Summer

In all but a few high altitude resorts which have a glacier, skiing ends in mid April.  Thereafter, skiing or snowboarding is confined to glacier terrain - Tignes, Belle Plagne, Val Thorens in France, Flims and Saas Fee in Switzerland, Tonale in Italy.  In the USA at Colorado's Arapahoe Basin, the lifts remain usually remain open until 4 July.

May is termed the "mud season" and mountain activities are limited.  Once the snow melt is over, the wild flowers spring up through the grass and mountain bikes take over where the skiers left the trails.

If you do wish to ski all season, you have to venture to Chile or Argentina, or further afield to Australia and New Zealand.

Fishing is possible all year round in North America, but it is in summer that the streams come into their own, in and around the ski resorts, as one of the most popular outdoor options.  Much of the fishing in the States is free, but a catch and release policy is widespread.  Strangely, one of the best places to catch trout is immediately below the Silverthorne Factory Outlet stores in Colorado - within spitting range of the shops - on the Blue River. 

Waders are an essential for two reasons - first, the water is extremely cold even in June  and secondly, the vegetation around the river banks is dense in many places.  The fishing is wild and unspoilt - there are no manicured, mown banks such as you might find on the Test or Itchen in England! 

The season may be short for golf in the mountains - from late May until end September or early October - but where there are golf courses in and around the ski resorts, they are spectacular.

Flaine, Les Arcs, Crans sur Sierre, Gstaad all have golf when the snow melts, with wild flowers in abundance on the edges of the fairways.  In New England, Stowe has a first class golf course, while in Colorado, the Copper Mountain course, and The Ravens nearby at Silverthorne, provide an exhilarating challenge at 10,000 ft with the ball flying prodigious distances.  There is also a great course at Crested Butte.  Golf carts are certainly recommended if not obligatory, and the green fees are not cheap.  Another course worth playing if you are in California in summer is the course at Heavenly, close to Lake Tahoe.  Water is a major feature in all American golf courses, and the mountain courses prove no exception to this generalisation.

Without doubt, one of the most exciting pursuits in the mountains in summer is mountain biking.  Hiking has always been popular, but for the more energetic, there is a vast range of cycle paths in Colorado in Summit County to keep you happy and fit for a fortnight - or longer!

Hiring a bike is easy.  The bicycles are upgraded and renewed each season, and the cost is very reasonable.  Half a day costs around $15, around $25 for 24 hours, but if you hire for more than one day at a time, the cost is reduced.  If you rent in any of the Colorado ski resorts, or in Frisco, you can join one of the network of paths and cycle round Lake Dillon, to Breckenridge, to Keystone over the Swan Mountain Pass, or to Vail over the Vail Pass.  Vail apart, it is possible to return to base with the free Summit County stage buses which run every half an hour which is a huge bonus!

If you do have to travel on any of the roads, the traffic is minimal compared to Great Britain, and in general people drive more slowly in the States.  Most of the cycling takes place, however, on designated mountain bike tarmac paths and easy-to-follow bike maps are available at the sports shops.  If you want to take your cycle up the mountain and ride back down, you can take your bike on the chairlift - in Copper the lift is free, but there is a charge in Keystone.