Top 10 weather-proof ski resorts - Europe
These are resorts that offer reasonably snow-sure skiing, but also lots of trees in case of bad weather. Trees offer shelter from strong winds and better contrast in poor visibility.
For example, Tignes may be one of the most reliable resorts for snow in the Alps but it has no trees and can be very bleak and prone to closure in bad weather.
If you are looking to hedge your bets, why not try one of the following 10 resorts (in no particular order).
1. Serre Chevalier, France
Resort height: |
1200-1500m |
|
Slopes: |
1200-2735m |
|
Pistes: |
250km |
|
Of all the major French resorts with relatively high slopes, Serre Chevalier has the most trees. This makes it one of the most weather-proof resorts in the Alps and significant disruption due to adverse conditions is very rare.
2. Peisey-Vallandry (Les Arcs), France
Resort height: |
1600m |
|
Slopes: |
1200-3225m (Les Arcs) |
|
Pistes: |
200km (Les Arcs) |
(425km - Paradiski) |
Although Arc 2000 often has the best snow in the area, Peisey-Vallandry is the place to be in a storm thanks to its many long tree-lined runs. These runs are very accessible from Arc 1600 and Arc 1800, but less so (in bad weather) from Arc 1950/2000 as links are prone to closure.
3. Montchavin-Les Coches (La Plagne), France
Resort height: |
1250-1450m |
|
Slopes: |
1250-3250m (La Plagne) |
|
Pistes: |
225km (La Plagne) |
(425km - Paradiski) |
The local north facing slopes of Montchavin–Les Coches offer an impressive 1000m vertical of heavily wooded slopes that are a great asset in bad weather when the higher purpose-built parts of La Plagne may be experiencing a whiteout.
4. La Tania (3 Valleys), France
Resort height: |
1350m |
|
Slopes: |
1260-3230m (3 Valleys) |
|
Pistes: |
600km (3 Valleys) |
|
La Tania is the best resort base in the 3 Valleys in bad weather. Its north facing local slopes are thickly wooded and offer options for all abilities. Once skies clear, access to the rest of the area (Courchevel, Val Thorens, Meribel) is also straight forward.
5. Vars/Risoul, France
Resort height: |
1850m |
|
Slopes: |
1660-2750m |
|
Pistes: |
185km |
|
Vars/Risoul is probably the highest of all Alpine areas to offer extensive woodland terrain. These southern French resorts are ideal in bad weather yet are rarely short of snow.
6. La Thuile, Italy
Resort height: |
1440m |
|
Slopes: |
1175-2610m |
|
Pistes: |
160km |
|
La Thuile shares an extensive area of snow-sure skiing with La Rosière in France, but has the vast majority of the trees, and makes much the better base in bad weather.
Looking for hotels in La Thuile? Click here
7. Madonna di Campiglio, Italy
Resort height: |
1520m |
|
Slopes: |
800-2505m |
|
Pistes: |
150km |
|
Madonna di Campiglio gets more snow than the resorts in the nearby Sella Ronda (Selva, Arabba), yet still boasts excellent snow-making and plenty of trees in case of bad weather.
Looking for hotels in Madonna di Campiglio? Click here
8. Selva Val Gardena, Italy
Resort height: |
1565m |
|
Slopes: |
1005-2520m |
|
Pistes: |
175km |
|
Selva and the Sella Ronda offer plenty of trees for bad weather days. They also have some of the best snow-making facilities in the Alps to combat an erratic natural snowfall record. On-piste, at least, snow cover is highly reliable and there is normally plenty open, even in the roughest of weather.
9. Schladming, Austria
Resort height: |
745m |
|
Slopes: |
745-2015m |
|
Pistes: |
125km |
|
Nearly all of Schladming's terrain is wooded, and its low altitude is less of a problem than in other Austrian resorts due to its shady north facing slopes and excellent snow-making.
10. Åre, Sweden
Resort height: |
380m |
|
Slopes: |
380-1275m |
|
Pistes: |
100km |
|
Check out the latest weather forecast and snow conditions
in the Alps and beyond