Fun-loving holidaymakers in search of glorious ski days may want to consider jetting off to the French slopes of La Plagne and Meribel, as a new report reveals both resorts have the highest number of ‘Bluebird’ days on average.
Leading holiday operator, Sunweb, has created the Bluebird Index – historical analysis of weather conditions at 30 of Europe’s top alpine destinations – to help snow sports enthusiasts decide the best time to plan their trip for optimal weather conditions.
A Bluebird day – a day with great skiing conditions, blue, cloudless skies, and sunny weather – is often hard to predict on skiing holidays. Sunweb’s Index reveals that the second week in March offers the best weather conditions on average across the resorts analysed.
French resorts, La Plagne and Meribel, top the charts averaging 4.2 days of clear blue skies and good snow conditions, which typically fall in the second week of March. Following closely behind, Val d’Isere/Tignes (3.8 days), Val Thorens (3.6 days), Les Deux Alpes (3.4 days) and Italian resort Sauze d’Oulx (3.4 days) also have their best weather conditions during the second week of March.
Top 10 European destinations by average historical Bluebird days
| Rank | Destination | Number of Bluebird days in a given week | Best week for Bluebird skiing (top of the mountain) |
| = 1 | La Plagne, France | 4.2 days | Second week of March |
| = 1 | Meribel, France | 4.2 days | Second week of March |
| 3 | Tignes/Val d’Isere, France | 3.8 days | Second week of March |
| 4 | Val Thorens, France | 3.6 days | Second week of March |
| 5 | Alpe D’huez, France | 3.5 days | Second week of March |
| = 6 | Chamonix Mont Blanc, France | 3.4 days | Second week of February First week of March Second week of March |
| = 6 | Les Deux Alpes, France | 3.4 days | Second week of February Second week of March Third week of March |
| 8 | Sauze D’Oulx, Italy | 3.4 days | Fourth week of December Second week of March |
| 9 | Les Arcs, France | 3.2 days | First week of March |
| = 10 | Kronplatz (Dolomiti Superski), Italy | 3.1 days | First week of January |
Kronplatz, in Italy, creeping in at 10th place represents the only resort in the top 10 to have its prime Bluebird week in the depths of winter (first week of January). With 3.1 days of pristine conditions, the Italian resort offers up an alternative for a quick new year getaway.
For the experts wanting to experience the longest black run in Europe – La Sarenne, in Alpe d’Huez – research shows the best week to head is the second week of March where the destination has an average of 3.5 Bluebird days during the week – one for a last-minute trip!
Sauze D’Oulx, home of freestyle skiing at the 2006 Olympics is the highest-ranking Italian destination. The resort in the Milky Way, a ski area spanning parts of France and Italy, averages 3.4 days of pristine conditions in both the fourth week of December and the second week of March.
