Northern Hemisphere Weekly Snow Roundup #333

• Second Italian glacier ski resort opens for autumn/fall 2026 skiing and riding.
• One Austrian glacier opening this weekend as planned, another decides against.
• September snowfall in Eastern European ski nations.
• More snowfall in Western North America.
• Finland’s 26-27 season starting next week.

Alps Report

We now have two centres open for skiing and riding in the Alps, and they’re both in Italy. Val Senales’ (0/50cm / 0/20”) glacier slopes opened for their 26-27 season as scheduled, despite months of above-average temperatures at high altitude, which continues to keep several resorts that want to be open, including Switzerland's Saas-Fee and Zermatt, still closed.  Val Senales reported about 1km (.6 mile) of slopes open initially at the weekend, and both it and still-open Passo Stelvio (0/40cm / 0/16”), which has about 3km (two miles) skiable, are open in the mornings only at present, their slopes mostly being used for race team training. In fact, Val Senales closed again soon after opening, but this is believed to be just midweek and it has now reopened. It has been a mostly sunny week, the freezing point moving down slightly to the 3200-3800m area, with temperatures on glaciers mostly in the -5 to +5C range.

Four Austrian glaciers had been expected to open for their seasons this coming weekend, but it is unclear how many will. So far, Pitztal has confirmed it plans to open this weekend as planned, but Kaunertal has said it will delay, blaming recent mild temperatures and snow rather than rain. Solden's target opening date appears to have slipped to early October, and Hintertux, which had originally said it planned to re-open in September, may also be waiting until next month, although it has a big park opening planned on October 2^nd.  Further east, it has been colder, and the first snowfall of autumn was reported on eastern European peaks at resorts in Bulgaria, Slovakia (Jasna below this morning) and Serbia, among others.

Alps Forecast

A mostly sunny, settled spell is expected to continue to dominate the Alps at altitudes above 2500 m, with clear skies and only isolated cloud. Overnight temperatures dip to around −5 °C, keeping the upper‑mountain surface firm early each day, before rising to +8 °C in the afternoons as strong sunshine takes over. This freeze–thaw pattern will continue through the period, with no significant snowfall likely and only a very low chance of brief, localised showers.

Scandinavia Report

Norway’s Galdhøpiggen glacier summer ski area, Scandinavia’s highest, is believed to have reopened but so far is not allowing most skiers and boarders to use its slopes, specifying on its website, “open for teams, only pre-booked.”  Meanwhile in Finland, Ruka (below) and Levi are both gearing up for the start of their 26-27 seasons, both opening in one week's time thanks to huge stockpiles of snow from last season being spread out on their slopes to create about 2km of runs each, along with terrain park features.

Scandinavia Forecast

A mostly calm, early‑autumn pattern dominates Scandinavia’s ski areas. The north stays cold and unsettled though, with light snow at times, freeze–thaw cycles, and temperatures ranging from –2 °C overnight to 4 °C by day. Lapland remains dry, with no snow forecast, scattered cloud, and mild temperatures between 4 °C and 11 °C. Overall, Scandinavia sees limited new snow, variable cloud, and generally cool but stable weather across its northern ski regions.

North America Report

There are no outdoor ski areas open in North America, but there are promising signs from western mountains, with further snowfall dustings reported on high terrain at ski areas including Breckenridge. Loveland is usually one of the first to start snowmaking, normally in the final week of September, signalling that the countdown to the start of the season is nearly here. Across on the east coast, Sunday River in Maine posted video of a test firing of its snowmaking system ahead of cold temperatures arriving. 

North America Forecast

High‑elevation terrain across the Rockies, Sierra Nevada, and other Western North American ranges will see a cooler, mostly dry week, with several nights dropping below freezing. In the Colorado Rockies, mountain temperatures are expected to dip to around 25 °F (−4 °C) at the coldest stations, potentially cold enough for snowmaking at higher elevations.  Elsewhere, the Sierra Nevada and Pacific Northwest/Coastal ranges remain comparatively mild, with only light, localised precipitation forecast and no major storms indicated.