Everybody hits the slopes in peak winter – I tried later in the season | Europe | Travel

Just days before my journey to the French Alps in late spring, I had a nightmare. I dreamt that I had taken my family to a ski resort, but there was no snow left. They were fuming. It was perhaps travel fever getting to me, as I was about to head to Les Arcs with a group of strangers to experience what it’s like to ski in late April, during the last week of the season.

We landed in Lyon on a Saturday and France welcomed us with a warm hug of 20C. “Am I in Lanzarote?” I wondered, dreading my nightmare might come true. After three hours on the bus east towards the Italian border, we arrived at our final destination – Les Arcs.

Located in France’s Tarentaise Valley, Les Arcs consists of several ‘levels’, including Arc 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000 – each sitting at different altitudes with slightly different vibes. Our apartment was in Arc 1950, a charming, pedestrian-only, ski-in-ski-out area. As we carried our luggage up the road en route to the accommodation, metres of snow were still lining the streets, and tanned skiers were riding the slopes that lead all the way to the hotels. Perhaps skiing in April wouldn’t be a lost cause after all.

We stayed in a chalet-style apartment hosted by Ski Beat, located within the Prince de Cimes Residence, featuring its own spa. The apartment spans two floors and accommodates up to nine people across four bedrooms. It is very cosy, with Alpine touches such as a log fireplace and even multiple deer pictures. One of the rooms had a small drawback as its window couldn’t be opened. However, my sister and I were lucky to have a spacious en-suite room with a cottage feel.

Our lovely chalet host Izzie treated us to a soul-warming three-course dinner paired with delicious wine straight away. Alongside a full English breakfast, fresh baguettes and tasty homemade cakes, this was our standard for the rest of the week.

The first day began with renting out gear. When handed our ski boots, my sister and I, both self-proclaimed advanced skiers, rushed to try them on to check the fit. The French shop assistant laughed and told us there’s no need, as their technology had already measured our feet perfectly. He was right. The boots were even better than my own. Off to the slopes.

The lifts at Les Arcs normally open at “8:45-ish, depending on when the French decide to wake up,” as we were told. The resort taught me that a late-season ski holiday is best suited to early risers. Before lunchtime, the slopes were still freshly groomed and almost empty. The snow had a great grip, so we spent our mornings hyping up our Strava profiles, tirelessly carving down the pristine runs until our legs were burning, or until one of us really needed to go to the loo. At the famous Bulle Café, we rewarded ourselves with a delicious hot chocolate, or, when brave enough, a couple pints of Blanche in the mountain sun.

As someone who grew up skiing in the Austrian Alps and was (unwillingly) made to race in family ski competitions, I can confidently say the resort was an absolute treat. Snow was covering most of the slopes, with the highest one being the blak run going down from the Aiguille Rouge peak at 3,226 metres. Les Arcs, Peisey-Vallandry, and La Plagne make up the vast Paradiski area, one of the world’s largest interconnected ski domains, covering 425km of pistes. The Vanoise Express, located in Peisey, connects skiers from Les Arcs and Peisey to La Plagne. Unfortunately, at this time of the season it was already closed, so we mostly stuck to Les Arcs. Still, with around 200km of slopes, including a snow park, there was more than enough for us to explore.

The resort is ideal for confident skiers, with a solid choice of wide red runs, and the high altitude really helps with snow reliability. But Les Arcs is also very much a popular spot for families. There are countless ski schools, and in the afternoons we often found ourselves weaving through groups of tiny skiers, much to the loss of temper for one of our friends, who was terrified to accidentally knock one over.

A slight disadvantage was that by around 11:30am, the snow had become very slushy. One British chalet host working in the resort throughout the year told me that the resort “had to close quite a few runs”, although the operators “are doing a good job of keeping it open”. Another British visitor who had been to Les Arcs in March said he actually prefers it in April for being “a lot emptier”, and that “the sun is always out”.

There was plenty to do off the slopes, too. One afternoon, we visited the Deep Nature Spa with saunas, grotto-style pools and a hot tub with a view of Mont Blanc. It was genuinely the most stunning spa I’ve ever been to. I then tempted fate by seeing whether I could hold onto my phone while filming my flight on the 130km/h Aiguille Rouge Zipline (I succeeded). I was also proud to win a race down a 3km sledge descent, crossing paths with a bunch of marmots on the way.

In terms of social events, if you think La Folie Douce, you’re wrong, as the closing party had already taken place. Sadly, we missed it by just a few days. That said, we stumbled upon a local spot with a live band and really good DJs, filled mostly with French guests, which made the experience very authentic. There was also a fun sunset DJ session right in the Les Arcs centre, with people dancing on open terraces and groups of French guests in luxury sunglasses sipping Aperol Spritzes and enjoying the last rays of sunshine (yes, it was still light at 7pm).

Would I recommend skiing at the end of April? Definitely yes, if you are looking to enjoy a quiet atmosphere, nearly empty slopes, and don’t mind sacrificing the snow quality. The biggest plus? It will likely be sunny every day, so you might, indeed, come back looking like you’d been to Lanzarote.

Ski Beat (www.skibeat.co.uk) has a week’s ski holiday in a choice of slopeside chalets in eight of France’s top ten high altitude resorts from £673pp during the 2026/27 season. A week’s stay at Chalet Coulicou, Arc 1950, costs from £834pp for spring skiing (17th April 2027), and £1192pp departing mid-winter, 2nd January. Prices include return flights from Gatwick or Manchester, transfers, and a chalet host to prepare breakfast, afternoon tea, and three-course evening meals with wine. www.skibeat.co.uk, 01273 855100

For information about Arc 1950 visit www.arc1950.com, and Les Arcs, www.lesarcs.com.