Summer Snowboarding Holidays

An ideal trip for the die-hard rider, summer snowboarding holidays are an excellent way to get an off-season fix, with many glaciers throughout the Alps open all year round. There is a good range of resorts to choose from, with a summer snowboarding holiday often boasting excellent early-morning snow conditions and wonderful sunny weather. Summer snowboarding holidays can be enjoyed in resorts which are known for their snow-sure, high-altitude and generally north-facing slopes, and steep terrain.

 

France is one of the most popular countries for a summer snowboarding holiday, with resorts such as Tignes offering terrain on the Grande Motte glacier, with 16 ski lifts, 20km of runs and an extensive snowpark, and Val d'Isere boasting 9 runs and 500km of vertical on its Glacier du Pissaillas, and both resorts offering snowmaking facilities. Other French resorts open for a summer snowboarding holiday include Les Deux Alpes, with 10 runs and a snowpark on its Glacier de Mont de Lans, and Alpe D'Huez, home to the Sarenne Glacier. Other resorts for a summer snowboarding holiday include the Austrian resorts of Mayrhofen, home to the Hintertux Glacier, and Kaprun, offering trails on the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, as well as the Swiss resort of Zermatt, and the Matterhorn Glacier.

 

Summer snowboarding holidays are popular with professionals and instructors, as the glacial slopes are less crowded and the weather conditions are great for training, especially early on in the day. The glaciers tend to open earlier than in the winter, usually 7.30am, and close around lunchtime, when the sun begins to melt the snow and conditions become too slushy. Afternoons on a summer snowboarding holiday can be spent sunbathing, mountain-biking, sight-seeing or just generally relaxing. High sun protection and goggles are imperative on a summer snowboarding holiday due to the high altitudes and strong sunshine, however these warm temperatures can also mean the joys of heading down the slopes in just a t-shirt. Although the majority of our ski operators do not offer summer snowboarding holidays, a number of them do have summer snowboarding nearby.