Still skiing

You're probably thinking about where you're going to go at Easter – or even contemplating your summer holiday. But plenty of ski resorts – like Beaver Creek and Vail in Colorado – keep their lifts oiled well into spring, so don’t pack those coats and gloves away just yet. We've even got some tips on hitting the slopes in summer. Read on...

I have just disappeared, alone, snowshoes firmly attached to my feet, into the beautiful, fresh snow fields of McCoy Park, right at the top of Beaver Creek mountain in Colorado. There's not another human being in sight – and probably not another in the park at the moment in view of the fact that although the snowshoe trail is clearly signed in front of me, it's covered by about three feet of powder. There are no footprints to follow.

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon skiing down Beaver Creek mountain. This afternoon, I'm going to try my hand at ski-biking (visit WideWorld later in the year for the skinny on this fab addition to any ski holiday). What's great about all this is that it's April in a few days time. Skiing (or snowboarding; ski-biking; snowshoeing – delete which) in Spring is great for a number of reasons: the crowds are mostly all gone, sometimes resorts offer end-of-season discounts, and if Spring hasn't really sprung where you live, the weather is in that kind of annoyingly in-between phase of being not warm enough to do much outside and not cold enough for a refreshing winter walk. Going on a late ski holiday is the obvious solution to this seasonal dilemma.

Beaver Creek is known for its world cup racing (down Birds of Prey – a lethal-looking slope to anyone, like me, who is anything less than an intermediate skier), but it also has much gentler slopes like Bachelor Gulch (named for the pioneers in these parts who were, as you probably guessed, mostly men) and intermediate trails like Larkspur and Rose Bowl.

Nearby Vail Mountain (like Beaver Creek, also run by Vail Resorts) boasts three areas of mountains including terrain parks, bowls and over 5,000 acres of 'freeride terrain'.

Best news of all is that Beaver Creek doesn't close until April 17th - just in time to head over to Vail for some more powder. So pack those skis or snowboards and head to the Rockies.

Visit: www.beavercreek.com/ and www.vail.com/springback
Stay: ospreyatbeavercreek.rockresorts.com
Eat: (Beaver Creek):  www.beavercreek.com/groups/group-venues/zachs-cabin.aspx (Vail): www.gamecreekrestaurantvail.com

Other resorts

North America

There’s been record-setting snowfall this season in Colorado: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone have had the highest year to date snowfall in the last decade. Plus, Breckenridge and Vail are open until April 24 this year.

It’s been a great snow year in Lake Tahoe also. Northstar-at-Tahoe has broken a 25-year snow record this season. The resort has received 466 inches season-to-date and has surpassed the average season snowfall by more than 100 inches.

For Spring events at Vail resorts, click here

Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood is North America’s only year-round ski resort. At the end of May, snowsports shift up to the Palmer glacier until September. It's about an hour’s drive from Portland and offers a cheap $99 spring pass deal. http://www.timberlinelodge.com/

Arapahoe Basin lets you ski and snowboard until June and its $138 Spring 3 Pass gives you three days for the cost of two. http://www.arapahoebasin.com/default.asp

The ski season at Snowbird, Utah, lasts well into May. http://www.snowbird.com/index.html

Mammoth receives tonnes of snow all winter, and it's open until July 4th some years. Check the website for details: http://www.mammothmountain.com/

New Zealand

Take advantage of the fact that our summer is their winter, and head to Whakapapa or Turoa on the north-western slopes of Mt Ruapehu, an active stratovolcano on the north island. Its projected 2011 ski season dates are June to October. http://www.mtruapehu.com/

Europe

Val Thorens, France, is Europe’s highest ski resort and the lifts run until early May. Part of the huge Three Valleys ski area, Val Thorens is an excellent bet for good snow conditions even late in the season. http://www.valthorens.com/

Riksgransen, Sweden, lies 200km above the Arctic Circle and is one of the world’s most northerly ski resorts. Here, the lifts don’t stop running until the end of June. http://www.stromma.se/en/Riksgransen/

The Swiss ski resort of Zermatt has lifts that take you to almost 4,000 metres above sea level, and it's open until early May, before summer skiing begins on the glacier. Zermatt is one of the few year-round ski destinations in the world. http://www.zermatt.ch/en/

Far East

Located in Yamagata on the island of Honshu, Japan, Gassan gets so much snow during the winter season, that it doesn’t even open until April because it's inaccessible until then. www.snowjapan.com/e/features/as-i-ski-it-3.html