There are 16 ski resorts open for this All Saints’ Day weekend (Saturday, November 1 and Sunday, November 2); from France all the way to Austria, those looking to spend the weekend on the snow are spoiled for choice.
The snowstorms of the past few days have expanded the ski offering, adding major resorts such as Les 2 Alpes in France and Dachstein in Austria to the list. Despite this, some resorts have not yet managed to open their lifts and will not be able to do so this weekend either; the notable absentees are above all the Italian resorts such as Solda and the Presena Glacier, still awaiting the first significant snowfalls.
Skiing in Switzerland:
In Switzerland, the ski season continues with the opening of the Les Diablerets glacier,
Les Diablerets
Glacier 3000 is the glacier of the Les Diablerets ski resort near renowned Gstaad; for now, only 3 km of slopes at the top of the glacier are open.
official website
Diavolezza
The Diavolezza glacier is located in the Engadine and was the first non-summer-skiing glacier to open its lifts this autumn; there is little natural snow, but the runs are well groomed thanks to snow preserved under geotextile sheets.
Saas Fee
The season on the Swiss glacier continues non-stop; here snow is never in short supply and you can already ski on a full 25 km of ski slopes—one of the best options right now.
Plateau Rosà
The Plateau Rosà glacier is open and accessible from both Zermatt and Cervinia, with 22 km of slopes available and spectacular snow conditions!
Skiing in Austria
Austria is the country that started the season ahead of everyone else and boasts the best snow conditions in recent weeks; in the past few days almost 100 cm of fresh snow fell on its glaciers, and in fact half of all the resorts currently open are located right here.
Kitzsteinhorn
The Salzburg glacier continues the winter season that began a few weeks ago with 4 km of open slopes; now the skiable kilometers have grown to 12 and snow conditions are excellent.
» official website
Kaunertal
After a false start in September (opening and closing within a few days), the Austrian Tyrol glacier has reopened; you can now ski on 11 km of ski slopes, with the opening secured by the recent snowfalls.
» official website
Pitztal
A cornerstone of the glacier park, Pitztal opened its doors in September and today offers 10 km of ski slopes; here too, white ribbons against a gray backdrop have given way to a true winter landscape.
» official website
Sölden
Fresh off the opening round of the Alpine Ski World Cup, Sölden has stocked up on snow and is now able to offer a full 31 km of perfectly groomed ski slopes.
» official website
Mölltaler on October 25, 2014
Stubai
Another spectacular glacier where snow is never lacking; 75 cm of fresh snow fell here and 17 km of ski slopes are now available.
» official website
Hintertux
The glacier that never closes, Hintertux confirms its status as a snow paradise thanks to heavy snowfalls and a climate that keeps the glacier intact. Up to 100 cm of fresh snow fell here, and 40 km of slopes are open out of a skiable total of 60.
» official website
Mölltaler
Carinthia also has its glacier open; fresh snow has replenished the slopes and the snowmaking systems work all night long to guarantee the best conditions.
» official website
Dachstein
The small glacier in Styria opened its doors just last weekend, taking advantage of the latest snowfalls, with 2 km of slopes open out of a total of 4 km—not much, but better than nothing.
» official website
France
Unlike Switzerland and Austria, winter has not arrived yet in the French Alps; for now, only the two main glaciers are open.
Tignes
The Tignes glacier opened its lifts first thanks to a mild summer and a few light snowfalls between late August and September. 10 km of ski slopes are open.
» official website
Les Deux Alpes
The Les 2 Alpes glacier reopened its ski lifts just last weekend following one of the best summer ski seasons ever; 5 km of ski slopes are currently open.
» official website
Skiing in Italy
Compared to our French cousins, we can count on 3 open ski resorts, even though one of them is actually located in Swiss territory; in Italy the snowfalls made little impact and low temperatures hindered high-altitude snowfall, leaving ski destinations such as Solda and the Presena Glacier—otherwise ready for the new ski season—on standby.
Val Senales
An early opening paid off for Val Senales, which opened its glacier lifts over a month ago. To date, the available skiable area remains the same—2.5 km of slopes—but snow conditions are very good.
» official website
Passo Stelvio
While other ski resorts are champing at the bit for the start of the season, the Stelvio glacier is preparing to hibernate after a magnificent summer ski season. This is its final weekend of operation, with all lifts running and snow all the way down to the Pass—without a shadow of a doubt the best option on our side of the Alps.
There are therefore 16 ski destinations where you can ski over this holiday weekend, all high-altitude resorts or rather Alpine glaciers, as we hope for the arrival of new snowstorms and the opening of additional ski resorts.
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