Fourth Summer Heatwave Set to Hit the Alps

26th July 2026

By mid-week another heatwave is forecast with the temperatures in the high 30s and the freezing level approaching 5,000m. Three summer glacier ski areas remain open but conditions are deteriorating. NEW

It has been slightly cooler over the weekend in the Alps, but that is set to change by the middle of the week.

Three glacier areas remain open for skiing and snowboarding:

Cervinia/Zermatt (Italy/Switzerland)
Saas-Fee (Switzerland)
Passo Stelvio (Italy)

“Snow conditions on the few glaciers currently open for summer skiing are less than ideal, with Hintertux having closed last weekend, a week earlier than its scheduled 26 July finish,” said Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk.

Earlier this month Tignes ended skiing ahead of its planned closing date as the hot weather took its toll.

Sunday and Monday might see a “very temporary improvement in snow conditions, with the highest glaciers even seeing a little fresh snow from the showers and storms forecast this weekend,” added Fraser.

“Fundamentally though, the glaciers are in very poor condition for late July, with no guarantee that those scheduled to remain open for the rest of the summer will be able to do so.”

Here on PlanetSKI we have been reporting on the impact of the hot summer on the mountains in Europe:

Another heatwave hits summer ski areas

The hot weather has affected climbing routes on the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc.

Mountain guides in Zermatt are advising climbers to postpone attempts on the summit of the Matterhorn because of an increased risk of rockfall.

High temperatures and poor winter snowfall have left parts of the mountain unstable.

In Italy guides in Courmayeur have stopped taking clients up Mont Blanc/Monte Bianco on the classic route via the Miage glacier.

“With the heat we had in June, conditions deteriorated quickly. It’s no longer safe enough to take clients up there,” said the President of the Courmayeur Guides Society, Alex Campedelli.

“The glacier is full of crevasses and it’s hard to find the right route.

“We decided last week we won’t sell that ascent to clients anymore.”

It is reported that some guides in Chamonix have stopped taking people up Mont Blanc after two people died on the mountain last Wednesday.

“On the Mont Blanc and Matterhorn routes, we simply need to have the humility to stop them for a while,” said Pierre Mathey of the Swiss Association of Mountain Guides (ASGM) to the AFP newsagency.

“This heatwave is dragging on and we’re seeing significant warming of the ground, snow and ice are melting, and the permafrost is thawing.”

This causes rockfalls and other hazards.

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