Northern Hemisphere Weekly Snow Roundup #327
🇪🇺🇺🇸🇨🇦 Weekly Snow News for Northern Hemisphere, updated 13 August 2026: Passo Stelvio remains the Northern Hemisphere’s only lift-served ski area as Alpine heat forces Saas-Fee and Zermatt to close.
- Europe: Passo Stelvio is now the only Northern Hemisphere ski area with outdoor lift-served skiing.
- Saas-Fee & Zermatt: Both have suspended summer skiing due to high temperatures and poor glacier conditions.
- North America: No lift-served outdoor skiing remains; only artificial and hike-to terrain parks operate.
- Forecast: Continued late-summer warmth in the Alps, with limited snowfall expected.
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE REPORT
Switzerland’s Saas-Fee is the latest glacier ski area to suspend summer skiing, with resort officials announcing shortly after we published last week’s report: “Due to the persistently high temperatures and the resulting changes in snow and glacier conditions, the summer ski area will be temporarily closed from Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, until further notice.” It means Italy's Passo Stelvio is the only ski area still operating in the northern hemisphere with limited terrain open on higher slopes. Zermatt closed for the same reasons as Saas-Fee at the end of July, although it's believed it is managing to keep some terrain open for Swiss race team training.
There remains nowhere open with lift-served outdoor skiing in North America; however, Ski Ward in Massachusetts has opened a summer terrain park at its base this week using an artificial ski surface. The hike-to terrain park at Copper Mountain in Colorado is also reported to be hanging in there. Most skiers in Europe and North America are currently on indoor snow slopes, however.
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE FORECAST
Above 3000 m in the Alps, conditions remain dominated by late-summer warmth and periods of unsettled weather. Unfortunately, Italy’s Passo Stelvio is expected to face a warm and wet spell, with freezing levels well above the glacier and pulses of rain or sleet affecting surface quality. Clear breaks do appear between showers, but overnight refreezing is limited, leaving soft, variable snow on exposed terrain.
Winds stay moderate, occasionally freshening around passing fronts. Across Scandinavia, high-altitude ski areas are forecast to enter a more stable pattern. Temperatures remain cool for the season, with crisp, bright days and cold nights that dip close to freezing on the highest summits. No meaningful snowfall is expected, but the combination of dry air, light winds and strong nocturnal cooling keeps conditions firm and settled. Occasional cloud bands may drift through Norway and Sweden, though without significant precipitation. In the Western US Rockies, a classic late-summer mix continues. High pressure brings long sunny spells, warm afternoons and very cold nights at elevation, especially above 10,000 ft.
