By Rhiannon James in Snow News — Aug 6, 2025

Only Five Ski Centres Left Open in Entire Northern Hemisphere

Updated August 8, 2025: Fresh Alpine snow tops 10 cm (4"), Hintertux shuts unexpectedly, and only five Northern Hemisphere ski areas remain open as summer tightens its grip. Read the full report here.

Kitzsteinhorn, Austria: 31st July 2025.

Fresh Alpine Snow Falls as Hintertux Shuts for First August Closure
Saas-Fee Holds World’s Deepest Snowpack in Dwindling Summer Season
Galdhøpiggen Stays Open With Fresh Snow for Elite Training Runs
Timberline Enters Final Fortnight After Epic Eight-Month Run

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE INTRO

We’ve had more fresh snowfall on high slopes in the Alps again this week, with cooler weather for the first week of August than we saw in the first week of July. However, there’s been a surprise closure of the formerly year-round Hintertux Glacier — the only centre operating in Austria — which has announced it’s closed this month but will reopen in September. In Scandinavia, one centre remains open, the region’s highest at the Galdhøpiggen Glacier, and in North America, the only area operating — Timberline on Mt Hood in Oregon — has started its final month of a nearly nine-month season. In summary, we’re down to five centres currently operating in the Northern Hemisphere, the lowest number of 2025 to date.

ALPS REPORT

Snow kept falling on high slopes in the Alps through the latter half of last week, with Austria’s Kitzsteinhorn Glacier almost taunting skiers with film of fresh powder on its slopes. It’s expected to start its 2025–26 season in two months, on 4 October. Surprisingly, perhaps, given the subzero temperatures on glaciers and fresh snow, the formerly year-round Hintertux centre announced on Monday that it was shutting down its ski slopes until an unspecified date in September. Prior to this, it had been reporting snow lying 65 cm (26") thick on its glacier and the most terrain open in the Northern Hemisphere. This means Austria has joined France in having no ski areas open now, leaving just three centres in Italy and Switzerland still skiable in the Alps. Zermatt is now posting the most terrain open of the five resorts still operating in the Northern Hemisphere. Its neighbour, Saas-Fee, has the deepest snowpack in the world at present, and the third option still open is Italy’s Passo Stelvio.

ALPS FORECAST

After unsettled conditions in recent weeks, it should be mostly sunny and dry across the Alps, with only light and patchy precipitation expected. The freezing level is currently above 3,000 m, meaning most areas below that will stay above freezing during the day. Temperatures at altitude will reach daytime highs of +5 °C to +8 °C, with cooler nights. Minimal new snowfall is expected this week, but a few areas may see 5–10 cm (2–4") of snow above 2,500 m, especially in the eastern Alps and parts of Italy. As usual at this time of year, lower slopes are more likely to see rain or sleet, not snow.

Alps snow forecast for the next 6-9 days.

SCANDINAVIA REPORT

It has been cold, with temperatures hovering a few degrees either side of freezing, and there’s been a few centimetres of fresh snowfall at the only summer ski centre currently open in Scandinavia — Norway’s Galdhøpiggen Glacier (10/80 cm / 4/32"). There’s about a mile (1.4 km) of machine-groomed terrain available, including advanced runs for international team training.

SCANDINAVIA FORECAST

For the next few days, it should be mostly dry with scattered clouds, daytime highs around 9–11 °C, and lows near 0 °C overnight. By Friday–Saturday, there’s a slight chance of light rain, as unfortunately daytime highs are expected to rise as high as 16–17 °C.

Scandinavia snow forecast for the next 6-9 days.

USA REPORT

It feels like we’re nearing the end of the summer ski season — and really the 2024–25 season, as Timberline has been open for around eight months now since last autumn. The only lift-served ski area still open in North America, the Palmer Snowfield above Timberline (0/20" / 0/50 cm) on Mt Hood in Oregon, is into its final weeks with a very thin base left now and only a mile or so of terrain still skiable in the early mornings. It’s hoping to stay open for a fortnight or so more. The weather has been predominantly warm and sunny since. In fact, it’s been warm and sunny in most parts of the US, with ski area locations in Alaska — including Juneau — posting their highest-ever temperatures, getting into the 80s Fahrenheit. The hike-to terrain park at Copper Mountain in Colorado remains open to the public Fridays to Sundays and hopes to remain so into September.