A blast of icy, wet air travelled up and over the central Alps in the last week of March, proving that winter still has plenty of potential to breathe new life into the Austrian ski slopes. With some resorts reporting over 100 centimetres of snowfall, it’s a perfect time to get out and traverse your favourite slopes all over again. Indeed, many slopes have better runs, softer powder, and superior conditions compared to their status only a few months back. In fact, with less-crowded slopes, it’s even easier to find good ski resorts, ski apartments, and routes without needing to wait on reservations or the next lift.
All across the central Alps, the conditions have been quite favourable. This comes as welcome news for Austrian ski fanatics, who had to endure a disappointing winter for many resorts that struggled to accumulate large quantities of snow. But the snow finally came, transforming green and grey mountainsides into white wonderlands. It’s good quality powder snow all over Austria, furthermore: not so wet that it clumps together and makes skiing difficult.
The advent of quality snow may be enough to recoup many of the declining Austrian figures. While British tourists maintained a steady stream into Austria, holding down the number one spot for foreign skiers, Germans numbered fewer the past years than the historical average. New tours and resorts are offering excellent last-minute deals in order to capitalise on the new snowfall, as only three percent of UK ski tourists visit Austria during the month or April. One tour operator noted that if this snowfall had taken place two months earlier, there would be no room for travellers, but the courses remain open and in excellent condition.
