Ski lift openings in the Apennines, skiing returns to over 12 resorts

If the Alps are ready for a record-breaking Immaculate Conception long weekend with the opening of over 50 ski areas, the Apennines are certainly not far behind! The opening of the ski lifts on Italy’s oldest mountains comes like a bolt from the blue, the result of a weather front that brought abundant snow and polar cold in a single week, turning around the skiing fortunes of many winter resorts.
While last weekend only the ski resort of Ovindoli in Abruzzo dared to open its lifts, for this Immaculate Conception long weekend the ski areas of the Apennines are competing to see who opens first. Here is the skiing situation ahead of the coming days:

Emilia-Romagna

In Emilia-Romagna, snow arrived early this year and the leading ski resorts have worked tirelessly to prepare the slopes; for December 8, Cerreto Laghi, Corno Alle Scale (with nearly 50cm of snow on the slopes), and Cimone will open.

Abruzzo

The first region to open its ski lifts in the Apennines thanks to over 50cm of fresh snow that fell in Ovindoli in recent days; opening this weekend are Campo Felice (December 6) and Roccaraso Rivisondoli (partial opening from December 6), while Ovindoli remains open.

Tuscany, Lazio, Molise, Marche

Although most Apennine ski resorts are located in Emilia and Abruzzo, this does not mean the season isn’t ready for takeoff in other Apennine regions as well.
In Tuscany, the ski season begins at Abetone with a near-total opening of the ski area, with various sectors and their ski-in/ski-out connections open; furthermore, a new snowfall is forecast for Friday that could lead to the full opening of the ski resort.

In Lazio, snow has reached Monte Terminillo, which will open its ski lifts on Saturday, December 8—an extraordinary event for what is often called “Rome’s mountain”.

In Molise, the ski area of Campitello Matese will open its ski lifts on Saturday, December 8, with 40cm of snow on the slopes.

In the Marche, 2 ski areas are open: the Sassotetto and S.M. Maddalena (Sarnano) ski area and Ussita Frontignano, where the skiable area will cover an impressive 12 kilometers out of a total of 14km.