The subject of summer holidays came up with my wife last night and we have decided we’d like to do some summer skiing. I’m a pretty experienced skier, she is a complete beginner, she likes the idea of learning when it is a bit warmer and she can do other things on the trip rather than just ski, I thought this sounded rather sensible.

Anyway, we just need to decide where to go. My first thought was Les Deux Alpe as it has a glacier which is relatively tame and having skied there in the winter I know the resort, it’s not exactly picturesque though! So, bar there, where can I go (in Europe, tempting though New Zealand/Chile is) which has a glacier for summer skiing and ideally is vaguely picturesque as well?

Tignes. I love my skiing (being going for 35 years) but have only skied once in the summer in Europe (in Tignes). Icy first thing in the morning and soft by noon when the lifts shut. I would take your bike and do a mixed holiday with some skiing and some hiking/riding. IMO if your wife is a beginner she’ll get more out of snow-dome lessons.

Zermatt.

I’m not sure that crowded slopes with conditions rapidly changing from dodgy to rubbish are ideal for learning. Better to go late in the proper season where if you get lucky you get nice snow and sunshine. Glacier skiing is fun for a novelty but not worth basing a trip around.

No idea what the summer skiing is like in Zermatt but its an stunning place to spend time in the summer so would be perfect for the multi-activity element I think you need. Great walking, enough biking, mountain railways, Matterhorn. Not the cheapest place but you don’t have to eat/drink in the most expensive places. You could spend a day or two down by Lake Geneva too.

Prepare to be bored out of your skull skiing on a glacier for a week.

Thanks all, Zermatt particularly looks interesting.

I have no intention of just skiing for the week, I suspect what we’d do is ski for a few hours in the morning and hike/cycle/sit in the sun in the afternoons. My wife is almost seeing this as a taster as to whether or not she wants to do a “proper” ski trip next year, after 10 years of her being very anti-skiing this is my one chance!

I’m not sure that crowded slopes with conditions rapidly changing from dodgy to rubbish are ideal for learning. Better to go late in the proper season where if you get lucky you get nice snow and sunshine. Glacier skiing is fun for a novelty but not worth basing a trip around.

Have to agree with this although I guess it’s worth a try if it’s your only option. Glacier skiing is never that great IME, especially in summer.

Zermatt is a truly stunning place though, if you can afford it. Surrounded by 4000m+ peaks including the Matterhorn towering over you which just looks incredible.

lunge packs for his ski holiday in Zermatt

We’ve only snowboarded once in summer – at the top of Stelvio. Conditions change pretty quick from icy to slush and it shuts downs around lunch time. It was good fun for a day but I’m not sure I’d fancy a week of it.

I know you’ve discounted them but personally I’d be looking at Chile, or as others have suggested a bike/ski mix.

OP, you can do Zermatt on a (relative) budget, eg find a half board hotel and buy bread/cheese/50cl bottle of local wine and go hiking and eat on the trail side for lunch – this is what most locals do. There are deals combining hotels with train tickets too, Zermatt is car free so you can think about whether to drive/rent a car. The day tickets for the lifts are pricey given you’ll probably only use a few lifts a day (or just walk up) but that’s summer pricing for you. If you skip the skiing part and just try and enthuse the Mrs about the mountains you have many more options, eg Dolomites or Austrian Alps which will give you all the charm and hopefully encourage the Mrs to go back in the winter.

If you want it sunny, then you might be better off waiting till next year and going somewhere late season.

We went to Austria a couple of weeks ago and it was HOT most of the week. The snow was getting increasingly patchy, but my wife didn’t care as she was more interested in sitting in the sun. She’s decided that snow sports aren’t really for her.

It dumped mid week (luckily) which meant I had 3 days of powder to play in.

I really wouldnt bother going in the summer. I have done many a summer race training on glaciers, and I can not see why anyone would want to do it recreationally.

Its cold first thing, but by the time you finish you are sweating buckets, and your boots are wet. The snow goes from hard to slush, and is only decent for about 30 minutes.

Then there is the time it takes to get up and down the mountain, the ques.

The fact that a large area will be taken by national squads training etc.

Its worth going for a novelty morning or 2, but not basing your whole holiday around it.

Go now though, there is bucket loads of snow currently

Interesting thoughts, thanks all.

Part of the reason we like the idea of doing it in the summer is that we had a wonderful 2 weeks in the alps a couple of summers ago, this involved lots of walking, lots of wine overlooking the mountains and was very well received by a previously reluctant wife. Our thought was to try and do the same this year but add in the option of a few hours of skiing as well. I’m not expecting lots of runs or good quality snow, just enough to learn on.

We can’t go next year as we have a big and very expensive trip planned already, I do agree that Easter would be a good time in an ideal world.

Maybe I need to look into the Southern Hemisphere in more detail.

One option to consider.

Go to Bourg Saint Maurice at Easter, stay in the town where the weather is great and stable mostly and there are lots of things to do that you can get to. Rent skis from Gordon and Rose at Polair Star next to the funicular and ski Les arcs when you feel like it. We do this every year and end up sunbathing in the afternoons. We stay at Le Versoyen campsite.

I’m not expecting there to be any skiable snow in Les Arcs this summer! Isn’t there a glacier at La Plagne though?

Edit – I missed the bit where you said Easter!

Engelberg might be a nice option. Nice in the summer, lots of lovely walks (and biking), attractive place, and skiing on the Titlis (no sniggering at the back) glacier in the summer. Takes bloody ages to get up that high though, just as a brief FYI, but once there, there are tons of activities beyond skiing.

Riksgränsen , Sweden. Snowboard at midnight

Part of the reason we like the idea of doing it in the summer is that we had a wonderful 2 weeks in the alps a couple of summers ago, this involved lots of walking, lots of wine overlooking the mountains and was very well received by a previously reluctant wife. Our thought was to try and do the same this year but add in the option of a few hours of skiing as well. I’m not expecting lots of runs or good quality snow, just enough to learn on.

Maybe I need to look into the Southern Hemisphere in more detail.

You do realise that the reason you can ski in New Zealand in the European summer is because it’s the middle of their winter? There won’t be much walking and sipping of wine to be done as it’ll be bleedin’ freezing 😀

@wallop AFAIK there is no summer skiing at La Plagne nor from memory on the Val d’Isere glacier. Its only available at Tignes.

Pray for a cold spring and walk up a Munro?

Some on here have skied on mid summers day in Scotland… 😉

You do realise that the reason you can ski in New Zealand in the European summer is because it’s the middle of their winter? There won’t be much walking and sipping of wine to be done as it’ll be bleedin’ freezing

I am indeed aware of this. However, when a very anti-skiing wife says she wants to try it and this summer is the only time within the next 2 years to do so I need to look at options. Plus, and this may well be the big thing here, it could mean a trip to New Zealand for the first time in 10 years.

Saas fee in Switzerland. We were climbing but plenty of skiing going on around us.

By all means investigate NZ but I wouldn’t go on 24-30 hr flights (you have to get to the actual resort too which is likely to be another flight/long drive) to go skiing in August and for a beginner ?

FWIW I would check if its possible to have beginners lessons in European glaciers in the summer. If you are going to do this get some snow dome sessions in if at all possible.

Zermatt all the way.

Tignes and many of the higher French resorts are god foresaken places in Winter – in Summer they are even more grim.

Maybe try indoor skiing for a weekend?

There is summer skiing at Val D’Isère up above le Fornet until mid July. It would be cheaper than Tignes and definitely less crowded. The slopes up there are more mellow too, much more suited for beginners lessons.