As High Alpine Passes Cleared of Snow We Look at Summer Skiing in the Alps
12th May 2025
Last modified on May 19th, 2025
The clear up continues and we report on which areas are still open and where summer skiing is possible in the Alps. UPDATED
The high alpine passes that are closed in the winter are now being cleared of snow so they can open for the summer.
There is still snow at altitude in the Alps.
Last Sunday, May 18th, the glacier ski resorts of closed of Kitzsteinhorn and Kuenertall in Austria called it a day.
Two other glacier areas in Austria remain open:
- Hintertux – year round.
- Moltal – shuts in June
In Switzerland Zermatt is open year round if the conditions allow, with skiing on its glacier area that it shares with Cervinia in Italy
In Sweden Riksgränsen remains open and is set to be the last resort in Scandinavia to close – it is due to shut on May 25th.
Riksgransen, Sweden. Image © PlanetSKI
The Norwegian glacier summer ski areas will start opening for their 2025 seasons over the next couple of weeks.
Galdhopiggen Summer Ski Centre is already open with Fonna and Stryn set to follow shortly.
In France Les 2 Alpes has the longest season of any French resort and aims to stay open for over seven months.
After its ‘official’ winter season ended on 5th May it continues until the 28th May and plans to have 1,000 vertical metres of skiing between 2,600m and 3,600m.
Then for the final six weeks of its season from 29th May to 6th July that terrain will reduce to a 400m vertical at the very top of the slopes on its glacier between 3,600 to 3,200m.
The resort’s summer snowpark is set to be open from 5th May to 6th July.
Summer skiing in Les2Alpes. Image © PlanetSKI
In the summer Val d’Isère plans to open for summer skiing on its Pisaillas glacier for four weeks from Saturday June 7th to Sunday July 6th if conditions allow.
Skiing is possible on three runs located between 3,300m and 2,725m altitudes with another four runs reserved for race team training.
Neighbouring Tignes has four weeks of operations planned from 21st June to 20th July.
The Grande Motte glacier has slopes at an altitude of nearly 3,000 m.
Up to 20 km of glacier runs are available between 3,456 m and 2,724 m.
There is also cross-country skiing on the glacier.
Tignes, France. Image c/o Marcia Nash.
There is still some skiing over in North America where some resorts are extending their season after recent snow.
We have a full and updated report on the situation in the USA here:
In Canada Sunshine Village near Banff remains open and PlanetSKI reporter Alex Cove has just posted from the resort:
Sunshine Village, Alberta, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Sunshine Village, Alberta, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Sunshine Village, Alberta, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
In British Columbia, Canada, the Blackcomb glacier at Whistler is aiming to be open until May 21st if conditions allow.
While in Quebec on the east coast Sommets Saint-Sauveur is open at weekends until Monday May 19th.
Ski Portillo in Chile has announced its opening day – June 21st.
It hopes to stay open until September 27th, conditions and weather permitting.
In New Zealand Mt Hutt on the south island has recently seen 1m of fresh snow and is set to open on May 31st.
Three News was taken up for an exclusive look and senior reporter, Juliet Speedy, even got a run in.
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