Spring skiing in French Alps

[Anonymous]

I realize I am looking for a very specific and perhaps unlikely to exist rec but going to give it a try anyway. I like to plan trips pretty far in advance for budgeting purposes. Thinking of flying to Paris and taking the train to the French Alps next Spring Break (end of March) for some sightseeing in Paris and then skiing. The catch is I need to find a mountain that has a good spring ski season but also doesn't have a crazy altitude. Colorado was ROUGH and I definitely can't do mountains as high as the Rockies again. Also, looking for a fun town but also have two tweens (good skiers) so don't need a wild night life. Has anyone done spring skiing in France or somewhere accessible by train from Paris but has a relatively reasonable altitude?

[Anonymous]

Not sure about spring skiing but I've heard great things about Chamonix

[Anonymous]

We went to Val d'Isere in 2016 in late March. The altitude is much lower than the Rockies. I think the base is around 5000 ft. We loved the town and the resort itself. The issue with skiing in much of Europe is that they don't get as much snow in general than the U.S. and with climate change it is only going to get worse.

Having said that, I highly recommend Val d'Isere. We flew into Geneva, which is the closest major airport to both Chamonix and Val d'Isere.

[Anonymous]

We went to Chamonix the 2nd week of March last year. It was the equivalent of late season in the Rockies. While most of the areas around Chamonix (there are 4 or 5 different ones) were open, the conditions were pretty crappy. We had a great time anyway, but mid March is considered late season. Any resorts farther south probably would not even be skiable.

If the Rockies are too high, you might try Whistler-Blackcomb. It is much lower and awesome skiing.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the Whistler suggestion. That is definitely my alternate plan. I've heard the town is awesome and spring skiing is fun.