Fresh Snow Hits Scandinavian Glaciers - Up to 30cm Reported at Galdhøpiggen

• Passo Stelvio Opens Saturday—Italy’s First Summer Ski Resort of 2025!
• Freestylers Last Chance - Hintertux Betterpark Wraps Up This Weekend
• Snowy Nights, Sunny Days - Alps Stay Ride-Ready with Daily Flurries
• Riksgränsen Gears Up for June Midsummer Skiing

ALPS REPORT

There remain four glacier ski areas open in the Alps, but that number is set to increase by one (!) with the opening of the region's first summer ski center for 2025—Italy's Passo Stelvio. Opening from this coming Saturday, May 31st, right through to November 2nd, 2025, the resort offers 20 kilometers (13 miles) of slopes between 2,758 and 3,450m altitudes on Mount Cristallo.

It will join currently open Hintertux (0/245cm / 0/98") and Molltal (0/150cm / 0/60") glaciers in Austria, Les 2 Alpes (0/270cm / 0/108") in France, and the shared Matterhorn Glacier Paradise ski area (0/120cm / 0/48") above Zermatt and Cervinia, straddling the Italian-Swiss border.

For freestylers, Hintertux notes it's the final weekend of the season for their Betterpark, and they promise "a cool setup with Jump Line, Jib Line, and Pro-Jump." At the Molltal Glacier, the center advises they're winding down ahead of the season end the weekend after next and are now stockpiling snow ready for next autumn. However, the Glacierjet remains open with skiing and riding on the upper part of slope 9, down towards Mittelstation, as well as the center's Olympic Training Center for Pros.

The past week has seen a mixture of sunshine and showers, with overnight lows dropping well below freezing but climbing up to +10°C even at 2,000m in the afternoons. The freezing point has been moving between 2,000-3,000m altitudes, and there have been light snowfalls—typically 2-5cm (1-2") of fresh snow per 24 hours—reported on glaciers to keep things fresh. Strong winds and low cloud/fog have also been reported, though, and conditions for ski tourers have been challenging, evidenced by the multiple fatalities reported over the past few weeks in separate incidents in the Jungfrau and above Zermatt.

In terms of inbound terrain, Hintertux and Zermatt/Cervinia have been reporting the most terrain open over the past week, both at about 30km (19 miles) of runs still available.

ALPS FORECAST

Weather conditions for the coming week are expected to be similar to the last, with prolonged sunny spells, temperatures mostly in the -5 to +5°C range up at glacier level, and the freezing point between 2,000 and 3,000m altitudes. Snow showers overnight continue, with 2-5cm (1-2") falls common.

SCANDINAVIA REPORT

Sweden's Riksgränsen ended its three-month spring 2025 opening at the weekend, although it currently plans to reopen in June for midsummer skiing from June 19th to 22nd, including its signature skiing under the midnight sun with 24-hour daylight by that time of year.

That means we're left with Norway's glacier ski areas as the only lift-served options open in Scandinavia, and with one of them, Fonna, delaying its season start while management issues are sorted out, there are two areas currently skiable. The Galdhøpiggen glacier (40/120cm / 16/48"), with Scandinavia's highest slopes, has been open for over a fortnight now, while the Stryn glacier (120/200cm / 48/80"), which had been offering cat skiing on weekends earlier this month, turned its lifts on Friday.

Both—but particularly Galdhøpiggen—have been reporting some cold and snowy weather over the past week, with 10-30cm (4-12") of fresh snowfall since the start of the weekend.

SCANDINAVIA FORECAST

After the snowy weather of the past few days, sunshine is expected to dominate for the latter half of the week at Galdhøpiggen, with temperatures in the -5 to +5°C range on ski slopes. Stryn, which will be more unsettled with more cloud and light snow showers continuing here, is planning its annual meet-up of monoskiing fans this coming weekend.