Ski season in the Alps month by month – when to go

The best week in the Alps depends on what you're after: snow, sun, empty slopes or the World Cup up close. Here is the season month by month, with holidays, competitions and glaciers.

The ski season in the Alps begins when the high resorts open their lifts in late November and ends when the last ones close in April or early May. Between those dates, the weeks differ greatly: in snow, in light, in prices and in how many people are standing in the lift queue. Those who choose their week with care get a better trip for the same money.

Here's the season month by month, with the most important holidays and competitions. Exact opening and closing dates are set by each lift company and published on the resorts' official websites, often during the autumn. Our guides to the resorts can be found among metromode.co's destinations.

01November: the high-altitude resorts open

The season begins high up. Resorts with glaciers or high-altitude areas, such as Val Thorens, Tignes and Val d'Isère in France, usually open during the second half of November. In Switzerland, Zermatt has skiing on the glacier at Matterhorn Glacier Paradise even in summer, and in Austria, the Hintertux Glacier in Tyrol has long been known for year-round skiing. November snow is unpredictable, but those who ski early often get groomed slopes almost to themselves.

02December: the World Cup and Christmas

In early December, most of the major resorts open, and the palace hotels in Courchevel and Megève begin their season. In Val d'Isère, the Critérium de la Première Neige is traditionally held, with World Cup races on the Olympic piste, the Face de Bellevarde. The weeks before Christmas are often quiet and affordable. Christmas and New Year week are the opposite: the season's most expensive and most booked days, particularly in Courchevel, St Moritz and Gstaad.

03January: the calm and the Streif

After Epiphany, things quieten down. January is often the coldest month of the season, with short days but dry snow and sparse slopes – many experienced skiers consider it the best time. It is also the month of the Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbühel, the World Cup races on the Streif, when the town is fully booked. In St Moritz, Snow Polo is played on the frozen lake, and in Gstaad the sky fills with hot air balloons during the international balloon week.

04February: half-term and White Turf

February is high season. The French winter holidays are staggered across three zones, A, B and C, and together they cover February and the start of March. At the same time, British schools have their half-term holiday in mid-February. This makes the French resorts full and expensive throughout the period. In St Moritz, White Turf is held, horse racing and skikjoring on the frozen lake, one of the winter's great society events.

Those travelling in February should book early and choose the high-altitude resorts, where the snow is most reliable. Always check the French school holiday dates for the year – they are published by the French Ministry of Education.

05March: sun, longer days and the Engadin

March is, for many, the best month. The days are longer, the sun higher and the terraces warmer, and once the French school holidays are over, the slopes become quieter. Snow depth is often at its greatest at the start of the month. In the Engadin, the Engadin Skimarathon takes place, the cross-country race across the valley's frozen lakes that has been run since 1969.

06April: spring snow and freeride

In April the snow becomes spring-like: hard in the morning, soft in the middle of the day. The lower resorts, such as Megève and Kitzbühel, may start closing, while the high ones stay open longer. Easter shifts from year to year and can bring a final peak in bookings. Spring is also when Xtreme Verbier is held, the final of the Freeride World Tour on the Bec des Rosses.

07May to October: the glaciers

When the season ends in the valleys, the snow remains on the glaciers. Zermatt has summer skiing at Matterhorn Glacier Paradise at 3,883 metres, and several resorts open glacier areas for training during part of the summer. The availability depends on snow conditions and changes from year to year.

Anyone considering buying in the mountains can find property prices on VERA PI's pages about Savoie and Haute-Savoie. For the resorts themselves, read 48 hours in Zermatt and our guide to Gstaad.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.