you’ll likely find it all here. A-Basin is Rocky Mountain High, with its top lifts reaching more than 13,000 feet. Additionally, you can hike up to some of the higher points before pointing downhill, as we discussed in our round-up of Colorado ski resorts with hike-to skiing terrain. It all makes for some of the best late-season skiing in Colorado. Don’t miss spending some time on the Beach. It’s a section of the Early Riser parking lot in an ideal location to take a break, relax and grab some rays between runs.

» Check out spring lodging options at Arapahoe .

Alta , Utah

Alta, located in Utah’s iconic Little Cottonwood Canyon, is about as good as it gets in winter considering how much snow it receives (903″ during the 2022-23 season and a deep snowpack this season). Spring, too, is nice as long as it lasts. However, you’ll have to get your sunny days in early since Alta doesn’t stay open as late as some other Western ski resorts. Alta typically closes daily ski operations in mid-April, but when conditions are good, there’s often a closing weekend shortly after daily ski operations cease. Bonus: You may even get a powder date in late March or early April.  Check out Alta’s spring discounted lift tickets online, as well as discounted season passes that are good for that sun-splashed spring ski season.

» Check out spring lodging options at Alta Ski .

Snowbird , Utah

Snowbird historically has the longest ski season in Utah, often open until Memorial Day, conditions permitting. While most North America ski resorts have closed by late-April, the skiing and riding often continues for another few weeks at Snowbird.  Skiers and riders can kick off the day enjoying the south-facing, steep terrain of Mineral Basin, before hitting some cruisers as the day warms up. The Wave, a natural jump off Little Cloud, is a fun place to head on spring days as skiers and riders catch serious air. Cap off the day with aprés at any number of Snowbird’s great patio restaurants and bars.

Killington , Vermont

The Beast of the East can often offer skiing up to around Memorial Day Weekend in May. Don’t expect a full mountain adventure, but there will be some limited terrain toward the end of its season. However, that typically means that there isn’t much beginner-friendly terrain. When there’s a freeze at night (this is Vermont after all) and sunshine in the morning, there’s some corn snow fun. Killington regularly offers a spring pass good from mid-March until the end of the season. Killington’s spring pass is also good at neighboring Pico ,

Whistler Blackcomb , British Columbia

Spring skiing in Whistler is a must-do for anyone looking for smooth runs, bluebird days, and sun-soaked après-ski in Canada. The season typically goes until around mid-April at both mountains, while the season often continues into May at Blackcomb. According to Whistler Blackcomb, “Runs like Whistler Bowl, Spanky’s Ladder or Glacier Bowl are great in the morning, whereas you can save Sun Bowl and the front side of 7th Heaven for the afternoon to get the prime conditions – the snow will be much softer from a full day of sun exposure.” Watch to see if Horstmann Glacier will offer skiing this summer.

» Check out spring lodging options at Whistler/Blackcomb .

Sunshine Village, Alberta

We can’t talk spring skiing in Canada and not mention Alberta’s SkiBig3 ski resorts. While Mt. Norquay typically closes by late-April, Lake Louise and Sunshine Village are open into May. Lake Louise typically closes in early May, while Sunshine continues ski operations until about the third week of May. The Banff Sunshine Slush Cup and Slushine Rail Jam are among the fun events happening as the Banff ski season comes to a close. Spring is such a great time in Canada, too, because of such longer days. Skiers and riders can get in a few hours of laps on soft snow before exploring all that Banff has to offer. Bonus: You can combine a spring ski trip to SkiBig3’s ski resorts with adventures around Canada’s first national park, Banff National Park.

Telluride , Colorado

The spring ski season in Telluride kicks off with the arrival of March and continues into early April. Although that’s just about a month of spring skiing, it’s so worth it. Plus, spring is prime après-ski season in Telluride. Head to Gorrono Ranch, conveniently located by the Misty Maiden ski run, for live music and a brew or cocktail on the deck. Alternatively, lounge on the sunny patio at Tomboy Tavern, at the bottom of Lift 4, with a local brew and nibbles.

» Check out spring lodging options at Telluride .

Mammoth Mountain , California

Skiing takes place at Mammoth Mountain long after many ski resorts have closed. Mammoth’s ski season typically extends through May, and sometimes even into the summer months. Mammoth Mountain has the benefit of the highest lift-served terrain in California, with a summit at 11,053 feet, and a ski season that typically sees at least 300 inches of snow. If you time it right, you may be treated to an April or even May powder day. After skiing in the morning, hit any one of the nearby hot springs. Then head to The Village at Mammoth for patio drinks and dinner. » Check out spring lodging options at Mammoth .

Palisades Tahoe , California

It’s impossible to talk great spring skiing and not talk about Palisades Tahoe, considering it’s the self-proclaimed Spring Skiing Capital, boasting the longest ski season in Lake Tahoe. Here, skiing typically goes all the way through spring, and often into summer. Palisades Tahoe was open until July 4th Weekend during the 2022-23 ski season, with skiing happening at Alpine over the last few weekends of the season. While the spring ski conditions are about as good as you’ll find, so is the aprés-ski experience and events. Spring brings fun events like the annual pond skim, Alpine’s annual Snow Golf Tournament, the Made in Tahoe Festival, and live music in The Village at Palisades Tahoe. After a morning on the slopes, head to any number of great nearby biking trails around Lake Tahoe, or simply soak up the sun and warmer weather on North America’s largest alpine lake.

Ski resorts you may not be thinking of for spring skiing

Whiteface at lake placid, new york.

While spring plants and flowers are pushing up through the dirt in much of the Northeast by the time mid-March arrives, Lake Placid makes for a great few weeks of spring skiing until Whiteface closes, typically in mid-April. Spring can often combine for the snowiest and sunniest time of the season here, thanks to Whiteface’s elevation at almost 5,000 feet. Think of spring skiing here as skiing on mashed potatoes, both heavy and soft. You will have worked for that post-ski hot tub session.

Spring corn snow is generally found higher up on steeper terrain, where the snow’s surface begins to break up into little kernels. You can go fast but still hold an edge for some cool carving. Take a break in the mid-day sunshine at Whiteface’s Midstation Lodge, where you can make some new friends on the deck while enjoying a mid-day snack and drinks. On the way to or from Whiteface, drop in at Gore Mountain , Whiteface’s sister resort, for some spring turns.

» Check out spring lodging options at Whiteface or at Gore Mountain .

The Highlands , Michigan

Why yes, you can find some spring skiing in the Midwest. The Highlands (formerly known as the Boyne Highlands) in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula is often a good bet into April. However, the waning weeks of March are a bit safer on your calendar. The Highlands will host a “Ring In Spring” weekend March 15-17 with its popular Slush Cup, and featuring wine tasting and plenty of live music. Additionally, the resort will often extend lift hours during the spring ski season and keep the lifts running late into the day. While you’re at it, early spring skiing is available at nearby Nubs Nob and Boyne Mt .

» Check out spring lodging options at Boyne Highlands or at Nubs Nob .

Wolf Creek , Colorado

Wolf Creek, near Pagosa Springs, often boasts of getting the most snow in Colorado. Skiing and riding on that blanket of snow in spring brings the added fun of a bunch of events like Local Appreciation Days (in which everyone is a “local”), College Days, Fun Races, and a Costume Contest. Per tradition, the Easter Bunny will visit and host an egg hunt at Wolf Pup Hollow on Easter Sunday. Grab a tasty lunch or beverage during the extended season from either the Wolf Creek Lodge or Continental Espresso Bar. Wolf Creek typically closes in mid-April, but keep an eye out on their website and social media channels for updates.

» Check out spring lodging options at Wolf Creek .

Sugar Bowl , California

Spring skiing at Sugar Bowl, a venerable resort 10 miles west of Northstar on Donner Pass, can easily be bypassed for the bigger Lake Tahoe names. But don’t sleep on the great spring skiing that’s found here. Spring skiing at Sugar Bowl goes until about mid-April, and means finding corn snow skiing in that warm California sun. Softer, more forgiving snow, also can mean it’s a great time to make progress on your skills. You can expect spirited après-ski on the patios outside of both lodges. Events include the Mini-Pipe Meltdown and Tiki Pond Skim.

» Check out spring lodging options at Northstar .

Mt. Bachelor , Oregon

While Oregon doesn’t come with the warm spring sun of California, it comes with a long ski season at many ski resorts, including Mt. Bachelor. One of Oregon’s higher peaks, Mt. Bachelor has a long ski season that can go into late May. And as one of the largest ski resorts in North America, it has a lot of terrain. After a morning of skiing, head to the Clearing Rock Bar, at the West Village Lodge, and soak up the sun with unbeatable views of Mt. Bachelor. Once your day is wrapped up on the slopes, head into Bend, which is chock-full of craft breweries, alley bars, and waterfront patios. For an even longer ski season, check out Timberline Lodge , which is open for skiing through the summer. » Check out spring lodging options at Mt. Bachelor or at Timberline Lodge .

Fernie , British Columbia

Fernie Alpine Resort in British Columbia, Canada is about a 3-hour drive from Calgary, featuring a friendly mountain and ski town in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The resort, typically open until mid-April, has an abundance of powder stashes, bluebird days, and après-ski fun on patios overlooking the ski runs. When you’re done skiing for the day, historic Downtown Fernie is dotted with shops, cafes, restaurants, brewpubs, and spas that makes it one of the best ski towns in North America.

» Check out spring lodging options at Fernie .

More Spring Skiing Reading

• Where to go spring skiing in the Rockies
• Where to go spring skiing in the West
• Where to go spring skiing in the Midwest
• Where to go spring skiing in the East
• Where to go spring skiing in Canada

Header image: Timberline Lodge

Related Stories

Spring Skiing: How to Find the Best Spring Snow

The Best Ski Resorts in the West for Spring Skiing

The Best Ski Resorts in the East for Spring Skiing

The Best Ski Resorts in Canada for Spring Skiing

• Plan Your Trip
• Espace Diamant
• Espace Killy
• Grand Domaine
• Grand Massif
• Megeve / Evasion Mont Blanc
• Mont Blanc / Chamonix
• Outside the Alps
• Portes du Soleil

Best French Alps resorts to ski in April

Skiing in the French Alps is not just a winter affair. April ushers in a different kind of magic, with mild weather, reliable snow cover, and fewer crowds. Here, we unveil the best French Alps resorts for April skiing, where you can relish the thrill of the slopes under the warmth of the spring sun.

The top resorts to ski in April

Les deux alpes: glacial marvels.

Famous for its expansive glacier ski area, Les Deux Alpes is a treasure for April skiing. Reliable snowfall and high altitude ensure excellent snow conditions, allowing you to ski amid stunning glacial marvels and sunny blue skies.

Chamonix: Year-round appeal

Chamonix’s reputation for offering great snow conditions in April is well-deserved. Nestled near Mont Blanc, this resort’s high-altitude skiing areas create an unforgettable skiing experience under the April sun.

Off the slopes, there are endless activities to be discovered including the QC Terme spa and the Aiguille du midi cable car .

Morzine: Sunny spring skiing

Morzine shines in April with its vibrant spring skiing. As it’s located in the Portes du Soleil, you’ll have 650km of sunny slopes to explore and endless types of terrain. Off the slopes, there’s plenty to enjoy, including great après-ski scene and activities such as bowling and ice skating.

Book your stay in Morzine

Val thorens & the 3 vallées: late season action.

Val Thorens, nestled in the world’s largest ski domain, The 3 Vallées, extends its ski season well into April. In fact, in some cases, visitors can ski until early May. The high altitude ensures reliable snow cover and excellent spring skiing, perfect for winter sports enthusiasts.

La Clusaz: A laid back atmosphere

La Clusaz, with its reliable snowfall and a range of sunny slopes, offers a laid back atmosphere in April. Enjoy the tranquillity of the mountains while still relishing excellent skiing conditions. Plus, there’s a fantastic choice of bars and restaurants in your spare time.

Head to La Clusaz this spring

Samoëns: springtime tranquillity.

Samoëns comes alive in April with its springtime tranquillity. Nestled in the Grand Massif ski area, its high altitude ensures dependable snow cover, while the sunny climate creates a serene backdrop for your alpine adventure.

The choice is yours…

In April, the French Alps offer a unique skiing experience, where you can savour the thrill of the slopes in a more relaxed, sun-kissed atmosphere. These resorts, with their high altitudes, reliable snow cover, and a mix of terrains, ensure your April skiing getaway is nothing short of extraordinary.

Whether you’re a seasoned skier or looking to enjoy a more peaceful escape, the French Alps in April hold the promise of unforgettable springtime adventures.

Looking for your dream winter chalet in the Alps? Check out OVO Network’s excellent collection of partner properties in the Alps. With over 180 properties to choose from, boasting top-class facilities like hot tubs , saunas and swimming pools , you’ll find something to suit the whole family…

Book your stay in the Alps

Plus, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and be the first to receive the latest news and exclusive offers ready for your next trip to the Alps!

If you enjoyed reading this, we think you’d also like:

• The best places to ski in the Alps
• Spring skiing offers in the Alps
• Skiing in spring and other fun mountain activities

Further Reading...

What to do in the french alps when there’s poor snow cover, best french alps resorts to ski in february, are ski resorts open on christmas day in france, best french alps resorts to ski in march, bedbugs: how to protect your chalet, subscribe to our newsletter.

Be the first to hear about beautiful new properties and exclusive offers

Late March storm delivers extended ski season for Tahoe resorts

Palisades and mammoth set to stay open for most of may.

This story has been updated with a new closing date for Northstar.

With a March that kept on giving snow, Lake Tahoe ski resorts reported as much as 2 feet of new snow over the Easter weekend.

Some resorts have extended closing dates until the end of May, and others have teased that if it keeps snowing in April, projected closing dates could change.

Snow totals and projected closing dates

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe reported 2 inches of snow overnight and more than 2 feet of snow from an Easter weekend storm. The resort is reporting a season total of between 276 to 377 inches of snow. Mt. Rose is scheduled to close on April 30.

Diamond Peak Resort , a local resort in Incline Village, reported more than 2 feet of new snow over Easter weekend. Its season total is 219 inches. Diamond Peak is scheduled to close on April 21.

Heavenly Mountain Resort  in South Lake Tahoe reported 8 inches of new snow in the last 72 hours. The resort is reporting a season total of 219 inches. Heavenly is scheduled to close on April 21.

Northstar California Resort   is reporting 6 inches of new snow in the last 48 hours. It is reporting more than 2 feet of snow in the last week. It is reporting a season total of 334 inches. Northstar is scheduled to close on April 14.

Kirkwood Ski Resort is reporting 2 inches of snow in the last 24 hours. The resort is reporting a season total of 353 inches. Kirkwood is scheduled to close on April 28.

Boreal Mountain California  is reporting 10 inches of snow over the last 72 hours. The resort is reporting a season total of 347 inches. Boreal is scheduled to close on April 14.

Palisades Tahoe is reporting 2 inches of new snow in the last 24 hours. It is reporting a season total of 383 inches. Palisades is scheduled to close on May 27.

Sugar Bowl  reported receiving 27 inches of new snow in the last 7 days. It is reporting a season total between 341 to 461 inches. Sugar Bowl is scheduled to close on April 28.

Mammoth Mountain  is reporting 3 inches of snow in the last 24 hours. It is reporting a season total of 329 inches. Mammoth is scheduled to close on May 27.

Want to Ski in the Summer? Try South American Slopes

If you can't stomach the exorbitant sticker prices of North American ski vacations, try these unbeatable slopes in Chile and Argentina.

Embarking on a summertime ski vacation to South America is surprisingly easy to navigate. Unlike traditional winter ski vacations in the Northern Hemisphere, the children are out of school, and there are no holiday obligations to juggle.

Valle Nevado, Chile. Photo: Pablo Sanhueza

Best of all? Ski passes, lodging, amenities and food are often a fraction of the cost of North American resorts. For example, at the Valle Nevado resort in Chile, a 10-day lift ticket is less than $500, or about what you would pay for two days at a major U.S. resort.

The Andes are stark, beautiful and massive, with the highest peaks in the Western Hemisphere. The mountains in the north near Santiago, Chile, will make your next Colorado ski trip seem like a collection of molehills.

Matias Basualdo/Zuma Press

Ski Portillo | Chile

A two-hour shuttle from Santiago’s international airport drops you at this relatively small resort that is a longtime favorite of skiers from families to World Cup racers. Snowboarders and skiers can schuss down family-friendly trails, test out challenging steep slopes or catch a helicopter to some off-trail skiing.

An all-inclusive full week of skiing at Portillo resort in Chile—the most expensive of all the options we’ll talk about here—starts at $3,050 per person. A 123-room, bright-yellow hotel sits alongside a glittering lake, and 2024 is a season of celebrations marking the resort’s 75th anniversary.

Valle Nevado | Chile

Ninety minutes by car from the Santiago airport is Valle Nevado. A steep, switchbacking, two-lane road makes for a dizzying vertical rise from the city that takes you above the urban mayhem to a little village of hotels, restaurants and sprawling, wide-open ski runs.

Valle Nevado is situated alongside two other locally popular ski areas: La Parva and El Colorado. A common lift ticket for all three gives you access to 7,000 acres of skiable terrain. Valle Nevado also accepts three North American-based season passes: Ikon, Mountain Collective and Power Pass.

Pablo Sanhueza

Las Leñas | Argentina

In a treeless valley in the Mendoza province, Las Leñas is surrounded by towering summits and some of the most legendary lift-accessed steep skiing in the world. Getting there requires a domestic flight and a few hours in a shuttle, but most skiers find it worth the trek.

Catedral Alta Patagonia | Argentina

From Buenos Aires, Catedral Alta Patagonia is easy to access via frequent daily flights of about two hours from the capital into downtown San Carlos de Bariloche. The resort is just 10 miles from the city’s downtown on the shore of the massive Lago Nahuel Huapi.

Catedral Alta Patagonia

Within striking distance by car are two more rising stars: Cerro Bayo Ski Boutique and Chapelco Resorts . The trio is perfect for a road trip beginning at Catedral and ending at Chapelco, also served by daily flights from Buenos Aires.

Perhaps the most high-profile ski resort in Argentina, Catedral’s 35 lifts and many amenities cater to both families and advanced skiers, and include a terrain park for trick skiing and exceptional skiing through woods, a rarity in the Andes.

READ MORE :

The 10 Best Ski Resorts in the U.S. and Canada

Luxury Skiing Is Reaching New Heights of Opulence

The Next Luxe Ski Town Might Be in Idaho

Are Billionaire Owners Saving Ski Resorts—Or Causing Them to Go Downhill?

Eastern Skiing in the U.S. and Canada: WSJ's Top Picks

Search this site

Outdoor program menu, outdoor program.

Saturday, April 13, 2024 - 8:00 am

Rental barn 1225 e 18th ave eugene, or 97403, common adventure: hoodoo ski trip.

Calling all skiers/snowboarders! Sneak a spring ski day in before all the snow melts! Join Mia and Rowan for a lift to the mountain! Join for a full day at Hoodoo!

• Sign up on our website under the Common Adventure tab. You will know that you are officially on the trip when you receive an email from the trip initiator. Signing up on the Common Adventure tab does not guarantee you are on the trip. Please wait for the email!
• You can call and reserve gear at the Rental Barn if needed! Participants are responsible for their own gear.
• Mandatory Pre-Trip: April 11, 1:00 pm at the OP rental barn
• Cost: $9 (bring to the pre-trip meeting to reserve your spot) for gas; Additional costs to consider: $55 for a discounted Hoodoo ticket (must be purchased at the outdoor program barn while they are open, Monday-Friday 12 pm - 5 pm), $39 for rentals at Hoodoo the day of or rentals from the Outdoor Program and/or Berg's ski shop in Eugene.
• *As soon as you get a confirmation email from Mia and Rowan that you are on the trip, call the rental barn to reserve gear. If you wait until the end of the week to rent gear, there may be none left!
• Departure time and place: April 13, 8:00 am, will depart from Rental Barn
• Return time and place: April 13, 6:00 pm, at the Rental Barn
• *Must be a student at the UO to participate, there will be no refunds once you have reserved your spot. 

Event Registration

Top Skiing & Snowboarding Areas in Moscow, Russia

Skiing & snowboarding in moscow.

• Adrenaline & Extreme Tours
• Gear Rentals
• Nature & Wildlife Tours
• Ski & Snowboard Areas
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 3.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• District South-Western (YuZAO)
• District North-Western (SZAO)
• District Southern (YuAO)
• District Western (ZAO)
• Butovo South
• Good for Kids
• Good for Big Groups
• Adventurous
• Budget-friendly
• Good for a Rainy Day
• Hidden Gems
• Good for Couples
• Honeymoon spot
• Good for Adrenaline Seekers
• Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Skiing & Cycling Lata Track

2. Ski Sports Complex Kurkino

3. Sport Club Alfa-Bittsa

4. Ski Slope Sevastopol Avenue

5. Sports Complex KANT

• Sports Complex KANT
• Skiing & Cycling Lata Track
• Ski Slope Sevastopol Avenue
• Sport Club Alfa-Bittsa
• Ski Sports Complex Kurkino

Officials announce end of 2023-2024 Utah Ski Bus service

by Danielle MacKimm, KUTV

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The Utah Transit Authority's Ski Bus service will come to an end for the 2023-2024 season on Saturday, April 13.

Officials said the announcement pertains to all seven of UTA's partner resorts: Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, Solitude, Brighton, Snowbird, Alta, and Sundance.

During the 2023-2024 season, data gathered revealed that there was an 8% increase in passenger trips on Salt Lake County routes in March and a 4.3% overall gain from the 2022-2023 season.

RELATED STORIES:

• Utahns brace for another ski season full of traffic jams, other growing pains
• Nordic Valley Ski Resort closed until further notice after fire causes significant damage
• Exclusive look into massive terrain expansion at Deer Valley Resort

“Our resort partners, operators, and UTA ambassadors worked hard this year to make Ski Bus service a valuable resource to thousands of guests and reduce congestion in the canyon for other drivers,” said Andres Colman, regional general manager for UTA’s Salt Lake Service Unit. “These numbers will help us plan for increased riders next year and continue to improve wait times, route efficiency, and a positive experience.”

Authorities said that the plan to increase ridership during the 2024-2025 season will involve 95 additional Vanpool shuttles for employees of Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, and Solitude to free up more Ski Bus seats for guests of the resorts.

Additional Ski Bus improvements that were implemented this year include honing in on peak service times, providing backup buses when needed and possible, and easing bus flow to and from the resorts.

“Ski Bus operators are some of our most experienced drivers who stay safe through challenging weather delays and difficult canyon driving. They love creating a positive experience for the riders enjoying the greatest snow on earth,” said Colman. “In addition, 52 UTA employees across the agency volunteered 1,350 hours as Ski Bus Ambassadors, helping riders navigate using the bus at route stops.”

-----------------------

The Colorado Sun

Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state.

Analyzing 5 years of injuries, crashes and hit-and-runs at Colorado ski areas

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on X (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

• Original Reporting
• On the Ground
• Subject Specialist

The Trust Project

BRECKENRIDGE — Silas Luckett doesn’t really remember the crash. The skiers behind him on the blue run at Breckenridge called ski patrol when they saw the 13-year-old skier veer into the trees at a high speed. When patrollers reached Silas, he was unconscious and breathing poorly.

The patrollers bundled him up in a sled behind a snowmobile and raced him down to the emergency clinic at the base of the ski area. There were nurses, technicians and two doctors waiting. 

They were moving swiftly. Even before Silas arrived, Dr. Paul Leccese asked the head nurse to call an ambulance to ferry the skier to the St. Anthony Summit Hospital in Frisco, knowing that a head injury will certainly require more imaging than the Level 5 trauma clinic at the base could provide. 

Leccese cut the ski jacket off Silas, something he very rarely does, but he was worried that maybe a blow to the chest was behind the boy’s struggle to breathe. Leccese had his team ready to intubate Silas because the call from ski patrol on the mountain “was really, really worrisome,” he says. The X-ray tech — one of two in the small clinic that sees as many as 100 patients a day on busy ski days — rolled in a portable X-ray machine. Robby Luckett was there, his hands trembling as he filled out paperwork while the team scrambled around his son.  

Soon, Silas is talking. He’s shaking amid the commotion. EMTs switch him onto another gurney and roll him into a waiting ambulance. It’s been barely a half-hour since he arrived at the clinic.

A couple hours later at the medical center in Frisco, after more scans show no fractures or damage to internal organs, Silas is sitting up, chatting and sipping water. Emergency department Dr. Marc Doucette tells him he likely will be able to go home soon. 

“I think you had them pretty scared over there,” says Doucette, a veteran of the Summit County emergency department that handles skiers transported from Level 5 trauma centers at the base of Breckenridge, Copper Mountain and Keystone, three of the busiest ski areas in the country.

“Holy cow you scared me, man,” says Robby, his hand on his boy’s shoulder. “When I finally saw him for the first time, he wasn’t conscious. It was terrifying. If he gets out of this with just a concussion, it will be a miracle.”

“I guess I have a hard head,” says Silas, drawing a laugh from his dad that resonates with relief. 

The Lucketts, on the final day of a weeklong ski holiday with grandparents, are lucky. A couple weeks earlier a 14-year-old snowboarder at Keystone died after careening into trees, one of six ski resort deaths this winter in Summit County.

Silas is one of thousands of people injured on Colorado ski slopes every winter. With the state’s ski hills posting record visitation in the past two seasons — reaching 14.8 million in 2022-23 — it would appear that the increasing frequency of injuries coincides with the rising number of visits. We say “appear” because, unlike just about every other industry in the country, the resort industry does not disclose injury data.

☀️ READ MORE

Inside the Summit County ERs that treat thousands of skiing injuries every season

At St. Anthony Summit Hospital in Frisco alone, nearly half of emergency room visits come from five nearby ski areas.

The Colorado Sun has spent two years gathering trauma center admission data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that detail skier and snowboarder emergency room visits in 25 Colorado ZIP codes from 2017 to 2022. We sent open records requests to five sheriffs, asking for details on 10 years of on-mountain hit-and-run investigations. The Sun analyzed ambulance trips transporting skiers and snowboarders from resorts to trauma centers. We visited two of the busiest emergency departments in the state this season — one at the base of Breckenridge, the busiest ski area in the country, and one in Frisco in Summit County, home to four ski areas that host close to 5 million visits a season. 

We talked with industry officials about improved safety efforts and their challenges with reporting injury statistics. And we spoke with nearly a dozen skiers who have been involved in accidents and collisions. All the information gathered shows an increasing concern about safety on ski slopes as crowding and collisions increase.  

“I’m done snowboarding” 

Brendan Cunningham started snowboarding when he was 16. In early January last year the 32-year-old from Westminster was riding Peak 10 at Breckenridge when another snowboarder hit him on his blindside. Cunningham fell back and slammed his helmeted head. A ski instructor saw the collision and, after checking on Cunningham, chased the other snowboarder. 

Cunningham got on his mobile phone and called for help. He was struggling to stand up. As patrollers arrived, he had a seizure. The patrollers rushed him to the slopeside emergency room and he ended up at St. Anthony Summit Hospital in Frisco. 

He did not work for six weeks and struggled to shake off the concussion. A year later he’s still enduring memory loss and mood swings he suspects are related to his head injury. He’s still dealing with bills from the clinic and ambulance to the hospital.

He sent administrators at Breckenridge ski area several emails asking for the identity of the ski instructor who checked on him and said he would pursue the snowboarder. 

“They said they couldn’t find the person. That’s it. I thought about filing a police report but I really didn’t see much point,” Cunningham says. “I would hope they would have an incident reporting system or something to be able to find eyewitnesses and share information with me to help me find the person who hit me. It just seems like there is not any protection or accountability in place.”

Cunningham has hung up his board. 

“I’m done snowboarding. That was a career-ender for me,” he says. “Overall this has been a very emotional event. I’m thinking about maybe backcountry splitboarding, just to be able to do the activity again. I do know this: I will avoid resort skiing from now on.”

Vail Resorts, the largest ski area operator in North America with 37 resorts, including Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Keystone and Vail in Colorado, has mountain safety teams —  known as Yellow Jackets — who help enforce rules and safety on the mountain and can suspend a skier’s pass, forcing them to attend safety classes before they can return to the hill. The company also has protocols for collisions that include patrollers taking care of injured skiers, contacting law enforcement and gathering witness statements and contact information, a spokeswoman said. 

The company delivers whatever law enforcement requests — without the need for a subpoena — when a person has broken the law by leaving a collision without leaving their name and contact information. When an injured skier or their lawyer asks for information, the company does ask for a subpoena “to protect guest privacy,” the spokeswoman said. 

“Safety is our top priority. We are incredibly proud of our committed and hard-working team members who do an incredible job assisting guests every day at our mountain resorts, as well as our significant investments in safety personnel, infrastructure, programming and guest education,” said Bill Rock, the president of Vail Resorts mountain division, in a statement. “We also appreciate our guests for their commitment to safety as it takes everyone’s support to create a safe environment on-mountain.” 

“How bad do people have to be hurt to find the guy?”

MacKenzie Tyrrell was 12 when she was blasted by a man on a snowboard in November 2022 at Vail.

The Eagle River Valley local had a broken eye socket, a concussion and bruised knee and shoulder. She spent the night in the hospital in Vail before she was rushed to Children’s Hospital in Aurora. An eyewitness — an off-duty Vail Resorts employee — helped to identify the man who hit her, and her father, Clint Tyrrell, worked with an officer at the Vail Police Department to secure video of the man riding the gondola down to the base village, which is how skiers leave the ski area in the early season. 

🎧 Listen here!

Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | RSS

Go deeper into this story in this episode of The Daily Sun-Up podcast.

Working with police and safety people at Vail went nowhere. The eyewitness only saw the man leaving the accident site, not the actual collision “so the resort said they could not release any information about their customer,” Clint says.

“What gets me is how bad do people have to be hurt to find the guy and ask him some questions? I mean, maybe it wasn’t his fault but you certainly don’t leave a 12-year-old girl bleeding in the snow,” Clint says. 

MacKenzie missed a season of volleyball. She was unable to  participate in the final play at her middle school before heading to high school. She struggled to return to skiing as she healed last year. 

“She had broken bones in her face, but the concussion took the longest. She missed a lot of activities and then mentally she was pretty hesitant to get back up there,” Clint says. “I think she could have quit skiing pretty easily, but she took her time and we eased her back into it.”

Many ski resorts are integrating technology — like video surveillance, radio-frequency ski passes and tracking apps — into operations to keep better watch on the slopes and improve communications with skiers.

Tracking injury numbers  

Ski resorts do not release injury reports. The ski resort industry keeps a tight grasp on even national injury data. Since 1980, the National Ski Areas Association provides select researchers with injury data for peer-reviewed reports issued every 10 years by the National Ski Areas Association. The most recent 10-year review of ski injuries was published in 2014, looking at 13,145 injury reports from the 2010-11 ski season at resorts that reported 4.6 million visits.

The four 10-year reports showed a decline in skier injuries from 3.1 per 1,000 visitors in 1980-81 to 2.7 in 1990-91 to 2.6 in 2000-01 to 2.5 in 2010-11. Snowboarder injuries were 3.3 in 1990, 7.0 in 2000 and 6.1 in 2010. 

For 1990-91, the nation’s ski areas reported 46.7 million skier visits, 2000-01 was 57.3 million and 2010-11 saw a then all–time high of 60.5 million visits. 

(For comparison, a 2007 study of injuries among college athletes participating in 15 sports that did not include skiing showed 13.8 injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures in games — an athlete exposure is defined as one athlete participating in a game or practice — and 4 injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures for practices.)

A more recent clinical review of ski injuries was compiled in 2018 by Jasper Shealy, a retired professor from the Rochester Institute of Technology who has studied ski injuries for more than 50 years. His work shows a decline in ski injuries over the past several decades. 

Shealy’s 2018 report gathered studies from 1996 to 2013 in the U.S. and Europe that looked at 64,667 skiing injuries. The research showed a shift in injuries since the 1970s, with more skiers enduring knee injuries. The 2018 report jibes with trends identified by the trauma center admission data in Colorado. 

Most people injured on the slopes are male. The CDPHE trauma center admissions show 65% of resort-injured patients are male and 35% female. Shealy’s research shows women are more likely to injure their knees while men are more likely to break bones.

Most skiers and snowboarders who are injured in Colorado are between the ages of 20 and 29, followed by 30 to 39. Shealy’s research found the overall average age of injured skiers is 30.3 years. 

The most common injuries in Colorado are to arms, legs and shoulders, which account for 63% of trauma center admissions from 2017-21. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment — or CDPHE — stats show 3,704 hospital admissions for fractures in those four seasons. Shealy’s research shows the most common injury is to the legs and about 14% of all injuries involve the upper extremities, led by the thumb and shoulder.

In Colorado about 12% of injuries in the CDPHE data involve the head. Shealy’s number for head injuries is 13%. A study of 753 skiing injuries at a busy resort in China showed about 14% of skiers and snowboarders suffered head injuries. 

There are some disparities between Shealy’s two-continent statistics compiled in 2018 and Colorado’s injury admissions. When it comes to severe injuries, Colorado numbers are much higher.

Shealy’s research notes 2007-14 data from the U.S. National Trauma Data Bank showing 1,353 patients with severe skiing-related injuries, or about 170 per year. The U.S. ski industry averaged about 57 million visits a season in those years, so there were about three severe injuries per million skier visits in those eight seasons. The National Ski Areas Association reported 53 catastrophic injuries in 2022-23 , which is higher than the 10-year average of 43 and equates to about one catastrophic injury per 1 million visits. 

The difference is based on the term catastrophic, which the NSAA defined as “life-altering,” and results in paralysis, serious head injuries or the loss of a limb, and does not include medical events like on-slope heart attacks. Severe injuries in emergency room data are defined as scoring 15 or higher on the Injury Severity Score, or ISS, a standardized medical assessment. Injuries that rank 5 or higher on the ISS typically require hospitalization lasting more than a week.

The CDPHE trauma center admission data show 322 severe injuries in the four seasons, which translates to about six severe injuries per million skier visits, which is twice the national average for catastrophic injuries.

Skier dies while attempting to jump highway over Berthoud Pass near Winter Park

When you gotta go, where to go the crappy state of colorado’s public restrooms., a palisade resident asked federal, state boards to name the jagged ridge above the town. here’s what they’re thinking..

The NSAA’s once-a-decade review of injuries from 2020-21 was delayed during the pandemic and is expected to land later this year. But the association’s reports are not available to the public. 

When Colorado state Sen. Jessie Danielson crafted a bill in 2021 that would have required ski areas to publish annual injury statistics , the industry blasted the plan, arguing it would be an administrative burden and confuse the skiing public. It died in committee . 

“When we approached the ski areas to work on any of the details in the bill, they refused,” Danielson, a Wheat Ridge Democrat, told The Sun in 2021. “It makes me wonder what it is that they are hiding. It seems to me that an industry that claims to have safety as a top priority would be interested in sharing the information about injuries on their mountains.”

The resort industry vehemently rebuffs the notion that ski areas do not take safety seriously.

Patricia Campbell, the then-president of Vail Resorts’ 37-resort mountain division and a 35-year veteran of the resort industry, told Colorado lawmakers considering the 2021 legislation that requiring ski resorts to publish safety reports was “not workable” and would create an “unnecessary burden, confusion and distraction.”

Requiring resorts to publish public safety plans, she said, would “trigger a massive administrative effort” that could redirect resort work from other safety measures.

“Publishing safety plans will not inform skiers about our work or create a safer ski area,” Campbell told the Colorado Senate’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee in April 2021. 

In 2022, marketing students at Fort Lewis College surveyed 4,320 skiers and snowboarders, most of them from Colorado, half of them experts and nearly all of them with more than 15 years of experience. The rare and large skiing injury database included insight from 2,600 skiers who reported involvement in an on-slope collision with other skiers. 

Of those more than 2,600 skiers involved in a collision, 34% said they were involved in only one collision, 36% said two, 14% said three and 15% said four or more. More than 80% said the collisions did not require medical attention and 1.3% of respondents said the collisions required “legal involvement.”

When asked if their perception of reckless behavior on ski slopes has changed, 50% said it was “more of an issue” and 40% said it’s as much of an issue as it has been in the past. 

The college suddenly killed the survey program in 2023 , nixing the survey and removing the Slide with Respect website with its results. The professor who organized the class said he did not have the funding or bandwidth to keep the class going for a second year. 

“We have a plan for how we will respond in a hit-and-run.” 

Micki Amick skis with retired pals from Denver at Keystone. On Feb. 28, she was skiing in Keystone’s Outback when a snowboarder came out of the trees and ran into a man on the catwalk leading to the Wayback Express chair. 

She and her friends already had a plan for what to do if one of them were hit by a person who does not stick around. The man who was hit was being cared for. Amick gave chase. 

She caught up with the snowboarder, who was wearing a distinctive Florida Panthers hockey jersey at the lift. 

“He knew what he had done and he felt absolutely no obligation to stop and check on the man,” Amick says. 

She snapped a photo and brought it into the ski patrol headquarters at the top of the lift, wondering if maybe they would want to find the man and talk to him about the accident.

“They were completely indifferent,” she says. “I was like the weird old lady.”

Amick says the incident “was confirmation for something we all have sort of been feeling but were thinking it was just about crowds or snowboarders.” 

“It made me think there’s a bigger problem here. There’s real danger on the slopes and no one seems to care about it,” she says. “I ski with mostly retired people and … there is a sense when we are out there that we are not safe. I mean we have a plan for how we will respond in a hit-and-run.”

Dharam Friedberg, a longtime nurse at the Breckenridge clinic, said the near-ubiquitous use of ski helmets has not changed the number of head injuries at the clinic, but the injuries are less debilitating. 

“They have more function than if they had not had a helmet on,” she said. 

Friedberg said the clinic sees more collision injuries on busy days at Breckenridge, “but I’m often surprised with as many people we have up there that we don’t have more.”

“It is definitely getting busier on the mountain, but I do not see a concurrent increase in things I would assume were related to increased volume,” she said. “Maybe that’s a direct reflection of Vail doing a better job of raising awareness and improving signage and getting people to be safer.”

“It’s absolutely terrifying what is happening at some of these ski areas.”

Ura Kim was skiing with her husband and friends at Breckenridge in early January 2019 when she was struck by a young skier and shoved into a tree. Stephen Kim saw the out-of-control skier hit his wife and chased him down. 

“He was going too fast. He had no business skiing the terrain over there. If my wife had not been there, he would have hit the tree,” Stephen says. “I stopped the kid and then I hear our friends say ‘Steve, you need to get back here, she’s not breathing.’”

When Stephen turned and raced back to his wife he heard a woman ask him why he was yelling at her son. When he looked back, the boy was gone. 

The Kims called Jim Chalat, a Denver attorney who has represented injured skiers for decades. Chalat filed a lawsuit on behalf of Ura Kim, against a yet-to-be-named skier dubbed John Doe.

The lawsuit was enough to get a judge to sign a subpoena for the ski area’s pass-scanning data. Stephen is a software and data engineer who has worked with statistics for more than 30 years. He took the pages of screen grabs of data from Breckenridge — the resort did not provide him a data sheet, only PDFs of screen grabs — showing skiers who had ridden the Peak 6 chairlift that day. (The Kim’s had reports from two eyewitnesses as well.)

He copied the information into a database and built software to search for a young skier and a parent who fit his profile and rode the chairlift shortly after his wife was hit. He narrowed it down to a 12-year-old boy and his parents, and Stephen hired a private investigator who went to a door and knocked. Stephen says the woman who answered the door replied to the investigator’s question about skiing that day at Breckenridge, saying, “My son did not hit that woman.”

The Kims settled with the family’s insurance company. After a couple years of recovery from a broken jaw and broken wrist, Ura Kim has already skied 82 days this winter. She and her husband no longer ski at Breckenridge. 

When he called the Summit County Sheriff’s Office to file a report, he says a deputy told him “we have never caught a hit-and-run person.” 

“Something has to change,” Stephen says. “It’s absolutely terrifying what is happening at some of these ski areas.”

Earlier this year the Summit County Sheriff’s Office did identify a snow biker involved in a hit-and-run that injured two skiers at Keystone. The 50-year-old man was charged with leaving the scene of a collision six days after he struck a man and his daughter, leaving them seriously injured. 

Chalat says his personal injury law firm — Chalat Hatten and Banker — gets hundreds of calls a year from injured skiers. 

Lately, he says, “we are seeing a significant increase in hit-and-run.”

“I find it really disturbing because the sheriff’s departments in ski counties either do not have the resources or they do not have the interest in locating these hit-and-run perpetrators,” Chalat says. 

Police investigations of hit-and-runs

A survey of police departments that investigate hit-and-runs at ski areas shows they very rarely result in criminal charges. If there is an investigation, most are classified as unresolved. 

Fraser/Winter Park Police Department officers have investigated five hit-and-run accidents since 2013 and they were unable to identify any skiers who fled the scene of a collision. 

The Routt County Sheriff’s Office investigated 75 cases involving skiers colliding with other skiers at the Steamboat ski area between 2013 and 2023. The busiest season was 2022-23, when sheriff’s investigators fielded 13 reports involving skier-versus-skier collisions, including three hit-and-runs. Since 2013, 16 of the 75 collision reports filed with the Routt County sheriff have involved hit-and-runs at Steamboat ski area. 

In Summit County, with its four ski areas hosting around 5 million skier visits every winter, sheriff’s deputies have logged 18 cases since 2013 involving a skier leaving the scene of an accident. Five of those cases were at Breckenridge, two were at Copper Mountain and 10 were at Keystone. Police with the town of Breckenridge fielded only three reports from skiers involved in collisions in the 2022-23 season — and zero for the previous nine seasons — and none of the three resulted in charges. 

Eagle County Sheriff’s Office deputies have investigated 27 hit-and-run cases since 2016, 20 from Vail ski area and seven from Beaver Creek. In 19 of those cases, there were no charges filed. But in six cases in 2017 and 2020 charges were filed, but the Eagle County district attorney declined to prosecute or the case was dismissed. Two cases — in 2019 and 2022 — resulted in a deferred sentence and one skier entering a pretrial diversion program.  

Jaime FitzSimons, the Summit County sheriff since 2016, has four deputies who actively work at the county’s ski areas, often skiing in uniform. They meet with ski patrol directors at all four Summit County ski areas to make sure everyone is on the same page for differentiating between an accident and a crime. When ski patrol reports that an incident — either an injury or a death — was not an accident, the deputies investigate. 

“We really do take a lot of pride in trying to keep everybody safe not only in the community but also on the mountain,” FitzSimons say

Calls to his office are not necessarily climbing, he says, “even though there are definitely a lot more people on the mountains.” 

He says there are “just so many challenges” to investigating on-mountain collisions. His team will often put out news releases asking for eyewitnesses to hit-and-runs or deaths with unknown causes. On each release, FitzSimons always urges skiers to know the Skier Responsibility Code, which requires skiers involved in an accident to stop and make sure everyone is OK. Fleeing an accident without leaving your name and contact information is a violation of Colorado criminal law . 

“It’s almost like a hit-and-run crash in a vehicle,” FitzSimons says. “It’s not a crime until you run. You are turning a simple civil accident into a crime if you run. It’s always better to stick around.”

Renewed industry focus on safety

The NSAA, Ski California , the High Fives Foundation and the Snow Angel Foundation have launched safety campaigns in recent years. The NSAA’s Ride Another Day effort, which launched in 2017, uses videos, posters and other media to help resorts increase awareness around safety. The High Fives Foundation’s videos urge skiers to be more aware of their surroundings and plan ahead for blind spots and crowded areas. The Ride Another Day effort is spearheaded by Chauncy and Kelli Johnson.

The Johnsons were skiing with their daughter at a small hill outside Casper, Wyoming, on Christmas Eve 2010 when a snowboarder going 50 mph collided with Kelli and 5-year-old Elise. Both Elise and the snowboarder were killed. 

The Johnsons’ Snow Angel Foundation has partnered with the NSAA to reach more skiers and raise awareness around safety. The Johnsons travel the country speaking with ski area employees, race teams and schools about the day their lives were changed by a split-second collision. 

Adrienne Saia Isaac, the spokeswoman for the Lakewood-based NSAA, says the Ride Another Day and Snow Angel Foundation campaigns “are game-changers when it comes to understanding how collisions affect not just you but those around you.”

“Look, no one sits back and says, ‘Let’s cut some corners and make our operation less safe.’ And we don’t want to see folks get hurt. There are risks and rewards to outdoor recreation,” Saia Isaac said. “Ski area staff can mitigate risk of injury but we can’t eliminate it. Your seatbelt can only do so much when the guy in the car next to you is speeding and driving like a jackass. We could all stand to be more aware of the people around us and let them have a day worth repeating, too.”

Breckenridge

Type of Story: Analysis

Based on factual reporting, although it incorporates the expertise of the journalist and may offer interpretations and conclusions.

Jason Blevins Outdoors Reporter

Jason Blevins lives in Eagle with his wife, daughters and a dog named Gravy. Job title: Outdoors reporter Topic expertise: Western Slope, public lands, outdoors, ski industry, mountain business, housing, interesting things Location:... More by Jason Blevins

Watch CBS News

West suburban Chicago community mourns teenage boy killed in avalanche in Swiss Alps

By Jermont Terry

Updated on: April 3, 2024 / 11:15 PM CDT / CBS Chicago

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (CBS) -- A spring break trip turned tragic for a Naperville family – when a 15-year-old boy got caught in an avalanche and died in the Swiss Alps.

Students at Naperville Central High School found out their classmate and friend, Aleksas Beiga, would not return – after the freshman's spring break trip took that tragic turn while skiing with family.

Video showed the moment the avalanche took over the ski resort in Switzerland. Buried under the snow were four people – three of whom were killed.

Aleksas, Alex for short, was among those three.

"It's been very hard," said Todd Capen. "He was just a fantastic young man."

Capen had coached Alex in swimming since the boy was just 10. He recalls a kid who enjoyed life to the fullest.

"He lit up a room whenever he walked into it. He knew when to be serious, when to be funny, when you needed to hear a joke, when needed to be told something he may not want to hear - especially to his teammates," Capen said. "He was just a great young man."

The 15-year-old was also very excited about his spring break trip to the Switzerland slopes.

"He was talking to a bunch of his teammates about how excited he was to go to this resort in Switzerland - like he was a daredevil," said Capen. "He loved skiing. He loved biking."

Capen admitted it is hard for him, and for Alex's swim-mates, to deal with the loss.

"And the best thing we can keep reiterating is that we're all going through it together. Lean on one another. Lean on us. Lean on your parents. Lean on professionals, if that's who you need to talk to," he said. "But talk."

And while the circumstances of how Alex died are horrific, Capen – known to his swimmers as Coach Todd – said he will always remember the kid who would make him smile by doing a silly dance in front of the pool.

"He broke into what I can only describe was the most awkward dance moves of all time, and I happened to have my phone out - and I videotaped it," said Capen. "He just would break into random dance or do funny things, just to get a smile or a laugh out of people."

Close family friends said Alex's family was just too emotional to talk. Alex is survived by his parents, sister, and friends at Naperville Central.

• Switzerland

Jermont Terry joined the CBS 2 team in October 2019. He's born and raised on Chicago's South Side. He's happy to return home to report on his community after 18 years of uncovering stories across the country.

Featured Local Savings

More from cbs news.

Memorial service held for Chicago Public Schools staffer killed in hit-and-run

2 people go to hospital after dogs attack in northwest Chicago suburbs

Search continues for 1 of 5 dogs in attack in McHenry County

15-year-old boy shot in park in Humboldt Park

We’re on the road right now – join in on the fun and follow @thebrokebackpacker on IG!

• Meet the Team
• Work with Us
• Czech Republic
• Netherlands
• Switzerland
• Scandinavia
• Philippines
• South Korea
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• Budget Travel
• Work & Travel
• The Broke Backpacker Manifesto
• Travel Resources
• How to Travel on $10/day

Home » Europe » Moscow

EPIC MOSCOW Itinerary! (2024)

Moscow is the heart of Mother Russia. Just the mention of this city conjures images of colorful bulbous pointed domes, crisp temperatures, and a uniquely original spirit!

Moscow has an incredibly turbulent history, a seemingly resilient culture, and a unique enchantment that pulls countless tourists to the city each year! Although the warmer months make exploring Moscow’s attractions more favorable, there’s just something about a fresh snowfall that only enhances the appearance of the city’s iconic sites!

If you’re a first-time visitor to Moscow, or simply wanting to see as much of the city as possible, this Moscow itinerary will help you do just that!

Unlock Our GREATEST Travel Secrets!

Sign up for our newsletter and get the best travel tips delivered right to your inbox.

Best Time To Visit Moscow

Where to stay in moscow, moscow itinerary, day 1 itinerary in moscow, day 2 itinerary in moscow, day 3 and beyond, staying safe in moscow, day trips from moscow, faq on moscow itinerary.

Here is a quick look at the seasons so you can decide when to visit Moscow!

The summer months (June-August) are a great time to travel to Moscow to take advantage of the enjoyable mild temperatures. This is considered peak travel season. Bear in mind that hotel prices rise along with the temperatures!

If you’re planning a trip to Moscow during fall (September-November) try to plan for early fall. This way the temperatures will still be pleasant and winter won’t be threatening.

Russian winters (December-February) are not for the faint of heart as Napoleon learned to his peril. Some days the sun will be out for less than an hour, and snow is guaranteed. Although winters are exceptionally cold, this is when you’ll get a true glimpse of the Moscow experience!

The best time to visit Moscow is during spring  (March-May). The temperatures will begin to creep up and the sun begins to shine for significant portions of the day. Hotel rates will also have yet to skyrocket into peak ranges!

With a Moscow City Pass , you can experience the best of Moscow at the CHEAPEST prices. Discounts, attractions, tickets, and even public transport are all standards in any good city pass – be sure invest now and save them $$$ when you arrive!

Moscow is a large city with many accommodation options to choose from. Staying in a location that fits with your travel plans will only enhance your Moscow itinerary. Here is a brief introduction to a few great areas of the city we recommend checking out!

The best place to stay in Moscow to be close to all the action is Kitay-Gorod. This charming neighborhood will put you within walking distance to Moscow’s famous Red Square, thus cutting down on travel time. This will allow you to see more of the city in a shorter amount of time!

It’s surrounded by restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops. If you’re a first-time visitor to Moscow, or just planning a quick weekend in Moscow, then this area is perfect for you!

Another great area to consider is the Zamoskvorechye district. This area of the city offers a blend of new and old Moscow. It has an artsy vibe and there are plenty of fun sites you can explore outside of the main touristy areas of Moscow.

Of course, as in all areas of Moscow, it’s close to public transportation that will quickly connect you with the rest of the city and make your Moscow itinerary super accessible!

Best Airbnb in Moscow – Exclusive Apartment in Old Moscow

Modern and cozy, this apartment is in the heart of Old Moscow. Bordering the Basmanny and Kitay-Gorod districts, this two-bedroom flat is walking distance to the Kremlin and Red Square. Safe, quiet, and comfortable, this is the best Airbnb in Moscow, no question!

Best Budget Hotel in Moscow – Izmailovo Alfa Hotel

The Izmailovo Alfa Hotel is a very highly rated accommodation that provides all the components necessary for a comfortable trip to Moscow. There is an on-site restaurant, bar, fitness center, and an airport shuttle service. The rooms are modern and spacious and are equipped with a TV, heating/air conditioning, minibar, and more!

Best Luxury Hotel in Moscow – Crowne Plaza Moscow World Trade Centre

If you’re touring Moscow in luxury, the Crowne Plaza Moscow World Trade Centre is the hotel for you! Elegantly furnished rooms are equipped with a minibar, flat-screen TV,  in-room safes, as well as tea and coffee making facilities! Bathrooms come with bathrobes, slippers, and free toiletries. There is also an onsite restaurant, bar, and fitness center.

Best Hostel in Moscow – Godzillas Hostel

Godzillas Hostel is located in the center of Moscow, just a short walk from all the major tourist attractions and the metro station. Guests will enjoy all the usual hostel perks such as self-catering facilities, 24-hour reception, Free Wi-Fi, and security lockers. This is one of the best hostels in Moscow and its wonderful social atmosphere and will make your vacation in Moscow extra special!

Godzillas Hostel is one of our favourites in Moscow but they’re not taking guests right now. We’re not sure if they’re closed for good but we hope they’ll come back soon.

An important aspect of planning any trip is figuring out the transportation situation. You’re probably wondering how you’re going to get to all of your Moscow points of interest right? Luckily, this sprawling city has an excellent network of public transportation that will make traveling a breeze!

The underground metro system is the quickest and most efficient way to travel around Moscow. Most visitors rely exclusively on this super-efficient transportation system, which allows you to get to pretty much anywhere in the city! It’s also a great option if you’re planning a Moscow itinerary during the colder months, as you’ll be sheltered from the snow and freezing temperatures!

If you prefer above-ground transportation, buses, trams, and trolleybuses, run throughout the city and provide a rather comfortable alternative to the metro.

Moscow’s metro, buses, trams, and trolleybuses are all accessible with a ‘Troika’ card. This card can be topped up with any sum of money at a metro cash desk. The ticket is simple, convenient, and even refundable upon return to a cashier!

No matter which method you choose, you’ll never find yourself without an easy means of getting from point A to point B!

Red Square | Moscow Kremlin | Lenin’s Mausoleum | St. Basil’s Cathedral  | GUM Department Store

Spend the first day of your itinerary taking your own self guided Moscow walking tour around the historic Red Square! This is Moscow’s compact city center and every stop on this list is within easy walking distance to the next! Get ready to see all of the top Moscow landmarks!

Day 1 / Stop 1 – The Red Square

• Why it’s awesome: The Red Square is the most recognizable area in Moscow, it has mesmerizing architecture and centuries worth of history attached to its name.
• Cost: Free to walk around, individual attractions in the square have separate fees. 
• Food nearby: Check out Bar BQ Cafe for friendly service and good food in a great location! The atmosphere is upbeat and they’re open 24/7!

The Red Square is Moscow’s historic fortress and the center of the Russian government. The origins of the square date back to the late 15th century, when Ivan the Great decided to expand the Kremlin to reflect Moscow’s growing power and prestige!

During the 20th century, the square became famous as the site for demonstrations designed to showcase Soviet strength. Visiting the Red Square today, you’ll find it teeming with tourists, who come to witness its magical architecture up close!

The square is the picture postcard of Russian tourism, so make sure to bring your camera when you visit! No matter the season, or the time of day, it’s delightfully photogenic! 

It’s also home to some of Russia’s most distinguishing and important landmarks, which we’ve made sure to include further down in this itinerary. It’s an important center of Russia’s cultural life and one of the top places to visit in Moscow!

In 1990, UNESCO designated Russia’s Red Square as a World Heritage site. Visiting this historic site is a true bucket-list event and essential addition to your itinerary for Moscow!

Day 1 / Stop 2 – The Moscow Kremlin

• Why it’s awesome: The Moscow Kremlin complex includes several palaces and cathedrals and is surrounded by the Kremlin wall. It also houses the principal museum of Russia (the Kremlin Armory).
• Cost: USD $15.00
• Food nearby: Bosco Cafe is a charming place to grat a casual bite to eat. They have excellent coffee and wonderful views of the Red Square and the Moscow Kremlin!

The iconic Moscow Kremlin , also known as the Kremlin museum complex, sits on Borovitsky Hill, rising above the Moscow River. It is a fortified complex in the center of the city, overlooking several iconic buildings in the Red Square!

It’s the best known of the Russian Kremlins – citadels or fortress’ protecting and dominating a city. During the early decades of the Soviet era, the Kremlin was a private enclave where the state’s governing elite lived and worked.

The Kremlin is outlined by an irregularly shaped triangular wall that encloses an area of 68 acres! The existing walls and towers were built from 1485 to 1495. Inside the Kremlin museum complex, there are five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers.

The Armoury Chamber is a part of the Grand Kremlin Palace’s complex and is one of the oldest museums of Moscow, established in 1851. It showcases Russian history and displays many cherished relics. Definitely make sure to check out this museum while you’re here!

The churches inside the Moscow Kremlin are the Cathedral of the Dormition, Church of the Archangel, Church of the Annunciation, and the bell tower of Ivan Veliki (a church tower).

The five-domed Cathedral of the Dormition is considered the most famous. It was built from 1475–1479 by an Italian architect and has served as a wedding and coronation place for great princes, tsars, and emperors of Russia. Church services are given in the Kremlin’s numerous cathedrals on a regular basis.

The Grand Kremlin Palace was the former Tsar’s Moscow residence and today it serves as the official workplace of the President of the Russian Federation (Vladimir Putin seems to have bagged that title for life) .

Insider Tip: The Kremlin is closed every Thursday! Make sure to plan this stop on your Moscow itinerary for any other day of the week!

Day 1 / Stop 3 – Lenin’s Mausoleum

• Why it’s awesome: The mausoleum displays the preserved body of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin .
• Cost: Free!
• Food nearby: Khinkal’naya is a charming Georgian restaurant with vaulted ceilings and exposed brick. It’s a popular place with locals and right next to the Red Square!

Lenin’s Mausoleum, also known as Lenin’s Tomb, is the modernist mausoleum for the revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin. It’s located within the Red Square and serves as the resting place for the Soviet leader! His preserved body has been on public display since shortly after his death in 1924.

It’s located just a few steps away from the Kremlin Wall and is one of the most controversial yet popular Moscow attractions!

Admission is free for everyone, you’ll only need to pay if you need to check a bag. Before visitors are allowed to enter the mausoleum, they have to go through a metal detector first. No metal objects, liquids, or large bags are allowed in the mausoleum!

Expect a line to enter the building, and while you’re inside the building, you’ll be constantly moving in line with other visitors. This means you won’t be able to spend as long as you’d like viewing the mausoleum, but you’ll still be able to get a good look. Pictures and filming while inside the building are strictly prohibited, and security guards will stop you if they see you breaking this rule.

The mausoleum is only open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday – unless it’s a public holiday or a day scheduled for maintenance. The hours it’s open for each day are limited, make sure to check online before you visit to make sure you can fit this into your Moscow itinerary for that day!

Insider Tip: The Lenin’s Museum is there for people to pay their respect; remember to keep silent and move along quickly, it’s not intended for people to congregate around. Also, men are not allowed to wear hats and everyone must take their hands out of their pockets when inside the building.

Day 1 / Stop 4 – St. Basil’s Cathedral

• Why it’s awesome: A dazzling designed cathedral that showcases Russia’s unique architecture. This cathedral is one of the most recognizable symbols of the country!
• Cost: USD $8.00
• Food nearby: Moskovskiy Chaynyy Klub is a cozy cafe serving food items and pipping hot tea; it’s the perfect place to go if you’re visiting Moscow during the winter months!

Located in the Red Square, the ornate 16th-century St. Basil’s Cathedral is probably the building you picture when you think of Moscow’s unique architecture. Its colorful onion-shaped domes tower over the Moscow skyline!

The cathedral was built from 1555-1561 by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. It was designed with an iconic onion dome facade and enchanting colors that captivate all who see it. Fun fact: If you’re wondering why Russian churches have onion domes, they are popularly believed to symbolize burning candles!

This iconic cathedral has become a symbol of Russia due to its distinguishing architecture and prominent position inside the Red Square. It’s one of the most beautiful, wonderful, and mesmerizing historical cathedrals in the world!

The interior of the church surprises most people when they visit. In contrast to the large exterior, the inside is not so much one large area, but rather a collection of smaller areas, with many corridors and small rooms. There are 9 small chapels and one mausoleum grouped around a central tower.

Visiting the inside is like walking through a maze, there are even small signs all around the cathedral tracing where to walk, and pointing you in the right direction! The walls are meticulously decorated and painted with intricate floral designs and religious themes.

The church rarely holds service and is instead a museum open for the public to visit.

Insider Tip: During the summer months the line to go inside the cathedral can get quite long! Make sure to arrive early or reserve your tickets online to guarantee quick access into the cathedral!

Day 1 / Stop 5 – GUM Department Store

• Why it’s awesome: This is Russia’s most famous shopping mall! It’s designed with elegant and opulent architecture and provides a real sense of nostalgia!
• Cost: Free to enter
• Food nearby: Stolovaya 57 is a cafeteria-style restaurant with a variety of inexpensive Russian cuisine menu items including soups, salads, meat dishes, and desserts. It’s also located inside the GUM department store, making it very easily accessible when you’re shopping!

The enormous GUM Department Store is located within the historic Red Square. It has a whimsical enchantment to it that sets it apart from your typical department store.

A massive domed glass ceiling lines the top of the building and fills the interior with natural sunlight. There are live plants and flowers placed throughout the mall that give the shopping complex a lively and cheerful feel! A playful fountain sits in the center, further adding to the malls inviting a sense of wonder and amusement!

The GUM department store opened on December 2, 1893. Today, it includes local and luxury stores, including Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and many more! There are numerous cafes, restaurants, and even a movie theater inside!

For a special treat, head into Gastronom 1. This 1950s-style shop sells gourmet food items, like wine, freshly-baked pastries, cheese, Russian chocolate, and of course, vodka! Also, be on the lookout for a bicycle pedaling ice cream truck with an employing selling ice cream!

The ambiance is simply amazing, a trip to this idyllic shopping mall is an absolute must on any Moscow itinerary!

Insider Tip: Make sure to carry some small change on you in case you need to use the restroom, you’ll need to pay 50 rubles – or about USD $0.80 to use the bathroom in GUM.

Wanna know how to pack like a pro? Well for a start you need the right gear….

These are packing cubes for the globetrotters and compression sacks for the  real adventurers – these babies are a traveller’s best kept secret. They organise yo’ packing and minimise volume too so you can pack MORE.

Or, y’know… you can stick to just chucking it all in your backpack…

Novodevichy Convent | Gorky Park | State Tretyakov Gallery | All-Russian Exhibition Center | Bolshoi Theater

On your 2 day itinerary in Moscow, you’ll have a chance to use the city’s excellent public transportation service! You’ll explore a few more of Moscow’s historic highlight as well as some modern attractions. These sites are a little more spread out, but still very easily accessible thanks to the metro!

Day 2 / Stop 1 – Novodevichy Convent

• Why it’s awesome: The Novodevichy Convent is rich in imperial Russian history and contains some of Russia’s best examples of classical architecture!
• Cost: USD $5.00
• Food nearby: Culinary Shop Karavaevs Brothers is a cozy and simple place to have a quick bite, they also have vegetarian options!

The Novodevichy Convent is the best-known and most popular cloister of Moscow. The convent complex is contained within high walls, and there are many attractions this site is known for! 

The six-pillared five-domed Smolensk Cathedral is the main attraction. It was built to resemble the Kremlin’s Assumption Cathedral and its facade boasts beautiful snowy white walls and a pristine golden onion dome as its centerpiece. It’s the oldest structure in the convent, built from 1524 -1525, and is situated in the center of the complex between the two entrance gates.

There are other churches inside the convent as well, all dating back from many centuries past. The convent is filled with an abundance of 16th and 17th-century religious artworks, including numerous large and extravagant frescos!

Just outside the convent’s grounds lies the Novodevichy Cemetery. Here, you can visit the graves of famous Russians, including esteemed authors, composers, and politicians. Probably the most intriguing gravestone belongs to Russian politician Nikita Khruschev!

The Novodevichy Convent is located near the Moscow River and offers a peaceful retreat from the busy city. In 2004, it was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The convent remains remarkably well-preserved and is an outstanding example of Moscow Baroque architecture! 

Insider Tip: To enter the cathedrals inside the complex, women are advised to cover their heads and shoulders, while men should wear long pants.

Day 2 / Stop 2 – Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure

• Why it’s awesome: A large amusement area in the heart of the city offering many attractions!
• Cost: Free! 
• Food nearby: Check out Mepkato, located inside Gorky Central Park for a casual meal in a cozy setting. There are indoor and outdoor seating options and the restaurant is child-friendly!

Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure is a large green space in the heart of Moscow. The park opened in 1928, and it stretches along the scenic embankment of the Moskva River. It covers an area of 300-acres and offers a lovely contrast from the compact city center.

You’ll find all sorts of wonderful attractions, from boat rides to bike rentals to tennis courts and ping-pong tables, and much more! there are an open-air cinema and festive events and concerts scheduled in the summer months.  A wide selection of free fitness classes is also offered on a regular basis, including jogging, roller skating, and dancing!

Although many of the options you’ll find here are more suited for outdoor leisure during the summer, you’ll also a selection of winter attractions, including one of Europe’s largest ice rinks for ice-skating!

If you’re trying to decide what to do in Moscow with kids, the park also offers several venues designed specifically for kids. Check out the year-round Green School which offers hands-on classes in gardening and art! You can also feed the squirrels and birds at the Golitsinsky Ponds!

The park is very well maintained and kept clean and the entrance is free of charge, although most individual attractions cost money. There is also Wi-Fi available throughout the park.

With so many attractions, you could easily spend all day here! If you’re only planning a 2 day itinerary in Moscow, make sure to plan your time accordingly and map out all the areas you want to see beforehand!

Day 2 / Stop 3 – The State Tretyakov Gallery

• Why it’s awesome: The gallery’s collection consists entirely of Russian art made by Russian artists!
• Food nearby : Brothers Tretyakovs is located right across the street from the gallery. It’s a wonderfully atmospheric restaurant serving top quality food and drinks!

The State Tretyakov Gallery was founded in 1856 by influential merchant and collector Pavel Tretyakov.  The gallery is a national treasury of Russian fine art and one of the most important museums in Russia!

It houses the world’s best collection of Russian art and contains more than 130, 000 paintings, sculptures, and graphics! These works have been created throughout the centuries by generations of Russia’s most talented artists!

The exhibits range from mysterious 12th-century images to politically charged canvases. The collection is rich and revealing and offers great insight into the history and attitudes of this long-suffering yet inspired people!

All pictures are also labeled in English. If you plan to take your time and see everything inside the museum it will take a good 3-4 hours, so make sure to plan your Moscow trip itinerary accordingly! This gallery is a must-see stop for art lovers, or anyone wanting to explore the local culture and history of Russia in a creative and insightful manner! 

Insider Tip: When planning your 2 days in Moscow itinerary, keep in mind that most museums in Moscow are closed on Mondays, this includes The State Tretyakov Gallery!

Day 2 / Stop 4 – All-Russian Exhibition Center

• Why it’s awesome: This large exhibition center showcases the achievements of the Soviet Union in several different spheres. 
• Food nearby: Varenichnaya No. 1 serves authentic and homestyle Russian cuisine in an intimate and casual setting.

The All-Russian Exhibition Center is a massive park that presents the glory of the Soviet era! It pays homage to the achievements of Soviet Russia with its many different sites found on the property.

The center was officially opened in 1939 to exhibit the achievements of the Soviet Union. It’s a huge complex of buildings and the largest exhibition center in Moscow. There are several exhibition halls dedicated to different achievements and every year there are more than one hundred and fifty specialized exhibitions!

The Peoples Friendship Fountain was constructed in 1954 and is a highlight of the park. The stunning gold fountain features 16 gilded statues of girls, each representing the former Soviet Union republics. 

The Stone Flower Fountain was also built in 1954 and is worth checking out. The centerpiece of this large fountain is a flower carved from stones from the Ural Mountains! Along the side of the fountain are various bronze sculptures.

You will find many people zipping around on rollerblades and bicycles across the large area that the venue covers. It’s also home to amusement rides and carousels, making it the perfect place to stop with kids on your Moscow itinerary! Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and allow a few hours to explore all the areas that interest you!

Day 2 / Stop 5 – Bolshoi Theater

• Why it’s awesome: The Bolshoi Theater is a historic venue that hosts world-class ballet and opera performances!
• Cost: Prices vary largely between USD $2.00 –  USD $228.00 based on seat location.
• Food nearby: Head to the Russian restaurant, Bolshoi for high-quality food and drinks and excellent service!

The Bolshoi Theater is among the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world! It also boasts the world’s biggest ballet company, with more than 200 dancers!

The theater has been rebuilt and renovated several times during its long history. In 2011 it finished its most recent renovation after an extensive six-year restoration that started in 2005. The renovation included an improvement in acoustics and the restoration of the original Imperial decor.

The Bolshoi Theater has put on many of the world’s most famous ballet acts! Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake premiered at the theater in 1877 and other notable performances of the Bolshoi repertoire include Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker!

Today, when you visit the theater, you can expect a magical performance from skilled singers, dancers, and musicians with the highest level of technique!

If you don’t have time to see a show, the theater also provides guided tours on select days of the week. Tours are given in both Russian and English and will provide visitors with a more intimate look at the different areas of the theater!

The stage of this iconic Russian theater has seen many outstanding performances. If you’re a fan of the performing arts, the Bolshoi Theater is one of the greatest and oldest ballet and opera companies in the world, making it a must-see attraction on your Moscow itinerary!

Godzillas Hostel

Godzillas Hostel is located in the center of Moscow, just a short walk from all the major tourist attractions and the metro station.

• Towels Included

Cosmonautics Museum | Alexander Garden | Ostankino Tower | Izmaylovo District | Soviet Arcade Museum

Now that we’ve covered what to do in Moscow in 2 days, if you’re able to spend more time in the city you’re going to need more attractions to fill your time. Here are a few more really cool things to do in Moscow we recommend!

Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics

• Hear the timeline of the ‘space race’ from the Russian perspective
• This museum is fun for both adults and children!
• Admission is USD $4.00

The Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics is a museum dedicated to space exploration! The museum explores the history of flight, astronomy, space exploration, space technology, and space in the arts. It houses a large assortment of Soviet and Russian space-related exhibits, and the museum’s collection holds approximately 85,000 different items!

The museum does an excellent job of telling the full story of the exciting space race between the USSR and the US! It highlights the brightest moments in Russian history and humanity and is very interesting and fun for all ages!

If you’re a fan of space or just curious about gaining insight into Russia’s fascinating history of space exploration, make sure to add this to your 3 day itinerary in Moscow!

The Alexander Garden

• A tranquil place to relax near the Red Square
• Green lawns dotted with sculptures and lovely water features
• The park is open every day and has no entrance fee

The Alexander Garden was one of the first urban public parks in Moscow! The garden premiered in 1821 and was built to celebrate Russia’s victory over Napoleon’s forces in 1812!

The park is beautiful and well maintained with paths to walk on and benches to rest on. The park contains three separate gardens: the upper garden, middle garden, and lower garden.

Located in the upper garden, towards the main entrance to the park is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with its eternal flame. This monument was created in 1967 and contains the body of a soldier who fell during the Great Patriotic War!

The park stretches along all the length of the western Kremlin wall for about half a mile. Due to its central location in the city, it’ll be easily accessible when you’re out exploring The Red Square.

It provides a bit of relief from the city’s high-energy city streets. Bring a picnic lunch, go for a walk, or just sit and people watch, this is one of the best Moscow sites to wind-down and relax!

Ostankino Television Tower

• Television and radio tower in Moscow
• Currently the tallest free-standing structure in Europe
• Make sure you bring your passport when you visit, you can’t go up without it!

For spectacular views of the city, make sure to add the Ostankino Television Tower to your itinerary for Moscow! This impressive free-standing structure provides stunning views of the city in every direction. The glass floor at the top also provides great alternative views of the city!

It takes just 58 seconds for visitors to reach the Tower’s observation deck by super fast elevator. The tower is open every day for long hours and is a great site in Moscow to check out! There is even a restaurant at the top where you can enjoy rotating views of the city while you dine on traditional Russian cuisine or European cuisine!

The tower is somewhat of an architectural surprise in a city that is not known for skyscrapers! To see the city from a new perspective, make sure to add this stop to your Moscow itinerary!

Izmaylovo District

• The most popular attractions in this district are the kremlin and the flea market
• Outside of the city center and easy to reach via metro
• Most popular during the summer and on weekends

Travel outside the city center and discover a unique area of the city! The Izmaylovo District is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, and one of the coolest places to see in Moscow! The two main attractions we recommend checking out are the Kremlin and the flea market.

The Izmailovo Kremlin was established as a cultural center and molded after traditional Russian architecture. This colorful complex is home to several single-subject museums, including a Russian folk art museum and a vodka museum!

Next to the Kremlin is the Izmailovo open-air market, which dates back to the 17th century! The market is connected to the Izmailovo Kremlin by a wooden bridge. Pick up all your Russian souvenirs here, including traditional handicrafts, paintings, books, retro toys, and Soviet memorabilia!

You will find many hand-made and hand-painted options available at higher prices, as well as mass-produced souvenir options at lower prices!

Museum of Soviet Arcade Games

• Closed on Mondays
• Filled with old arcade games that visitors get to try out!
• The museum also includes a small cafe and burger shop

For something a little different, check out the Museum of Soviet Arcade Games! The museum features roughly 60 machines from the Soviet era, including video games, pinball machines, and collaborative hockey foosball! The machines inside the museum were produced in the USSR in the mid-1970s.

The best part is, most of the games are still playable! Purchase tickets and try the games out for yourself! The museum also has a neat little screening room that plays old Soviet cartoons and an area with Soviet magazines! This unique attraction is a fun addition to a 3 day itinerary in Moscow, and an attraction that all ages will enjoy! 

Whether you’re spending one day in Moscow, or more, safety is an important thing to keep in mind when traveling to a big city! Overall, Moscow is a very safe place to visit. However, it is always recommended that tourists take certain precautions when traveling to a new destination!

The police in Moscow is extremely effective at making the city a safe place to visit and do their best to patrol all of the top Moscow, Russia tourist attractions. However, tourists can still be a target for pickpockets and scammers.

Moscow has a huge flow of tourists, therefore there is a risk for pickpocketing. Simple precautions will help eliminate your chances of being robbed. Stay vigilant, keep your items close to you at all times, and don’t flash your valuables!

If you’re planning a solo Moscow itinerary, you should have no need to worry, as the city is also considered safe for solo travelers, even women. Stay in the populated areas, try and not travel alone late at night, and never accept rides from strangers or taxis without a meter and correct signage.

The threat of natural disasters in Moscow is low, with the exception of severe winters when the temperature can dip below freezing! Bring a good, warm jacket if you visit in Winter.

However, please note that Russian views on homsexuality are far less accepting than those in Western Europe. Likewise, Non-Caucasian travellers may sadly encounter racism in Russia .

Don’t Forget Your Travel Insurance for Moscow

ALWAYS sort out your backpacker insurance before your trip. There’s plenty to choose from in that department, but a good place to start is Safety Wing .

They offer month-to-month payments, no lock-in contracts, and require absolutely no itineraries: that’s the exact kind of insurance long-term travellers and digital nomads need.

SafetyWing is cheap, easy, and admin-free: just sign up lickety-split so you can get back to it!

Click the button below to learn more about SafetyWing’s setup or read our insider review for the full tasty scoop.

Now that we’ve covered all the top things to see in Moscow, we thought we’d include some exciting day trips to other areas of the country!

Sergiev Posad (Golden Ring)

On this 7-hour guided tour, you’ll visit several scenic and historic areas of Russia. Start your day with hotel pick-up as you’re transferred by a comfortable car or minivan to Sergiev Posad. Admire the charming Russian countryside on your drive and enjoy a quick stop to visit the Russian village, Rudonezh!

You’ll see the majestic Saint Spring and the Church of Sergiev Radonezh. You’ll also visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, one of the most famous Orthodox sites in Russia!

Lastly, you’ll swing by the local Matreshka market and enjoy a break in a nice Russian restaurant before returning to Moscow!

Day Trip to Vladimir and Suzdal

On this 13-hour trip, you’ll discover old Russia, with its picturesque landscapes and white-stoned beautiful churches! You’ll visit the main towns of the famous Golden Ring of Russia – the name for several cities and smaller towns north-east of Moscow.

Your first stop will be in the town of Vladimir, the ancient capital of all Russian principalities. The city dates back to the 11th century and is one of the oldest and the most important towns along the Ring! Next, you’ll visit Suzdal, a calm ancient Russian town north of Vladimir with only 13,000 inhabitants!

The old-style architecture and buildings of Suzdal are kept wonderfully intact. If you’re spending three days in Moscow, or more, this is a great option for exploring the charming areas outside the city!

Zvenigorod Day Trip and Russian Countryside

On this 9-hour private tour, you’ll explore the ancient town of Zvenigorod, one of the oldest towns in the Moscow region! As you leave Moscow you’ll enjoy the stunning scenery along the Moscow River, and make a few stops at old churches along the way to Zvenigorod.

Upon arrival, you’ll explore the medieval center, including the 14th-century Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. Next, you’ll take a break for lunch (own expense) where you’ll have the chance to try out the Russian cuisine! Next, you’ll visit the Museum of Russian Dessert and sip on tea at a Russian tea ceremony.

The final stop of the day is at the Ershovo Estate, a gorgeous place to walk around and enjoy nature!

Day Trip to St Petersburg by Train visiting Hermitage & Faberge

On this full-day tour, you’ll enjoy a a full round trip to St Petersburg where you’ll spend an exciting day exploring another popular Russian city! You’ll be picked up from your hotel in Moscow and be transferred to the train station where you’ll ride the high-speed train ‘Sapsan’ to St Petersburg.

Upon arrival, you’ll start the day by touring the Hermitage Museum and the Winter Palace. Next, you’ll visit the Faberge Museum, where you’ll explore the impressive collection of rare Faberge Eggs! In the afternoon, enjoy a sightseeing boat ride and a traditional 3-course Russian lunch.

If you’re spending 3 days in Moscow, or more, this is an excellent trip to take!

Trip to Kolomna – Authentic Cultural Experience from Moscow

On this 10-hour tour, you’ll escape the city and travel to the historic town of Kolomna! First, you’ll visit the 14th-century Kolomna Kremlin, home to the Assumption Cathedral and an abundance of museums!

Next, enjoy lunch at a local cafe (own expense) before embarking on a tour of the Marshmallow Museum – of course, a marshmallow tasting is provided!  Your final stop is the Museum of Forging Settlements, where displays include armor and accessories for fishing and hunting.

Discover this beautiful Russian fairytale city on a private trip, where all of the planning is taken care of for you!

Stash your cash safely with this money belt. It will keep your valuables safely concealed, no matter where you go.

It looks exactly like a normal belt  except for a SECRET interior pocket perfectly designed to hide a wad of cash, a passport photocopy or anything else you may wish to hide. Never get caught with your pants down again! (Unless you want to…)

Find out what people want to know when planning their Moscow itinerary.

How many days you need in Moscow?

We recommend that you spend at least two or three days in Moscow to take it all in.

What’s the best month to visit Moscow?

The best time to visit Moscow is over the spring, from March to May as temperatures are mild, crowds are thin and prices are reasonable.

What are some unusual things to do in Moscow?

I mean, queuing up to see an almost 100 year old corpse is pretty unsual! Check out Lenin’s Mausoleum if you fancy it!

What are some fun things to do in Moscow?

The Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics is a fun place to explore the famous space race from the perspective of the ‘other side’!

We hope you enjoyed our Moscow itinerary! We’ve made sure to cover all the Moscow must-sees as well as some unique attractions in the city! Our addition of insider tips, favorite food stops, and day trips from Moscow is an added bonus and will guarantee you make the most out of your exciting Russian vacation!

Immerse yourself in the modern and traditional Russian lifestyle! Get lost in museums, witness awe-inspiring architecture, and indulge in Russian cuisine! Spend the day strolling through all of the charming sites of Moscow, admiring the beautiful scenery and discovering the city’s fairytale-like enchantment!

And for transparency’s sake, please know that some of the links in our content are affiliate links . That means that if you book your accommodation, buy your gear, or sort your insurance through our link, we earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). That said, we only link to the gear we trust and never recommend services we don’t believe are up to scratch. Again, thank you!

Alya and Campbell

Share or save this post

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail.