Best ski resorts in April for first-timers

Ranked on what actually fell, not on marketing copy. La Plagne comes out on top for learning to ski or board in April: 45% of the terrain is beginner-friendly.

1
La Plagne
Savoie, France · 1250m to 3250m
100
match score
La Plagne in April: 45% of the terrain is beginner-friendly.
Easy terrain
45% beginner
Snow depth
161cm average base
Rain days
2.1 in the month
Snow history 5 off-piste zones
2
Alpe d'Huez
Isère, France · 1100m to 3330m
84
match score
Alpe d'Huez in April: 35% of the terrain is beginner-friendly.
Easy terrain
35% beginner
Snow depth
139cm average base
Rain days
1.8 in the month
Snow history 3 off-piste zones
3
Zermatt
Valais, Switzerland · 1620m to 3899m
83
match score
Zermatt in April: 20% of the terrain is beginner-friendly.
Easy terrain
20% beginner
Snow cover
Never melts out at mid-mountain
Rain days
0.1 in the month
Snow history 2 off-piste zones
4
Les Arcs
Savoie, France · 1200m to 3226m
82
match score
Les Arcs in April: 35% of the terrain is beginner-friendly.
Easy terrain
35% beginner
Snow depth
177cm average base
Rain days
3.7 in the month
Snow history 4 off-piste zones
5
Val d'Isère
Savoie, France · 1850m to 3456m
77
match score
Val d'Isère in April: 25% of the terrain is beginner-friendly.
Easy terrain
25% beginner
Snow depth
186cm average base
Rain days
0.4 in the month
Snow history 7 off-piste zones
6
Tignes
Savoie, France · 1550m to 3456m
76
match score
Tignes in April: 25% of the terrain is beginner-friendly.
Easy terrain
25% beginner
Snow depth
183cm average base
Rain days
0.4 in the month
Snow history 4 off-piste zones
7
Hemavan
Västerbotten, Sweden · 500m to 1200m
76
match score
Hemavan in April: 30% of the terrain is beginner-friendly.
Easy terrain
30% beginner
Snow depth
147cm average base
Rain days
2 in the month
Snow history
8
Les Deux Alpes
Isère, France · 1300m to 3600m
76
match score
Les Deux Alpes in April: 30% of the terrain is beginner-friendly.
Easy terrain
30% beginner
Snow depth
132cm average base
Rain days
1.8 in the month
Snow history 4 off-piste zones
9
Whistler Blackcomb
British Columbia, Canada · 675m to 2284m
73
match score
Whistler Blackcomb in April: 20% of the terrain is beginner-friendly.
Easy terrain
20% beginner
Snow depth
325cm average base
Rain days
3.8 in the month
Snow history 3 off-piste zones
10
Voss
Vestland, Norway · 57m to 1000m
72
match score
Voss in April: 30% of the terrain is beginner-friendly.
Easy terrain
30% beginner
Snow depth
220cm average base
Rain days
6 in the month
Snow history

Other months and trip styles

First-timers in another month

November December January February March

A different kind of trip in April

Off-piste & powder Family Après & nightlife Sunshine & bluebird Snow-sure

How this ranking is built

Share of beginner terrain, snow depth in your month, and low rain.

Snow figures come from the same ten-year ERA5 record shown on each resort's snow history page, measured at mid-mountain height. Terrain splits come from each resort's own piste breakdown. Scores are relative to the other resorts searched, not absolute quality marks.

We ranked 48 resorts with a full climate record, out of 253 on the site, against a benchmark of 40 resorts across 18 countries. A resort without a record is left out rather than guessed at. Search it yourself.