Snowbombing, Mayrhofen, Austria - April 6-11?What do you get if you mix a group of music fans with the urge to party and a handful of DJ’s with a stash of vinyl, well in the spring of 2000, you got the beginnings of the festival culture in the European Alps. This happy bunch landed in Risoul and the Snowbombing Festival was born. That year saw the first ever Snowbombing, an event that has grown year on year and now attracts 5,000 people, throwing shapes, getting smashed and generally having a whale of a time. The event attracts big name acts like Dizzee Rascal, Grandmaster Flash and Fatboy Slim. Snowbombing's success has spawned so many copycats, that an alpine festival "season" is starting to emerge, starting this week and continuing until mid-April. There's some kind of live music or DJ playing from midday till 5am most nights. Snowbombing takes over all the clubs in the resort, converts a few other buildings into impromptu venues, and also puts on parties in more unusual settings, including a wooded clearing on the outskirts of the village, and a giant igloo at the top of the mountain.
The Brits, Laax, Switzerland - March 21-28?Devotees may argue that the Brits was established long before Snowbombing, (it has now been running for 21 years) but it's only in the past few years that it's grown from a mainly sport-focused event into a full blown festival. Its original purpose remains, the British Snowboard and Freeski Championships, with daily competitions for Britain’s best riders in disciplines such as half-pipe, slope-style, big air and ski/boarder-cross - but now there's a huge amount of partying bolted on and some great gigs to attend.
Derby de la Meije, La Grave, France - April 2-5?La Grave is known to ski aficionados as Europe's most hardcore resort – a mountain that's entirely off-piste and has just three lifts. But at the end of the season the resort lets its hair down and throws a huge party. It's nothing like Snowbombing – there are no big name acts here, and most attendees are locals or visitors who've been coming for years, but there's a great atmosphere. The main event is the race on 3rd April - an open-to-all sprint from the very top of the mountain to the very bottom (more than two vertical km descent, entirely off-piste) – but there are parties every night and a carnival atmosphere in the car park at the base of the cable car.
Caprices Festival, Crans Montana, Switzerland - April 9-12? Crans Montana is a small, upmarket Swiss ski resort, home to the likes of Roger Moore and numerous retired bankers. So it's something of a culture clash that none other than Derrick May will be playing here on 9 April, the Detroit based DJ credited with pretty much inventing house music and who created the legendary house tack, Strings of Life. May's presence is a giveaway that even though the festival is almost unknown in the UK, Caprices is a huge event – the biggest winter music festival in Switzerland. Don't expect the fancy-dress antics of Snowbombing, but there's a vast and eclectic line up, from Deep Dish to Dubfire.
Zermatt Unplugged, Zermatt, Switzerland - April, 14-18?The name is misleading – with Anastacia on the bill, this certainly isn't all about acoustic folk songs. This will be the 9th year the classic mountain resort has ended the season with a festival, and the acts booked to play keep getting bigger. As well as Anastacia, this year's line up includes James Blunt, Travis and Patricia Kass. Gigs take place in a big marquee set up specially for the festival and various clubs around town, including the Vernissage, a charming venue, designed by Zermatt legend, Heinz Julen. Read another one of our news stories on Zermatt Unplugged.