Another Austrian Glacier Ski Area Opens + Skiing Starts in Finland

6th October 2022

Last modified on October 13th, 2022

Kitzsteinhorn in SalzburgerLand opened on Friday with its Glacier Park opening on Saturday. Six glacier ski areas are now open in Austria with five others in Italy and Switzerland. Resorts in Finland have opened too with snowmaking starting in the USA. UPDATED

Here is what it currently looks like in Kitzsteinhorn:

“The snowfalls of the last few days in the high mountains make it possible,” said Kitzsteinhorn as it confirmed its season of 2022/23 was about to get underway.

“On October 7th, 2022, the ski season on the Kitzsteinhorn at Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria will begin – and the Glacier Park will also open the very next day with the first obstacles,” it added.

It is a relatively small area and many of the other features, in the snowpark, including the superpipe, will open later as conditions allow.

Last week the resort has been looking forward to getting the season of 2022/23 underway:

Zitzsteinhorn, like many others across the Alps, is trumpeting its environmental credentials.

One example is the Grubbach Hydro Station, that ensures snow supply in winter and produces electricity in summer.

All cable cars and lifts are operated with 100% green electricity from renewable energy sources.

The superpipe is filled with snow in spring and then covered with a special fleece so that the “old snow” can be used to build the new pipe the following autumn.

Similar snow depots are also created for the snow parks, so less snowmaking is needed.

Credit: © Kitzsteinhorn

It is the latest ski area in Austria to open and we have been following the situation in the past few weeks on PlanetSKI as glacier ski areas open:

Here is the current situation across the Alps with resorts that have glacier areas open:

Austria:

Hintertux, Soelden, Pitztal, Stubai, Kitzsteinhorn & Kaunertal.

France:

None.

Italy:

Cervinia, Passo Stelvio & Val Senales.

Switzerland:

Zermatt & Saas Fee.

The first FIS ski races of the season take place in Soelden in just over a week.

Athletes are already out in the Tirol in Austria training.

The Norwegian racer, Henrik Kristoffersen, is in nearby Pitztal.

As is Alexis Pinterault.

While in Stubai it is looking pretty tasty at the moment.

Further north in Scandinavia Levi and Ruka in Finland have opened some slopes.

“Winter starts today at 9.30 in Levi with preserved snow, when the North chair lift starts for the new season! Cross-country skiing season also starts today at Levi Golf, when the 3km reservoir opens (1.5km in the direction),” said Levi on Facebook on Saturday.