Top Picks | Spring Skiing

The Best Spring Skiing Destinations

Skiing does not have to be just a winter sport. Many ski resorts are open throughout the spring months. Spring skiing still has great snow, but the weather is often warmer and there are more sunny days to enjoy skiing the slopes. Here are a few great spring skiing destinations.

Mammoth Mountain, CA
Mammoth Mountain is an amazing spring destination. The weather is excellent, the nights are cold and the days are sunny. Skiers will enjoy the high elevation, reaching 11.000 feet. Although the lower lifts sometimes close during the spring, the higher lifts remain open late into the season. Visitors to Mammoth will also enjoy the great resort and nightlife scenes to be found at the bottom of the mountain.

Mt. Bachelor, OR
This mountain has even better weather in the spring than in the winter, and most of the mountain stays open late into the spring. Skiers will find that the snow conditions are variable and changing, which allows a varied but excellent skiing experience. Skiers will also enjoy all of the fun and culture to be found in Bend, which has art galleries, shopping and lots of excellent dining.

Lake Tahoe, CA
Lake Tahoe is an excellent destination year round, from summer through spring. Visitors will find a variety of mountains and resorts that offer skiers amazing spring skiing. These mountains include Kirkwood, with its high altitude, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. Squaw Valley, sports steep skiing, and excellent expert skiing options. Visitors will also find an excellent nightlife at these resorts, as well as, lots of fun in nearby Reno, Nevada.

Summit County, CO
Summit County, is a region with many high altitude Colorado Resorts. Visitors will find three main resorts where they can enjoy spring skiing, including Copper Mountain, with its excellent terrain and exposure, Arapahoe Basin and Pavlivaccini. Spring skiing in Summit County, Colorado can stretch well into May. Breckenridge Ski Resort is also a great spring skiing destination, with its four interconnected mountains, nightlife and other fun activities.

Snowbird, UT
This resort has one of Utah's longest ski seasons. The majority of this mountain stays open well into spring. Skiers will find that the conditions remain good, however, the south facing slopes that receive more sun exposure can close in the early afternoon.

Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia
This British Columbia ski resort is an amazing winter and spring destination. Whistler Blackcomb is the largest ski area in North America. It's upper slopes have good ski conditions until Memorial Day. This ski area's proximity to the coast, can make the spring weather conditions variable. Despite the varying weather conditions in the spring, the glacier and the sunny days make Whistler a great spring skiing destination. Skiers will all enjoy the variety of conditions offered by the vertical drop of almost a mile.

Big Sky, MT
Big Sky, Montana is an excellent spring skiing destination, made even better because of its uncrowded but amazing slopes. This resort has winter weather that lasts through the spring. These weather conditions give the resort great snow conditions for spring skiing, as well as winter skiing.

Vail and Beaver Creek, CO
Vail and its sister resort Beaver Creek have seasons that last well into April depending on the weather conditions. This is the second largest ski resort in North America and is one of the most popular destinations for skiing and snowboarding. Skiers will enjoy the wide range of slopes that cater to a wide variety of experience levels.

Alyeska Resort, AK
Although most skiers don't consider Alaska a top destination, the Alyeska Resort has amazing spring skiing. The slopes are open through April and continues to be open on weekends through May. Located within the Chugach National Forest, close to Anchorage, skiers will find a wide variety of terrain. There are slopes that are good for inexperienced skiers, and it also has the longest continuous double-black diamond in North America. Skiers looking for good spring skiing will find good snowfall and will enjoy the uncrowded slopes. Alyeska also has excellent options for night skiing.