More Ski Resorts Open Some October Slopes
3rd October 2023
Last modified on October 13th, 2023
Some of the high-altitude glacier areas in the Alps are already open with more set to follow this month. In North America there have been the first dustings of snow. UPDATED
The latest resort set to open is Pitztal in the Tirol in Austria.
It had already fired up a few lifts but now things get underway officially this weekend with ski tests, apres ski and more:
Cervinia in Italy is also getting things underway:
In Scandinavia two resorts have opened some slopes in Finland – Levi and Ruka.
In the Alps the Tirol in Austria Hintertux has been open across the summer.
Kaunertal has also recently fired up some lifts.
Soelden and Stubai are set to open later this month.
The Kitzsteinhorn glacier in Salzburgerland and the Molltal glacier in Carinthia usually open this month, but no firm dates have been released.
In Switzerland Zermatt and Saas-Fee are open.
Engleberg and Glacier 3000 are expected to open some slopes later in the month, but all eyes are on the weather and the temperatures.
There is currently some snow on the high-altitude peaks and glaciers of the Swiss Alps, but it is just a foretaste of what is to come.
Verbier, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI
Otherwise resorts in Switzerland, and elsewhere, are simply seeing the changing of the seasons.
Verbier, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI
In Italy Val Senales, Cervinia and Passo Stelvio are usually open in October.
In France, Les2Alpes opens later this month for a couple of weeks across the holiday period and then closes until winter starts.
There was a dusting of snow in the Alps last month as we reported on PlanetSKI, but now the temperatures have warmed up.
There remains snow on Mont Blanc, as seen from the Jura mountains.
Heading to the Jura mountains. Image © PlanetSKI
Parts of France are currently seeing record-breaking temperatures.
PlanetSKI is in south-west France near the Pyrenees.
“The October temperatures are breaking records with it being 35c near Bordeaux where I currently am,” said PlanetSKI editor, James Cove, earlier.
“The nearby Pyrenees are obviously affected and the Alps are also under influence of the latest weather system.
“It is due to cool down a bit in the middle of this week with the temperatures going back up at the weekend.”
James Cove in the Pyrenees. Image © PlanetSKI
No resorts in Norway are currently open but our appetite is being whet for the approaching winter by videos released by Norway-Home of Skiing:
Meanwhile, over in the USA and Canada the first dustings of snow have fallen.
Here’s one of our favourite US resorts, Jackson Hole:
Fresh snow at the summit yesterday afternoon and lots more fell overnight! Go check out our webcams for a better look: https://t.co/0PxNrVVb5S
The tram closes for the summer season this Sunday, 10/8. #jacksonhole pic.twitter.com/I11BtkwLXo
— Jackson Hole (@jhski) October 3, 2023
Some resorts are also firing up their snow guns in the battle to be the first to open.
Plus the first people Utah are reported to be hiking up to enjoy their first powder turns of the approaching winter.
Do check back as we update this rolling report.
And just in case you are wondering why PlanetSKI is near Bordeaux in south-west France…
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