November Skiing
 

Hey Fellow Skiiers! I am planning a vacation early November and was hoping to go skiing. Does anyone know a place to ski with a season that starts this early? It is actually my honeymoon - hence the time restriction!
Thanks... look forward to hearing back! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

Of course it's always subject to the weather but i know here in Colorado that some of the areas always try to be open for Thanksgiving - at least on a small run basis. I'd think that maybe some of the Canadian FTers could suggest Whistler since i thought it opened pretty early and had the glacier fields. Since that is always a pretty iffy time, if I were you i'd get married and do the honeymoon a few weeks later when the snow conditions are pretty much guaranteed, though Thanksgiving is always the busy start of the season.

They have summer skiing on some of the Alpine glaciers (e.g. Zermatt). I assume it would also be available early November. Zermatt is also a great place in general.

Agree it's chancy in early November, unless you can make last-minute travel plans and go where the snow is.

I was once researching early November opening resorts and Val Thorens in France advertises consistent opening in first week of November. I recall this is the highest altitude station in the Alps.

If you look for glacier skiing, check the opening dates carefully. Even areas that have summer skiing in July & August such as Tignes and Saas Fee close down in the fall to reopen in mid-November.

Final bit of advice is to rent skis or take your rock skis for early or late season skiing.

Historically (past 3 years), the Canadian Rockies have NOT had much snow in November - I'd stay away from there unless you can go last minute and do a check on conditions.

If snow conditions permit it; some US major resorts will be full functioning the US-Thanksgiving weekend (and before), and the rates then (lift-tickets and lodging) are still off-season-low.

Have been there then and done this so far in the last 10 years at:
* Jackson Hole (the steepest skiing so far exrienced in North America)
* Lake Tahoe Area (Squaw Valley, Heavenly, Kirkwood)
* Taos, New Mexico (I did never beliefe before, that there would be such great skiing in New Mexico)
* all major Colorado Resorts including Winter Park, Keystone (night-skiing till 8PM!), Breckenridge, Vail-Beaver Creek, Aspen (all for mountains including Snowmass, Aspen mountain is not for Snowboarders)
* Salt Lake City/Utah's resorts (often the ski world cup races start there in late Nov already)
* Banff-Lake Louise (women's ski world cup starts there in late novemebr)
* Whistler/Blackcomb

You're going to have a difficult time finding a resort that you can count on to be open in early November. In North America, most resorts open by Thanksgiving, but aren't fully operational then. In places where seasons are reversed, such as Chile or New Zealand, skiing ends for the season in October. There are a few places in Alberta, Canada - Lake Louise and Sunshine Village - that more-often-than-others open in early November. In any event, even if they weren't open, Banff would and Lake Louise would be beautiful spots to honeymoon. Best wishes.

[This message has been edited by letiole (edited 03-15-2002).]