In recent years Mother Nature has been less than forthcoming with her snowfall, which has left many enthusiasts gambling on whether the lifts will even be running when they arrive at their winter sports destination. By rule of thumb, if you choose a high resort you should see snow, but to help anyone planning a ski trip this year, we’ve listed our top six resorts for guaranteed snow.
World Wide
Gassan, Japan
Gassan usually gets so much snow over winter that the resort cannot even open until it becomes accessible in April! Skiers can then enjoy the 1,000m vertical terrain (plus locally brewed beers and delicious food) right up until July.
Soft rime and Mt. Gassan, Yamagata Tohoku Japan
Whistler-Blackcomb, Canada
The glacier on Blackcomb Mountain means that the season usually lasts until June, and the excellent snow-making facilities teamed with great slop-grooming means that there’s never a shortage of snow. Another plus – the peaks are visually spectacular.
Inukshuk at the top of Whistler Peak in British Columbia, Canada, with snow, blue sky, white clouds and mountains in the distance
Mammoth, US
With world class terrain parks and a season which lasts until June, Mammoth is well worth the long haul flight. The terrains on offer include challenging above-the-tree-line couloirs, steep wooded inclines and plenty of beginner/groomed slopes.
The Mammoth Mountain Ski area is located in Eastern California, along the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the Inyo National Forest
Europe
Zermatt, Switzerland
Zermatt is open 365 days a year, thanks to its northerly latitude and heavy investment in snowmaking facilities for the summer months. It also boasts Europe’s largest glacier ski area and the continent’s highest ski lifts.
Aerial View on Zermatt Valley and Matterhorn Peak at Dawn, Switzerland
Livigno, Italy
Most of Livigno’s slopes are above 2,000m, and this altitude mixed with extensive snowmaking creates a season which lasts from November to May. Prices are relatively low by European resort standards, and the slopes are suitable for intermediaries.
Female and male young people having skiing and snowboarding vacation on a snow slopes
Val d’Isère/Tignes, France
Val d’Isere offers north-facing slopes, and Tignes offers high altitude skiing (up to 3,400m), allowing them to remain open 9 months out of 12 each year – so you’re pretty much guaranteed snow. It’s no wonder that so many people (from families to free riders) flock there every year.
Now that we’ve inspired your next trip, don’t forget to invest in specialist winter sports travel insurance before you depart. Holidaysafe.co.uk are offering an exclusive 20%* discount to In the Snow readers, simply visit Holidaysafe.co.uk/Winter and enter code ‘ITS1617’ to save on their specialist winter sports range.