Ski seasons

When to go skating? Ski season may vary greatly from country to country. But classic ski season starts in December and finishes in April.

Ski seasons: fun starts

Most ski resorts in the world open ski season in the first two weeks of December. The opening of the ski season it is always a noisy mass action, where each resort strives to surprise visitors with something special. One of the most exciting ski season openings in Europe is considered to be Ischgl (Austria, Tyrol), where are invited the world's leading musicians.

Ski season peaks

Ski seasons have several periods, when are determined particular accommodation prices, the cost of ski passes and other services. Thus, the end of November - early December are starting periods of the season for many ski resorts in Europe. This means that the price level at this time will be 20-50% lower than during the Christmas holidays. In addition, at the beginning of the season in order to spur interest and make additional advertising, many ski resorts resort to various promotions and discounts, which help to save money.

New Year and skiing: prepare sleighs in summer

Christmas and New Year is the peak of the ski season, which should be booked for 9 months in advance. Many ski resorts in Austria and France reserve accommodation for year in advance. Russians often book holidays for the New Year in early September, while provident Germans, Austrians and British prepare their ski tours for the New Year in May.

At many alpine resorts the week after celebrating the New Year has long been considered as "half-dead": prices for accommodation from 3 to 10 January were significantly lower due to falling demand in Western Europe. Such situation preserved until the tourists from Russia and CIS countries came to the resorts. Since the Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7, influx of Russians, as well as tourists from Ukraine and Belarus in the first week of January usually saves Christmas prices at the same level. Among the most popular resorts, where tourists from CIS book accommodation, are: Zakopane (Poland), Mayrhofen (Austria) and Bormio (Italy).

Ski season in January-February

From one country to another ski season has ups and downs during January-February. Thus, for the ski resorts in France the period after the New Year holidays is followed by two weeks of hype in February, when two-week school holidays begin in the country. In addition, ski season is closely tied to the schedule of international competitions. Alpine slalom World Cup can raise prices not only for the day of the tournament, but for the rest of the season.

Skiing in spring

The part of the ski season from March to April is designed for family tourists. The decline in interest and fading demand at ski resorts in Europe are stimulated by various promotions that offer free accommodation for children, as well as favorable conditions for young skiers. Especially popular are family programs in Italy, in the Dolomites region.
In the rubric "Ski seasons" we will try to tell about the peculiarities of ski seasons for a variety of the most popular winter vacation destinations in the world.