How to Avoid the Crowds When Planning a Midwinter Trip: Tips from America2Alps

One question we get asked on repeat is 

‘Will it be busy during the second half of February?’ 

While it’s tempting to just reply with a blanket ‘yes’, it’s more nuanced than that, and it’s our job to find you a trip when you can, or want, to go that won’t be too busy so here are our suggestions for how to avoid the crowds when planning a midwinter trip.

As an extremely keen powder-lover who hates sharing fresh snow with absolutely anyone, but also a father of two young kids tied to travel during school vacations it has become something of an obsession to find the places which will give me the best slope-time to queue ratio. 

The cause of the crowds 

The first thing to get to grips with is the multiple and complicated school vacation periods across the various nations involved. The Alps are surrounded by populous countries with drab winter weather – looking at the UK, northern France, the Netherlands, Germany and more – and the thought of a break in a sparkling, sunny, winter wonderland is the stepping stone needed between Christmas and the long slog through until spring. 

All countries have winter breaks roughly halfway between Christmas and Easter when school-age children descend en masse on the mountains and the slopes are dominated by tiny balls of blue and red nylon zipping around, crying and screaming with noses running and being herded by harassed ski instructors. 

Learning which areas are affected the most and least by this and how to mitigate the crowds is key to a more serene experience. 

The good news 

The good news is that if you can avoid this period, you can have the mountains often entirely to yourself. January in particular can be incredibly quiet, with empty slopes, cold temperatures and plentiful snow – all at low-season prices. 

The other good news is that if you are tied to the winter break, it comes on the back of January meaning snow levels will be at their best and resort workers will be relaxed after a quiet period where they have been able to get out on the mountain. 

Working out the vacation periods 

Winter break in the US is often dependent on President’s Day in February, and it is this date which can clash with the peak vacation dates in Europe. If you are coming from the Southern Hemisphere when school vacation dates make up a longer summer break you will have much more flexibility so should aim to come in January if possible. 

Different countries tend to go to different regions.  

• The UK, France, French-speaking Swiss and the Netherlands tend to go to French resorts. 

• Germans, German-speaking Swiss and Austrians tend to go to Austria and eastern Switzerland. 

• Italians and Germans often go to Italian resorts. 

Of course these are sweeping generalizations and you will find nationalities from all over go all over, but it helps to understand the level of crowds that might hit each area. There is a further complication in that larger populations often spread their dates out over several weeks, so working out where and when is going to be busiest is difficult.

We have a detailed spreadsheet cross-referencing weeks with countries which we rely on to work out where to go and when.

If this all sounds like a bit of a challenge, reach out and let us work it out for you, but the short version is that the final two weeks of February in 2025 (and most years) are going to be busy. 

Don't worry - the wizardry of AI has created this nightmare queue - it's not often like this.

Mitigation strategies 

So you are tied to dates in February? In that case there are several things we can do to make it less busy: 

• The first is plan early. Everything from accommodations, to instructors, to guides, to restaurants gets booked out, so the earlier we start planning, the more choice we will have. 

• The second is to talk to us so we can advise on which regions will be less busy, avoiding the areas where there are school vacations, and avoiding the ski areas which are popular with larger countries. 

• Then we can discuss things like getting a private instructor. In many ski areas instructors with a class can use a dedicated lane to bypass long lift queues, and they also will know the areas of the mountain that get the least traffic. 

• Getting up early on vacation isn’t everyone’s favorite thing, and I have many memories of my dad making us get up and to the first lift at 8am, well before it opened, on several trips. There’s no doubt it got us on the mountain ahead of those who were eating cereal and watching cartoons in the morning. 

• Using ‘secondary’ lifts is also a good plan. While those new in town flock to the more obvious larger trams where you often find yourself with your face in somebody’s armpit on the ride up, I always prefer to take a chair and be out in the air, even if you have to take a couple on the way up. We can advise on secondary lifts to take in many cases. 

• You could avoid lifts altogether and get up under your own steam on a ski tour. The Alps are very welcoming to ski tourers, with almost no restrictions on travelling uphill. Of course if you are planning to head away from the marked slopes we’d always recommend a guide.  

• The other way to avoid the lifts is to take a helicopter. Although restricted in the Alps, there are several spots in Switzerland and Italy where you can enjoy anything from one drop to days exploring pristine, untouched terrain even during peak season. 

  
  

Benefits of February skiing 

If you like a vibrant atmosphere, with the bars and restaurants buzzing and some great people-watching February can be awesome. 

There’s also the opportunity to enjoy a less ski-centric trip, with time spent in the spa, enjoying dog-sledding, winter walks and exploration of the surrounding areas of Europe. In Venice, the annual Carnival draws those looking to dress up in elaborate costumes and masks, promenading around the town. 

Paris or Verona are ideal for Valentine’s Day, both known as romantic locations where if you need to ask a certain question you’re more likely to get a favorable answer. Cities which strain under the weight of visitors during the warmer months, such as Florence, are much less crowded and everything is easier to see and visit. 

In summary 

If you want to ski as much as possible and can avoid vacation periods then we’d recommend planning a trip in the periods before or after February, but if that isn’t possible, a bit of forward planning can make a huge difference. We are on hand to help you navigate the options, so please reach out.