Handful of Ski Resorts Still Open
7th May 2023
Last modified on May 13th, 2023
99.9% of ski resorts in Europe are now shut but a few remain open with fresh snow falling. More are open in North America with PlanetSKI currently in California. UPDATED
Conditions at the few open ski resorts remain good for the time of year, with a handful of glacier resorts in Austria continuing to offer some skiing and snowboarding.
Hintertux in Austria has just received 50cm of fresh snow.
Here is which are open, and their final closing dates:
Stubai – May 21st
Kaunertaler – May 21st
Kitzsteinhorn – May 29th
Hintertux – Year-round
Hintertux, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
The other alpine glacier resort open year-round is Zermatt in Switzerland.
Zermatt, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI
Les2Alpes in France has re-opened it glacier area for summer skiing after the resort closed last month.
In Norway one resort has opened for its summer ski season, Fonna.
The Fonna glacier ski area is in the district of Hardanger.
It is around 2 hours and thirty minutes from Bergen, and six hours and thirty minutes from Norway’s capital: Oslo.
As well as the slopes it has cross-country ski trails, rentals, and a lodge with a restaurant.
The lift is open daily from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The glacier usually keeps its lift open until September.
The Fonna Glacier Ski Resort is a summer ski resort on the Folgefonna Glacier in Norway.
To access the ski area people have to travel along a 12 mile (19km) glacier road, that is closed usually until the end of April.
Fonna Glacier Ski Resort has 3 miles (5km) of slopes across four different runs serviced by a single T-bar.
The T-bar base is at an elevation of 3,947 ft (1,203m) and services up to 4,757 ft (1,450m).
The park is expected to open in the middle of June.
Last weekend saw a number of resorts close including Val d’Isere and Tignes in France.
Conditions have been very good for the time of year.
Some say “exceptional”.
Val Thorens closed on Monday 8th May.
Val Thorens closes today…join us to ski again on 25 Nov! #Les3Vallees #InfiniteMountainExperiences
📷 @GhislainG51 pic.twitter.com/dB7sW0Hx4n— Les 3 Vallées (@3Vallees_france) May 8, 2023
Several more resorts in Austria have also now closed including Soelden, Piztal and Moltaler.
Cervinia and Passo Tonales in Italy also called it a day at the weekend.
In Switzerland Engelberg and Glacier 3000 also shut.
These past few weeks have seen some of the best late-season conditions in the Alps in recent years as we have been reporting:
PlanetSKI ended its European season in Verbier in Switzerland last month:
There remain a number of ski resorts open in North America after some huge snowfalls this past winter.
PlanetSKI is now in California this week to sample the late-season snow.
The snow awaits. Image © PlanetSKI
Canada
Blackcombe – May 22nd
Sunshine Village – May 21st
Sunshine Village, Banff. Image © PlanetSKI.
USA
Solitude – May 21st
Winter Park – May 21st
Breckenridge – May 28th
Snowbird –May 29th
A-Basin – June 4th
Palisades Tahoe – Mid-Jun
Mammoth Mountain – July, maybe even August
PlanetSKI is visiting Palisades Tahoe and Mammoth Mountain in California this weekend so do look out for our reports.
Mammoth Mountain. Image c/o Christian Pondella
Do check with the resorts for exact and up-to-date times as the situation can change quickly at this time of year.
There are of course the indoor snow centres and plastic slopes in the UK if you can’t wait until next winter.
The ski season usually starts in the southern hemisphere in Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina in June.
Snow has already started to fall in Australia and we have reported on it elsewhere on PlanetSKI.
Early season conditions are looking good but there is not confirmation yet of any opening dates.
We’ll keep you posted…
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