The PlanetSKI Snow Report

30th March 2026

Last modified on April 7th, 2026

There are warm conditions in the Alps. Head high for the best snow. UPDATED

Tuesday 7th April:

The warm conditions continue in the Alps with Spring conditions across the ski resorts that remain open.

High pressure is sitting over the Alps with the freezing level at over 3,000m.

It is icy first thing and generally the best skiing can be found on north facing slopes.

Tthough if you time it right, as the ice turns to softer snow, there is some excellent ‘spring snow’ to be found.

Spring skiing in Val Thorens. Image © PlanetSKI

The warm spell is coming to an end with colder conditions later in the week.

The weather will be unsettled over the weekend with some snow forecast in the southern Alps.

If you are planning a final ski trip, and there is still four weeks of the season left in some resorts, then head high.

Zermatt, Switzerland, this week. Image c/o Helen Gillespie/PlanetSKI.

Spring skiing in Val Thorens. Image © PlanetSKI

More to follow…

Easter Update:

Easter Monday sees high pressure dominating the weather across the Alps.

No fresh snow, but plenty of sunshine with warm temperatures.

After the generally good snowfall over the last couple of weeks in the Alps that means one thing – excellent spring conditions.

Les Menuires, France. Image c/o Vanessa Fisher.

“There is therefore a very healthy late season base in most high resorts, with good cover to relatively low altitudes in some northern areas too,” said Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk

“As for snow quality, any un-tracked powder is becoming harder to find, you will need a good local guide to seek out the remaining stashes on high north-facing slopes.”

Some of the best late-season resort options according to weathertoski are:

Austria

Ischgl
Obergurgl

France:

Val Thorens
Val d’Isère
Tignes
La Plagne
Les2Alpes

PlanetSKI has just been in one of them:

Spring skiing in Val Thorens

Plus the neighbouring resort of Les Menuires:

PlanetSKI is spring skiing in Les Menuires

Spring skiing in Val Thorens. Image © PlanetSKI

Les Menuires, France. Image © PlanetSKI

PlanetSKI has also been out in Gausta in Norway over Easter:

We’re in Norway for an Easter ski break

Gausta, Norway. Image © PlanetSKI

Italy

Cervinia

One of our readers, Helen Gillespie, is currently there.

Cervinia, Italy. Image c/o Helen Gillespie/PlanetSKI.

Switzerland

Zermatt
Verbier

However there is considerable avalanche danger in places as the warm temperatures affect the snowpack in the afternoon.

Here’s the situation in Switzerland today.

Image c/o Swiss Institute for Snow & Avalanche Research.

And the ski resort in Europe that claims the deepest snow according to weathertoski?

Arcalis in Andorra with 4m up top.

Who’d have thought it?

There remains some excellent late-season conditions in the mountains of Europe after a great season.

April remains one of PlanetSKI’s favourite times to be in the Alps and we’re planning to be back out shortly after our Easter back in the UK with family and friends.

PlanetSKI at Easter. Image c/o PlanetSKI.

It has been one of the best Easter weekends in recent years in many parts of the Alps with great snow conditions overall and blue skies overhead.

In the approach to Easter, the Alps were transformed with some resorts reporting over 1m of snow.

“A northerly weather system brought strong winds, heavy precipitation and a temperature drop of around 10°C, pushing snowfall right down to valley floors across the central, northern and western Alps,” said Snow-Forecast.

Some of the heaviest snowfall arrived with totals exceeding 1m last weekend in places, and further snow showers have continued on and off since.

Here’s was scene in Cervinia in Italy on Easter Sunday:

Cervinia, Italy. Image c/o Helen Gillespie/PlanetSKI.

PlanetSKI reader, Vanessa Fisher, has been updating us from Les Menuires in Les3Vallees.

“We have had three sunny days, but the pistes are still in great condition with a cooler air temperature maintaining the snow,” said Vanessa.

“It does get soft right at the end of the day on the lowest runs.”

“La Masse is in fantastic condition with patches of powder still to be found.”

PlanetSKI reporter, Mike Richards, updated from Les2Alpes on Good Friday.

Many resorts had special Easter events taking place under excellent conditions.

Here’s Verbier in Switzerland:

We heard earlier from PlanetSKI reader, Vanessa Fisher, in Les Menuires.

Her daughter Minnie and friend Annabel have been on a Uni ski trip to Risoul in the southern French Alps.

Uni ski trip to Risoul, France.

They update us on the snow conditions and what the less well-known French ski area has to offer:

“We arrived just in time for fresh snowfall on the first day of the last week of March leaving the entire resort covered in perfect powder which was a brilliant way to start the week.

The weather stayed amazing throughout, with sunny blue skies and excellent visibility every day.

Temperatures were ideal, keeping the snow in great condition while still being comfortable for skiing.

One of the best parts was how quiet it felt at times, it was incredible being able to ski whole runs without seeing anyone else.

Risoul is great for all ability levels, with a wide variety of runs for both beginners and more advanced skiers.”

Uni ski trip to Risoul, France.

“It was also very easy to link across to Vars, with two access chair lifts which gave us plenty of extra terrain to explore as well as a speed testing run.

Our favourite run was Pra Rond on the back side of the resort.

It is high up with stunning views, some of the best snow we experienced all week, and a long, cruisy blue that was perfect to ski.

The two linked resorts offer enough skiing for all levels of skiing and it was great to explore somewhere new.”

With thanks to Planetski’s partner Intersport for the perfect piste cruising skis – www.intersportrent.fr

Uni ski trip to Risoul, France.

Friday 3rd April

First we update from the Norwegian ski resort of Gausta.

“Great start to the busy Easter holiday weekend after 15cm of fresh snow fell on Thursday and temperatures dropped to -6c overnight,” said PlanetSKI reporter, Simon Wilson, who is in the resort.

PlanetSKI is on an Easter break in Gausta

“All this ensured an excellent day of piste skiing on Good Friday with good cover across the resort.”

Gausta, Norway. Image © Simon Wilson/ PlanetSKI

“It’s definitely busier here today with a bigger percentage of Norwegian families on the slopes compared to earlier in the week.

“And for the first time we have have started to see short lift queues of 15-20 minutes, whereas earlier in the week there were virtually none.

“However, in contrast to some other parts of Europe, the lift queues here are terribly polite and orderly.”

Gausta, Norway. Image © Simon Wilson/ PlanetSKI

“There’s no pushing in and people quietly filling all the seats on the chairlifts to make sure the queue moves faster for others.

“I know a few resorts in France – to name just one country – where this hardly ever happens.

“All is set fair for the rest of the Easter weekend, with a fresh snowstorm due to swing through tonight leaving another 20+cm of powder for Easter Saturday.”

In the Alps, PlanetSKI’s Steve Angus updates us from Tignes/Val d’Isere:

Over the Easter weekend it’s looking tasty in Zermatt in Switzerland.

PlanetSKI reader, Helen Gillespie, is there:

Zermatt, Switzerland. Image c/o Helen Gillespie.

And here’s the scene in neighbouring Cervinia in Italy:

Lets not forget Scotland where a mix of fresh snowfall with clear & sunny conditions have produced some of the best late-season skiing in recent years.

Cairngorm has now been open for 5 months.

Glencoe is the only other ski area open.

Our Scotland reporting team of Dianne and Rod Frazer has been out on the slopes of Cairngorm in the Scottish Highlands.

Cairngorm, Scotland. Image c/o Dianne and Rod Frazer.

More to follow…

Thursday 2nd April

The storm in the Alps passes.

The weather is clearing across the Alps as the Easter weekend approaches.

There is plenty of snow in many areas, in what is set to be one of the best Easter holiday periods in recent years for many areas.

We have been reporting on the spring storm over the last few days with full details lower down this post as we hear from reporters & readers in Austria, France and Switzerland.

“There have been fabulous blue skies in Les Menuires now the storm has passed,” said PlanetSKI reader, Vanessa Fisher, who is in the French resort.

“The temperature has remained cold for the time of year, so there is great snow both on piste and off piste.”

Les Menuires/St Martin de Belleville, Les3Vallees. Image c/o Vanessa Fisher.

Further south in the French Alps is PlanetSKI’s Mike Richards who is in Les2Alpes:

More to follow…

Wednesday 1st April

PlanetSKI’s chief reporter Jane Peel headed up the Ahorn mountain in the Austrian resort of Mayrhofen today to ski and catch up with some of the comedians and crew at the Altitude Comedy Festival, which is town this week.

Watch out for a separate report on that, coming soon.

“The weather was much the same as yesterday – I refer you to my video snow report below for more detail,” said Jane.

“That means light snow flurries on the mountain and intermittent thick fog and clearer spells.”

Mayrhofen, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI

“There aren’t too many runs on that side of the valley but I enjoyed lapping a few of the best several times as there had been more snow up there overnight so the conditions were excellent.

“The black run that brings you back to the valley got a bit soft by 3pm but that’s to be expected on 1st April.”

Mayrhofen, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI

The snow that had settled on the valley floor yesterday has now gone.

Mayrhofen, Wednesday 1st April. Image © PlanetSKI

Here was the scene at the same spot just 24 hours ago.

Mayrhofen, Tuesday 31st March. Image © PlanetSKI

Things change quickly at this time of year.

PlanetSKI reader, Vanessa Fisher, is in Les Menuires in Les3Vallees.

“It’s been a very wintry two days here in Les Menuires with fresh snow and cold temperatures,” said Vanessa.

“There’s been 15-20cm of fresh snow in the past 48 hrs that has combined with cold temperatures, which were down to -8c at times.

“Plus there’s been a cold wind making it feel more like January than the end of March/beginning of April.”

Les Menuires/Les3Vallees, France. Image c/o Vanessa Fisher.

“The skies are now clearing and temperatures look set to rise for the Easter weekend.

“All the slopes around the Les Menuires ski area are perfectly covered, slightly soft on the return run to Saint Martin in the late afternoon, but no bare patches anywhere and great cruising all the way down the blue Jerusalem run.

“There are also lovely long stretches of fresh powder snow off piste.”

Vanessa’s crew in Les Menuires/Les3Vallees, France. Image c/o Vanessa Fisher

As the day progressed the weather began to clear (slightly).

PlanetSKI editor, James Cove, was in Les Menuires a couple of weekends ago.

See here for his full report:

PlanetSKI is spring skiing in Les Menuires

The fresh snow has brought a ‘considerable’ risk of avalanche in some places.

It is at Level 3 in many parts of the Swiss Alps today.

Avalanche risk in Switzerland, Wednesday 1at April. Image c/o Swiss Avalanche Institute.

We had updates from PlanetSKI reporters & readers in Austria, France, Switzerland and Norway yesterday, so do read on to see their posts as the snow fell.

More to follow…

Tuesday 31st March:

Heavy snow is continuing to fall in parts of the Alps with Austria and some areas in Switzerland seeing the best of it.

Up to 50cm is forecast to have fallen in some places once the storm has passed.

PlanetSKI’s chief reporter, Jane Peel, is in the thick of it in Mayrhofen in Austria.

There is snow down to the valley floor in Mayrhofen at 630m.

Here’s the scene up on the slopes of Mayrhofen.

Late in the day the cloud came down, at times blanketing the slopes in fog.

Other skiers or the vague outline of trees was the only way to navigate.

Foggy in Mayrhofen, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI

Jane is in Mayrhofen for the British Snowboard & Freeski Championships – The BRITS.

The BRITS in Austria this week

In France, PlanetSKI’s Mike ‘the snow’ Richards is in a snowy and very windy

Les2Alpes.While PlanetSKI reporter, Simon Wilson, is currently in the resort of Gausta in the Telemark region of Norway.

“There has been 5cm of fresh snow overnight to top up the already excellent and well looked-after slopes,” said Simon.

“The weather is cool for the end of March with a hard freeze overnight and the snow softening on lower slopes only after about 2pm.”

“It’s a small ski area by Alpine standards with only 35 km of marked pistes, but the resort makes up for it with a well thought out lift system,” added Simon.

“Plus mercifully empty pistes for anyone who’s used to skiing in the big resorts of the Alps at this time of year in the run up to Easter.”

See Simon’s first blog post from Gausta:

PlanetSKI is on an Easter break in Gausta, Norway

He’ll be updating across this week so do check back.

Meanwhile PlanetSKI reader, Helen Gillespie, is in Zermatt in the Swiss Alps.

“Winter is back,”said Helen.

“But high winds are the problem for the 20cms or so expected to fall – with limited lift openings until things settle.”

“But Easter crowds are not overwhelming yet there are glorious bluebird days predicted for the end of the week.”

Zermatt, Switzerland. Image c/o Helen Gillespie/PlanetSKI.

In town it is a bit murky with wet snow falling.

Another PlanetSKI reader, Polly Hamilton, updates us from Le Grand Bornard in France.

“30cm fresh snow in Le Grand Bornard & still falling,” said Polly on Tuesday afternoon.

Polly Hamilton in Le Grand Bornard.

Monday 30th March

The unsettled weather continues in the Alps with more fresh snow set to fall this week in places, with cold temperatures.

Austria and Switzerland should see the best of it.

With Easter two weeks earlier than last year it is set to be a great end to the season in many ski areas.

PlanetSKI’s Jane Peel is in Mayrhofen in Austria.

“There are a few bright spells on a largely overcast Monday in Mayrhofen,” said Jane.

“Plenty of snow in this Austrian resort for Easter week and more in the forecast too.”

Jane is in Austria for the British Snowboard & Freeski Championships – The BRITS.

The BRITS in Austria this week

“Late season snow conditions have been superb this week in the northern Alps and will continue this way with yet more heavy snow forecast,” said Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk.

“Snow conditions in the southern Alps are generally far more average for the time of year, but here too you can find plenty of good skiing, helped by the below average temperatures that have benefited all parts of the Alps in recent days.”

Sunday 29th March

Much of the late-season snow that fell at the end of last week is remaining as there are continuing cold temperatures in the Alps.

Often at this time of year warm temperatures melt much of the snow that falls, but with the freezing level down to under 1,000m in places there is still good snow on the pistes with some excellent coverage.

There are some good conditions for the Easter ski breaks that are now underway, with the best of the snow in the northern Alps.

Zermatt/Cervinia. Images c/o Helen Gillespie/PlanetSKI.

If you are looking to ski beyond Easter the high-altitude resort of Tignes in France has sent us some end-of-season deals:

Last minute April ski deals to Tignes

April ski deals to Tignes

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