Zermatt-Cervinia Closes its Summer Glacier Ski Area as Latest Heatwave Hits
1st August 2026
Last modified on August 5th, 2026
Zermatt-Cervinia has suspended its summer skiing operations on the Theodul glacier following weeks of exceptionally hot weather. It brings into question the future of summer skiing in the Alps. UPDATED
Zermatt Bergbahnen is temporarily suspending general summer skiing operations on the Theodul Glacier due to the exceptional weather conditions of recent weeks.
Last week it had 13kms of slopes open and is the only ski area still left aiming to operate skiing 365 days a year.
It offers the highest skiing in the Alps.
“The persistently high temperatures, the lack of a night-time cool-down, repeated thunderstorms and the changed snow and glacier conditions mean that it is currently no longer possible to provide safe, high-quality skiing for guests,” said the lift company in a statement released on Saturday 1st August.
The training slopes will remain available to individual Swiss-Ski teams for training, but on a limited basis.
This exception is made possible by an agreement signed last year between Swiss-Ski and the resort.
“For us, it’s really very efficient, because in an hour or two, training is over and we can go recover,” Olympic team champion Tanguy Nef told Swiss public broadcaster RTS.
“But afterwards, it’s hard to see the glacier darker and less accessible.”
The challenges facing the technical maintenance of the transport facilities are constantly increasing due to these changed conditions.
Zermatt Bergbahnen added it is upholding its high standards regarding the safety of its guests.
“The safety of guests and staff is always our top priority,” said the CEO of Zermatt Bergbahnen, Martin Hug.
“At the same time, we attach great importance to ensuring that our guests can enjoy good and safe conditions throughout the entire operating season.
“If these conditions are no longer met, operations will be responsibly adapted to the natural circumstances.”
Warren Smith Ski Academy group in Cervinia in 2025. Image c/o WSSA.
“Summers like this have catastrophic effects on glaciers, so probably in Zermatt, we will still be able to practice summer skiing in the coming years, but in the long term, it is clear that summer skiing is doomed,” said Christophe Lambiel from the University of Lausanne.
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Two other summer ski areas, Hintertux in Austria and Tignes in France, closed their summer skiing operations earlier than planned this summer due to poor conditions caused by the warm temperatures.
Grande Motte glacier, Tignes. August 2026. Image c/o David Morgan.
Two glacier areas in the Alps remain open for skiing and snowboarding:
- Saas-Fee (Switzerland)
- Passo Stelvio (Italy)
Saas-Fee says only two of its four drag lifts are operating and Passo Stelvio has seen another warm week though it has seen some light snow at altitude.
It is unclear how long they will be able to continue offering skiing and snowboarding with no let up in the hot weather forecast for the Alps.
“Thanks once again to the excellent work of Zermatt Bergbahnen, we have found superb conditions on the Theodul Glacier since the end of June,” said the Alpine Director at Swiss-Ski, Hans Flatscher.
“We are very grateful that at least some of our teams will have the opportunity to complete training sessions in Zermatt over the coming days, despite the challenging circumstances.”
The lift company has described it as a “temporary suspension” and summer skiing has been suspended before on the glacier as we have reported on PlanetSKI:
This year the neighbouring resort of Cervinia in Italy announced it would be able to offer year-round skiing due to a new access lift to the glacier:
The current situation is being monitored continuously and reassessed on a daily basis.
Maintenance work on the slopes and transport facilities is continuing, as are preparations for the guest and training slopes.
The lift company said that “as soon as natural conditions allow, summer skiing operations for guests will resume immediately.:
Summer skiing is of great strategic importance to Zermatt Bergbahnen and the resort of Zermatt as it is one on the most reliable summer ski areas and many athletes visit to train as conditions deteriorate elsewhere.
It forms a vital foundation for alpine ski racing and, in particular, for the development of young talent.
“Together with Swiss-Ski and numerous international federations, Zermatt Bergbahnen remains committed to offering summer skiing wherever natural conditions permit,” added the lift company.”
Do check back for updates…
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