Europe's outdoor summer ski season ends after glacier closures

Europe has no outdoor ski resort open to the public after heat and deteriorating glacier conditions forced the remaining summer areas to suspend skiing.

Stelvio Glacier in Italy stopped skiing on 15 August, following Saas-Fee on 10 August and Zermatt on 1 August. Hintertux in Austria had already ended its summer operation in mid-July.

The closures leave indoor centres as Europe's only public summer-skiing option in peak August. They also remove important high-altitude training terrain, although Swiss national teams have retained limited access to prepared slopes at Zermatt under an existing agreement.

All three current suspensions are temporary rather than confirmed season closures. Zermatt, Saas-Fee and Stelvio are monitoring conditions, but none has announced a reopening date.

Operators cited persistent heat, insufficient overnight freezing, storms and worsening glacier conditions. Without a proper freeze, piste surfaces soften earlier in the day and maintaining safe routes around lifts and other glacier infrastructure becomes harder.

Stelvio had expected to operate until 1 November. Its operator said the suspension was “painful but necessary” after several weeks of adverse weather, although cable-car access to the glacier remains available.

Zermatt had already shortened its skiing day before closing the slopes around the Theodul Glacier and Plateau Rosa. The decision also removed the summer product sold through Cervinia, as most of the cross-border area's skiing is on the Swiss side.

July and August are becoming less dependable

Zermatt also suspended operations during the hot summer of 2022, and colder weather or fresh snow could still allow some 2026 areas to reopen.

The wider evidence points to a contracting peak-summer window. The European State of the Climate 2025 report found net glacier mass loss across every European region. Europe's snow-covered area in March 2025 was 31% below average, the third-lowest extent recorded since 1983.

Christophe Lambiel, a geomorphologist at the University of Lausanne, told Swissinfo that Zermatt would likely continue to offer summer skiing for the next few years, but said that “in the long term, it is clear that summer skiing is doomed”.

Race teams can move training to South America or New Zealand when European glaciers close, but holiday skiers have fewer practical alternatives. Earlier summer trips may offer better conditions, while September and October can bring colder nights.