Mountains Magazine
Peak pleasures year round
Last chance to hit the slopes
Where can you ski late in the season? Here's some resorts in Europe, Japan and North America where snow is all-but guaranteed until the end of spring.
Words and photography by Olly Beckett
Just as ski season begins it seems as though the end is already in sight. But worry not, for there are resorts in Europe, Japan and North America which remain open into May. Is snow guaranteed? Not necessarily, and it tends to be softer towards season's end, but the weather tends to be better and, with a late Easter (Easter Sunday in 2025 is on April 20th), many resorts will be keeping their slopes open for longer than usual.
The main European ski countries will each have resorts open until 4 May. What unites these resorts is their high altitude. In France there's Tignes (highest altitude 3,450m), Les 2 Alpes (3,600m) and the highest, Chamonix, at 3,842m. The Austrian resorts open until 4 May are Sölden (highest altitude 3,340m) and Ischgl (2,872M). In Italy it's Cervinia (3,480m) and Livigno (3,006m), although the latter closes on Thursday 1 May. Switzerland's last resorts to close are Engelberg, where you ski from the summit of Mount Titlis at 3,020m, and St Moritz (3,303m).
The resorts of Shiga Kogen Japan open the latest of all the resorts in May, with a closing date of 11 May. At 2,307m above sea level Yokoteyama-Shibutoge Ski Resort is the highest in this area. Rising to 1,650m Nozawa Onsen closes its slopes on 6 May, as does Happo-One – Hakuba resort, which has a maximum height of 1,831m. Cold winds from Siberia blowing across the Sea of Japan are what help these relatively low resorts remain open so late.
Overlooking Jasper, Canada's Marmot Basin - with a summit at 2,612 - ends its ski season on May 4th. Also in Alberta, Banff Sunshine Resort has slopes rising to 2,730m and you can continue skiing there until May 19th, the same date as British Colombia's Whistler Blackcomb (2,284m).
Lucky USA, with its many resorts opening right up until the start of summer. There's some big names here, too. Breckenridge is open this year until May 11th and its slopes rise to 3,963m, just above 3,753m Copper Mountain which closes on the same date.
You can ski from a height of 3,369 in Mammoth Mountain's and right up until May 26th. It's Colorado's Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, though, which opens latest. This 3,977m resort will be your last chance to ski in the USA until next season, closing its slopes on the 8th of June.
