Escape the royal wedding – weekend snow spots

Regardless where you stand with regard to the imminent royal matrimony, one thing we can all agree on is that an extra bank holiday in 2011 is pretty awesome. If you’re not planning on throwing a street party and getting the Union Jack bunting out, make the most of the extra time off and escape to some weekend snow spots.

The four day weekend, made possible by our future royal spouses and the annual May Bank Holiday, is a great chance to grab your passport and travel money, get out of the country and catch a short haul flight - despite being late in the snow season there are still plenty of European destinations where you can catch the white stuff.

Tignes in France boasts some of the highest runs on the continent, peaking at 3,450m – which means it’s one of the most reliable snow spots in the Alps. Good snow is pretty much guaranteed up until the end of May, whilst the Grande Motte glacier is a virtual year round ski destination.

Switzerland has a couple of excellent resorts – Saas Fee boasts runs above 2,500m, a horizon ringed with 4,000m mountain peaks and year round glacial skiing. The season at Zermatt, on the border of Italy, runs right the way into April, with slopes well above the 2,000m mark.

In Austria the highest resort is Obergurgl with slopes at a peak of 3,080m and as such one of the most reliable resorts on the continent, whilst the Kitzsteinhorn glacier at Kaprun has snow virtually every day of the year and 130km of piste.

With the Easter weekend also falling late in the year – this means the great British public are benefiting from two consecutive four day weekends – if you’re quick off the mark, this means you can book just three days off work and squeeze in an 11 day break, which means the world is pretty much your oyster when it comes to sourcing snow.

Key long haul late season snow destinations include Whistler – the king of Canadian resorts, and Mammoth, the Californian resort that takes its name from the size of the mountain, sitting at well over 2,000m. Shop around for late deals to get the most bang for your buck and compare rates, balance transfers and international charges on your travel credit card of choice.