There’s absolutely no experience like night skiing. Speeding down the mountain after dark while the stars shine bright overhead, is something all snow sports enthusiasts should try at least once.
We’ve rounded up the best resorts in Europe and beyond for night skiing. In Europe only lower altitude slopes tend to stay open late whereas there’s no such restrictions in America. Best of all, there’s no chance of you ending up with burnt around your goggles as the sun is nowhere to be seen. So let’s dive in.
Best resorts for night skiing in Europe
SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser – Brixental, Austria
SkiWelt Söll – one of the many interlinked resorts that makes up SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser – Brixental – has a whopping 13km of illuminated slopes to ski down at night, the most in Austria. Even better, nocturnal skiing isn’t reserved for one night a week. The slopes light up Wednesday through Saturday until 9.30pm.
If you’re in it purely for the after dark fun, there are evening specific tickets, as multiple lifts remain open. Once the slopes shut, there’s more adrenaline pumping to be had. The tobogganing remains open until midnight. All details here.
La Clusaz, France
La Clusaz in France does something a little special with its night skiing. Sure it does what pretty much every other resort does, switching on the floodlights on Tuesday evening. However, once a month, when there’s a full moon, skiers and riders can navigate down the slopes the natural way. Moonlight. Keep an eye on the lunar calendar, and the weather forecast (clouds can ruin this), to see when it’s on.
Bormio, Italy
At Bormio in Italy, night skiing goes later than many of its contemporaries. You can power down the famous Stelvio run until 11pm! And it will be groomed to perfection, as the snow team give it the once over after the day skiers are done. This after dark experience is far cheaper than its daytime equivalent, at just €18 per person.
Collet d’Allevard, France
Night skiing is the main attraction at Collet d’Allevard, where you can (unusually for Europe) go from the top of the resort at 2100 metres to the 1450 metre base. There are 10 runs for you to weave your way down, served by three chairlifts and two gondolas. Given the excellent quality of after dark skiing here, it’s a shame that it only takes place once or twice a week.
Best resorts for night skiing worldwide:
Cypress Mountain, Canada
The best option for nighttime slopes in Canada comes courtesy of Cypress Mountain just outside of Vancouver. 20km of runs open until 10pm, as the city twinkles below you. Also the terrain park is open late, so your mate can get an awesome snap of you doing a nose grab beneath flashlights.
Keystone, USA
One annoying European habit is the way night skiing gets relegated to a random day midweek. Not so at Keystone in Colorado. They offer night-time fun on the busiest days of the year, weekends and public holidays. It’s only as late as 8pm, which might not sound like much, but it makes it the longest ski day in all of Colorado – not to be sniffed at!
Niseko, Japan
While North Americans might have pioneered night skiing, Asia has taken its crown as the premiere destination for hitting the snow after dark. And among the many Asian resorts that leave their lights on late, nowhere does it better than Niseko. All four of the constituent resorts light up until 7pm EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. Madness, we know.
November 10, 2024
