As the winter sets in, if you’re anything like me, you’re checking snow forecasts and ski holiday deals to see what gems you can find. And you might also be thinking about not just the best time to go skiing in Europe, but also the best time to book for the best value deals.
It’s obviously no secret that the start and end of the season offer some of the lowest prices as hotels and resorts do their best to draw out-of-season crowds. But actually, there can be some surprising opportunities to book what can be a *relatively* cheap ski trip.
Lets sum up the best times to book your ski trip, plus the likelihood of getting some snow.
November
At this very early stage in the season you’ll be relying on the early opening resorts such as Saas-Fee, Verbier, Zermatt/Cervinia, Val Thorens, Solden and Hintertux. These resorts are all either high altitude or glacial, which means guaranteed snow – even if there isn’t much snow around.
As a result you can often find some of the lowest prices for accommodation – although your choice of ski resort will be very limited.
If you really want guaranteed snow in November, look towards Finland and the northern resorts of Norway. Levi in Finland often opens at the end of October as does Yllas.
Read also: When does ski season start in Europe?
December
Most ski resorts start to open from around mid-December, with pretty much every European resort open in the week leading up to Christmas. Snow cover permitting. (Which isn’t always a given).
Those early weeks, especially before Christmas, can really yield some bargains with low prices for hotels and even ski passes. And if you’re not bothered about skiing at Christmas, then you could find a pretty good deal in a high end resort.
Prices start to ramp up from Christmas day onwards, with the week between Christmas and New Year being an early peak in the season. It can also be very busy at most major resorts at the end of December, as many Europeans and locals will flock to the Alps for the holiday season.
Read also: Where to ski in December
January
After New Year, prices tend to come back down and you’ll find some nice deals across Europe. Especially in the first few weeks of January. If you time it right, you can hit the sweet spot here of fresh snow plus low(er) prices.
With that said, this isn’t the cheapest time to book a Euro ski trip. But it could be optimal in terms of relative pricing plus snow cover.
Sites like Sunweb and Snowtrex will often feature some nice deals at the turn of the year as everyone else heads back to work. And you could also find that the slopes are relatively quiet too.
February
The middle of February sees school holidays across Europe, meaning a spike in prices and a sudden lack of availability. The holidays are staggered across the middle weeks of Feb, so it’s hard to suggest dates. But, with that said, you can still get a relatively good deal at the beginning and end of the month.
If you do have kids and you need to book your ski trip for the half terms, you’ll find flights and accommodation at the bigger ski resorts eye wateringly high. If you’re looking for a relative bargain, think outside the box and go for smaller or less popular ski resorts. This might be places like Val Cenis or Les Sybelles in France, the Via Lattea resorts in Italy or a gem like Pays St Bernard/La Fouly or a Slovenia ski trip.
March
We’re getting towards the tail end of the season here, and depending on the season we’ve had it can be either a great deal or a washout. This is also when you’ll see the ski resort music festivals start popping up – with many of them taking place from the end of March into April.
With that being said, March can be a great time to hit the slopes, with less crowds. And in recent years, there has often been a timely dump across the Alps and Europe, meaning late season powder days.
Price wise, we’re not quite into bargain territory yet, but prices will definitely be more appealing.
Fun fact – some ski areas get better snow towards the end of the season such as Bansko. Worth checking out….
April
Spring is usually very much in the air by now, with sunnier warmer days and less in the way of snow. The end of the season, often the first two weeks in April, can mean some absolute steals for ski holiday packages about now. But you’d be well advised to aim for one of those higher resorts, such as Tignes/Val d’Isere, Alpe d’Huez, Les Deux Alpes, the Tyrol valley and most of the Swiss Alps.
You might be skiing in a tee shirt too, which is fun. Remember to bring your sunscreen!
Read also: Late season skiing tips
Booking last minute ski trips
With the winter season often being unpredictable, ski holiday operators are seeing a lot more fluctuations in bookings. While this is obviously worrying from an environmental standpoint, and for the business operators, for us end users it can mean rich pickings for bargain ski breaks.
Keep an eye out for the snow forecast (and sub to our newsletter too) and monitor ski package sites such as Snowtrex or SkiWorld.
