Glacier Skiing Resumes In The Alps

Italy’s Passo Stelvio glacier has reopened to skiers this weekend, following a welcome drop in temperatures that finally allowed the surface to refreeze and stabilize after a mid‑August shutdown.

Resort operators confirmed the restart of lift operations marking the end of a three‑week closure triggered by extreme summer to high-altitude heat that prevented safe overnight consolidation of the glacier snowpack.

Stelvio's reopening comes with strictly limited operating hours to protect the glacier during the still‑warm afternoons. The Trincerone–Livrio cable cars are running from 6:30 AM to 4:00 PM, while the Pajer and Cristallo ski lifts are open only from 6:30 AM to 12:00 PM, giving skiers a narrow morning window before temperatures rise.  With little or no fresh snowfall there’s also only a limited area with snow cover to ski, Stelvio reports a 40cm (16”) base on that.

Passo Stelvio had halted all summer skiing on 15 August 2026, after prolonged heatwaves pushed freezing levels far above the glacier and left the surface too soft and unstable for safe grooming or public access. The resort now says it is aiming to maintain its planned season end date of 1 November 2026, though managers note that future operations will depend on weather patterns through September and October.

With Swiss glacier resorts Saas-Fee and Zermatt, which have also been forced to close by the summer heat, Stelvio’s reopening restores the Alps’ and northern hemisphere’s only currently operating outdoor glacier‑ski option, offering a cautious return to early‑autumn training lanes and recreational skiing. With temperatures still fluctuating and the glacier entering its most vulnerable seasonal period, operators emphasize that conditions will continue to be assessed daily.

Another Italian glacier, ski area, Val Senales, is currently expected to open for its 26-27 season in a fortnight with four Austrian ski areas, Hintertux, Solden, Kaunertal and Pitztal also aiming to start their seasons before the end of the month, conditions permitting.