Winter's final Fling

The party's not over! Time to hit the last of the winter festivals at these still-snowy resorts around Europe, says Chris Beanland

SNOWBOMBING

Where? Mayrhofen, Austria
When? 4–9 April
Why go? You can party in a disco made of ice

In April, it’s as though a giant has pounded up along the Zillertal Valley and unpacked a perfect toy festival in charming little Mayrhofen. The well-established Snowbombing festival (now called Volvo Snowbombing) is today so good most punters come to this lovely village for the music and don’t even bother to ski. But you’d be a fool to miss the view from the top of the Ahorn mountain, accessible by Austria’s more far-reaching cable car. Regular Snowbomber Kara Simsek says: “Can you think of a better word than ‘magical’ to describe the feeling of dancing in a giant igloo half-way up a mountain, knocking back black vodka, with a massive soundsystem blaring out some of the sickest beats around? I can’t.”

Volvo Snowbombing organiser Gareth Cooper says: “This year we have The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, and Professor Green. And for the first time the cream of British stand-up comedians like Al Murray and Sean Hughes.”

www.snowbombing.com
Fly to Salzburg from Dublin and London (Stansted). Or fly to Memmingen (Munich West) from 16 destinations, including Alghero, Edinburgh, Malaga, Oslo (Rygge) and Porto.

CAPRICES

Where? Crans-Montana, Switzerland
When? 6–9 April
Why go? Stunning views, great music, good food

Look out for Roger Moore (who has a house here) or, failing that, just let your eyes linger on those views of the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc as you tackle the 140km of pistes. Some would say these are the best views in the Alps. Of course, if it’s après-ski you’re after then the Caprices Festival dishes up gigs galore. Nas and Damian Marley star, along with rockers Scorpions (pictured) and Bristol songstress Martina Topley- Bird. There’s also a club open until 5am (6am on Saturday). Hungry? Stylish restaurant Chetzeron serves fail-safe fondue at 2,112m.

www.capricesfestival.ch/2011
Fly to Turin from 10 destinations, including Paris (Beauvais). Or fly to Grenoble from Dublin, London (Stansted) and Stockholm (Skavsta).

GO WILD

Where? Avoriaz, France
When? 2–9 April
Why go? For guerrilla gigs, traffic-free streets and legendary snowboarding runs

“Avoriaz has a reputation for being unique – we’re entirely pedestrianised and we were one of the first resorts to introduce snowboarding more than 20 years ago. So when we were planning the festival we wanted to do something a bit different,” says Stéphane Lerendu from the Avoriaz Tourist Office.

He’s right – this is a go-ahead little village, not a stuffy resort. Those snowboarding runs are something else too. As for the entertainment: “To add to the excitement of the performances and amazing wild settings we’ll be keeping the gigs secret until the last minute, letting gig-goers know by SMS just before they start.” But our spies tell us chiseled French singer Guillaume Grand and Parisian duo Jamaica (rockers in a similar vein to Phoenix) are among those slated to appear at the fest.

www.avoriaz-events.com
Fly to Turin from 10 destinations, including Madrid. Or fly to Grenoble from Dublin, London (Stansted) and Stockholm (Skavsta).

BIG SNOW

Where? Arinsal, Andorra
When? 13–20 March
Why go? Make the most of Andorra, with powder and power pop

This year’s Big Snow Festival, only in its second year, boasts a pop party hosted by the UK’s BBC Radio 1 DJs Scott Mills and Fearne Cotton, as well as deck-wrecking mix-sessions from Tim Westwood, Judge Jules and Kissy Sell Out. Which begs the question: will anyone actually be left at Radio 1’s HQ during the week of this festival? Clearly, this is the time to pack your bags for Andorra instead. In the process you can discover the beautiful surrounds, wedged high in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. If winter sports are your priority, there are few better places to be than the young, cool resort of Arinsal; it’s still snowy towards the end of the season because most of the runs are above 1,900m, and there are snow cannons should nature not provide.

www.thebigsnowfestival.com
Fly to Barcelona (El Prat, Girona and Reus) from 69 destinations, including Düsseldorf (Weeze) and Rome (Ciampino).

DERBY DE LA MEIJE

Where? La Grave, France
When? 30 March–1 April
Why go? Fortune favours the brave at this extreme party with extreme skiing

In 1989 the dream of one man, Sylvain Admirat, came true. He wanted to create the most extreme snow festival of the season. And he succeeded. Now over 1,000 daredevil devotees head to La Grave at the start of every April for the Derby de la Meije, with one thing on their minds: how quickly can they descend the 3,500m Dôme de la Lauze? This is one for experienced skiers and snowboarders, and wearing a helmet here is compulsory. Some claim to have managed the descent in an eye-watering five minutes. The scariest thing of all is that it’s all off-piste – there are no marked runs whatsoever.

Once at the bottom, expect a giant party with DJs, fireworks, pastis galore, and live sets under a big-top tent from French pop and dance acts. Don’t miss the festivities – as for the extreme skiing, that’s up to you. Let’s not, and say we did anyway!

www.derbydelameije.com
Fly to Turin from 10 destinations, including Brussels (Charleroi). or fly to Grenoble from Dublin, London (Stansted) and Stockholm (Skavsta)

More snow, man

Need even more ideas for the final ski break of the season? We’ve got them right here:

BLACK WEEKEND
Chamonix, France 16–20 March
For black ski runs and DJ sets Black Weekend is where it’s at.
www.blackweekend.com
Fly to St Etienne from Porto.

EUROPEAN GAY SKI WEEK
Alpe d’Huez, France 26 March–2 April
For a gay-friendly ski resort, cool parties and some snow, get thee to Alpe d’Huez.
www.europeangayskiweek.com
Fly to Grenoble from Dublin, London (Stansted) and Stockholm (Skavsta).

WINTER X GAMES
Tignes, France 15–18 March
Check out some extreme snowboarding, ski stunts and jumps galore at Tignes at the Winter X Games Europe. You’ve never seen anything like the kind of stunts these pros pull.
www.tignes.net
Fly to Cuneo from Cagliari, London (Stansted) and Trapani. Fly to Turin from 10 destinations, including Brindisi and Ibiza.

BIRKEBEINERRENNET
Lillehammer, Norway 19 March
Wrap up warm to watch this historic cross-country ski race.
www.birkebeiner.no
Fly to Oslo (Rygge and Torp) from 44 destinations, including La Rochelle, Memmingen (Munich West), Wroclaw and Zadar.

ZERMATT UNPLUGGED
Zermatt, Switzerland12–16 April
Drink and dance to acoustic rock and pop under the Matterhorn.
www.zermattunplugged.ch
Fly to Milan (Bergamo) from 67 destinations, including Glasgow (Prestwick), Santiago de Compostela and Zaragoza. Or fly to Turin from 10 destinations, including Barcelona (Girona) and Bari.