Best Start to a Ski Season in Recent Years?
We should prefix what follows with the fact that it is only November and it does not mean by any means that it will be a bumper season.
It is far too early tell.
But the last few weeks across the Alps and at various altitudes have seen as much early season snow and cold temperatures as we can recall in recent years.
Here’s Chamonix town centre, 1,000m.
More than 30 resorts in the Alps are offering skiing this weekend, and France joins the party with the opening of Val Thorens and Tignes.
- Austria: Pitztal, Hintertux, Stubai, Soelden, Kaunertal, Kitzsteinhorn, Molltal, Obertauern, Schladming, Obergurgl & Kitzbuhel.
- France: Val Thorens & Tignes.
- Italy: Cervinia, Sulden, Passo Tonale & Val Senalis.
- Switzerland: Andermatt, Verbier, Zermatt, Saas-Fee, Murren, Arosa, Davos, Glacier 3000, Titlis Glacier (Engleberg) & Diavolezza Glacier (St Moritz) and Adelboden.
World Cup ski racing is underway with three British racers competing in Gurgl on Saturday.
Obergurgl in Austria opened a couple of days ago on Thursday 20th November with 60% of its slopes open.
It is the first non-glacier resort to offer such an extensive amount of skiing – 69km (45 miles) of pistes on a mix of natural and artificial snow.
It currently has the most terrain open of anywhere in the world.
Here at PlanetSKI we therefore declare the season of 2025/26 underway.
“With France opening for skiing this weekend with good opening conditions, and joining the other main alpine nations, it is fair to say it is currently one of the best opening periods in recent years,” said the PlanetSKI editor, James Cove.
“Perhaps most importantly is the cold temperature so the snow falling will not suddenly melt as has happened in previous starts to the season.
“The cold temperatures also harden the ground, so any future snow falls on cold, not warm, ground.
“We are however in the second half of November, and much may happen between now and when many resorts open in the first half of December.
“For the time being though there is cause for early optimism with no sudden thaws predicted and it is one of the best starts I can recall.”
And it is set to get better.
“The weather in the Alps will remain cold for the foreseeable future, turning sunny for a while over the weekend before snow returns from the west on Sunday night, with a very snowy week expected next week,” said the alpine weather expert, Fraser Wilkin, from weathertoski.co.uk.
PlanetSKI reporter, Felix Milns, is in Val Thorens for its opening and is updating us across the weekend – on the snow and opening festivities.
He reported flakes of snow falling on the motorway on the valley floor after pulling out of Geneva on Friday – an indication of where the freezing level is in that part of the Alps.
First sight of snow on the way to Val Thorens for its opening weekend. Image © PlanetSKI
By the time he was at around 1,50om on the way up to Val Thorens the snow became thicker.
Snow on the way to Val Thorens for its opening weekend. Image © PlanetSKI
Then it was time for snow chains.
Snow on the way to Val Thorens for its opening weekend. Image © PlanetSKI
Felix posted an update first thing Saturday morning:
Opening day in Val Thorens, Saturday 22nd November.
Image © PlanetSKI
See here for an earlier PlanetSKI article about what’s new in the resort for the season:
We have mentioned Tignes is also opening today and we’ll have some updates later.
PlanetSKI’s Jane Peel will be reporting from Tignes in early December.
Elsewhere in Europe there are also wintery conditions.
The Pyrenees
There has been some snow over in the Pyrenees in the current cold spell.
No resorts or ski areas are open in Andorra, France or Spain but it’s looking good.
See here for more about skiing in Andorra this coming winter:
The UK
There has also been some snow in the UK with Scotland’s ski areas welcoming the white stuff.
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There’s even a spot of skiing on offer in the UK at the moment.
The ski areas of Yad Moss in Cumbria and Cairngorm in Scotland have opened:
Yad Moss. Image c/o Yad Moss web camera.
Scandinavia
There have some bitterly cold temperatures in Scandinavia with several resorts now open.
Levi and Ruka in Finland have been open a few weeks.
In Sweden Tarnaby and Kabdalis are open.
Resorts in Norway are set to start opening next weekend, though some cross-country skiing is available.
Here on PlanetSKI we have a separate report on the snow conditions in North America, where conditions are variable:
Sunshine Village, Banff, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Do check back for the PlanetSKI updates on the snow conditions as the season of 2025/26 gets underway…
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