When you think of winter sports, you think of the winter months. But you can also go skiing or snowboarding outside the winter months. What about autumn, for example during the autumn holidays? Then it is not about indoor ski slopes, but about real outdoor winter sports. The prices are much lower, it is less busy and it is not yet that cold. Sounds perfect, but what about the snow? There are plenty of places where you can enjoy winter sports 365 days a year and with a bit of luck, fresh snow will fall in the autumn.
Where can you do winter sports in the fall?
In autumn the chances of freshly fallen snow are somewhat smaller than in the winter season. Many ski areas are still closed in the autumn due to a lack of snow. However, you can enjoy winter sports in various areas in the autumn, as this involves eternal snow on the glaciers. The later in the autumn season, the greater the chance of fresh snow and therefore more open slopes. In Austria, for example, the areas of Stubai, Kärnten, Kaprun, Dachstein, Sölden, Hintertux, Kaunertal and Pitztal are open in autumn. Dachstein (Salzburgerland) and Kaprun often open in October. There are also various options in Switzerland, such as Saas Fee or Zermatt (all year). In Italy you can choose, for example, the areas Schnallstaler and Passo dello Stelvio. In France you can visit Les Deux Alpes and Tignes, among others. Another option is to go winter sports in Scandinavia, where fresh snow usually falls early in the autumn.
The advantages
There are several advantages to winter sports in the fall. The main advantage is the low prices because it is not high season. This quickly saves more than half! Less experienced winter sports enthusiasts can quickly master the glacier descents because they are generally relatively easy. The slopes are also not that busy (mainly during the week), so you can practice well. In addition, it is not as cold as in the real winter months and the days are even longer. It is light early and evening twilight only falls late. If you also enjoy (mountain) walking, skiing or snowboarding can easily be combined with beautiful walks in the lower areas. The hiking trails are still open and nature looks beautiful in the fall. The contrast between the snow-capped peaks, the lower green peaks and changing colors is beautiful.
What to pay attention to?
However, there are also things you need to take into account if you go on a winter sports holiday early in the year. Because it is still quite warm, the snow can become mushy later in the day. If a hot day is forecast, it is advisable to get up early. If you go for a walk later in the day or sit on a terrace to enjoy the sun, this does not have to be an insurmountable problem. Another point of attention is that the higher slopes are in the thinner air. This makes it a lot more tiring for people in poor condition. By taking it a bit easy on the first day, this point of attention is not a big problem for most people.
The experienced winter sports enthusiast
Autumn is less attractive for experienced winter sports enthusiasts. Skiing or snowboarding on just the glaciers quickly ceases to be a challenge. Only when fresh snow has fallen in the valleys does it become interesting because a lot of meters can be covered and the aforementioned advantages of autumn apply.
Keep an eye on snow conditions beforehand
Each winter sports village keeps track of the current snow depths on its own website. You can also often read on the websites of the ski villages how many slopes and lifts are open and what the snow quality is. So keep a close eye on the websites of the winter sports areas and weather sites before booking.
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