Summer Glacier Operating Calendar 2026
Month-by-month May through September operating windows for 26 glacier ski areas in the Alps and Southern Hemisphere — with altitudes, summer kilometres and day pass prices to plan an off-season ski trip.
Filter & sort
| Glacier / Area | Country | Top alt (m) | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Summer km | Day pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zermatt (Theodul) Highest year-round skiing in Europe; cross-border to Cervinia | Switzerland | 3,883 | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round | 21 | €95 |
| Cervinia (via Zermatt) Italian-side village closes 3 May; cross-border lift to Swiss glacier year-round | Italy | 3,883 | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round | 21 | €88 |
| Valle Nevado Chile's largest; 90 min from Santiago; June–October | Chile | 3,670 | Closed | Part | Full | Full | Part | 44 | €92 |
| Les 2 Alpes Europe's largest summer skiing area (~22 km); summer half-pipe + snowpark | France | 3,568 | Closed | Part | Full | Full | Closed | 22 | €52 |
| Saas-Fee (Allalin) Metro Alpin (world's highest underground funicular) to 3,456 m | Switzerland | 3,500 | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round | 20 | €78 |
| Tignes Grande Motte Summer window 27 Jun – 9 Aug 2026 typical; mornings only (07:15–13:00) | France | 3,456 | Closed | Part | Full | Part | Closed | 25 | €52 |
| Passo Stelvio Opens late May, closes early November; major race-training venue | Italy | 3,450 | Part | Full | Full | Full | Full | 20 | €52 |
| Pitztal Glacier Austria's highest glacier; closes 3 May, reopens late Sep | Austria | 3,440 | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Part | — | €62 |
| Las Leñas Mendoza-province expert mountain; 64 km of legendary off-piste; Jun–Oct | Argentina | 3,430 | Closed | Part | Full | Full | Part | 64 | €75 |
| Sölden (Rettenbach) Closes 3 May; reopens early Sep; FIS World Cup opener venue | Austria | 3,340 | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Part | — | €65 |
| Portillo Andes classic; June–October; Hotel Portillo all-inclusive packages | Chile | 3,310 | Closed | Part | Full | Full | Part | 35 | €95 |
| Hintertux Only fully year-round Austrian glacier; 5–10 day maintenance break each summer | Austria | 3,250 | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round | 20 | €65 |
| Val Senales (Schnalstal) Closes 3 May; reopens early Sep; popular FIS pre-season training | Italy | 3,212 | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Full | 12 | €55 |
| Stubai Glacier Closes 17 May 2026; reopens 26 Sep 2026 for winter | Austria | 3,210 | Part | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | — | €58 |
| Mölltaler Glacier Closes 17 May; quietest Austrian glacier | Austria | 3,122 | Part | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | — | €49 |
| Kitzsteinhorn Closes 24 May 2026; reopens early Sep; minimal mid-summer ops | Austria | 3,029 | Full | Closed | Closed | Closed | Part | 6 | €58 |
| Presena (Tonale) Closes ~10 May; small but cheap; no summer operation | Italy | 3,016 | Part | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | — | €48 |
| Glacier 3000 (Les Diablerets) Closes 3 May 2026; summer-walk operation only; ski reopens late Oct | Switzerland | 3,000 | Part | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | — | €68 |
| Whakapapa (Mt Ruapehu) Southern Hemisphere winter Jun–Oct; volcano skiing on active stratovolcano | New Zealand | 2,300 | Closed | Part | Full | Full | Full | 50 | €75 |
| Cerro Catedral (Bariloche) South America's largest ski resort by lifts; Patagonia; June–October | Argentina | 2,105 | Closed | Full | Full | Full | Full | 120 | €70 |
| Treble Cone South Island advanced/expert terrain; longest vertical in NZ (700 m) | New Zealand | 2,088 | Closed | Part | Full | Full | Part | 55 | €88 |
| Perisher Largest Southern Hemisphere ski area by lifts; Vail Resorts (Epic Pass); Jun–Oct | Australia | 2,054 | Closed | Part | Full | Full | Part | 100 | €95 |
| Thredbo Australia's longest vertical (672 m); MTN ME pass; Jun–Oct | Australia | 2,037 | Closed | Part | Full | Full | Part | 50 | €95 |
| The Remarkables Queenstown sister mountain; freeride terrain; same NZSki season pass as Coronet | New Zealand | 1,957 | Closed | Part | Full | Full | Part | 35 | €85 |
| Cardrona Wanaka-side; world-class freestyle park; June through mid-October typical | New Zealand | 1,894 | Closed | Part | Full | Full | Full | 45 | €88 |
| Coronet Peak Queenstown's premier mountain; lit night skiing; June–October typical season | New Zealand | 1,649 | Closed | Part | Full | Full | Part | 40 | €85 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Five fully year-round operations worldwide: Zermatt (Theodul Glacier, Switzerland, 3,883 m), Saas-Fee (Allalin Glacier, Switzerland, 3,500 m), Hintertux (Tirol, Austria, 3,250 m), and the linked Cervinia (via the Zermatt cross-border lift) and the recently-suspended Las Leñas summer terrain. Of these, Hintertux is the only fully year-round Austrian glacier; Zermatt and Saas-Fee each close for 5–10 days of cable-car maintenance once per year (typically September). Each operates 18–25 km of summer pistes — about 8–12% of their winter terrain. Day passes range from €65 (Hintertux) to €95 (Zermatt).
The Southern Hemisphere ski season runs approximately mid-June through mid-October, with peak operation from early July through late September. Best months are July (Australia and New Zealand school holidays — busiest but most reliable cold), August (Chilean/Argentinian winter peak), and September (excellent snow quality with quieter pistes and dropping prices). New Zealand's South Island offers the most reliable conditions due to colder maritime climate; Australian resorts can be temperamental on snow but reliable on park infrastructure. Chile and Argentina deliver Alps-equivalent altitude (3,000–3,700 m) and reliable July-August snow. Typical Southern Hemisphere week costs: NZ £1,200–1,800/person; Chile £1,400–2,200/person.
Zermatt for the highest altitude and longest daily window (lifts 07:00–14:30 in July); Saas-Fee for the most consistent FIS-quality groomed race-training pistes (Allalin race piste is a dedicated FIS training facility); Stelvio (Italy) for the best summer-snow consistency and FIS-licensed timing infrastructure; Les 2 Alpes (France) for the best summer freestyle park (full halfpipe + slopestyle setup). Most national race teams (USA, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Norway, Italy, France, Slovenia) split summer training across 2–3 of these venues. Public race-training programmes are bookable through each resort's lift company website at typical cost €450–700/person/week including lift pass and timing-fee allocation.
Typically 8–15% of the resort's winter ski area. Examples: Zermatt operates 21 km of summer pistes vs 360 km in winter (6%); Hintertux 20 km summer vs 86 km winter (23%); Les 2 Alpes 22 km summer vs 200 km winter (11%); Tignes 25 km summer vs 300 km winter (8%); Stelvio's summer operation is its only operation (no winter skiing — the access road is snow-closed in winter). The summer terrain is concentrated above 3,000 m on the glacier itself; lower-altitude winter pistes are not snow-covered in summer. Lift operation is typically 07:00–13:00 (mornings only) for non-year-round summer operations, or 07:00–14:30 at the year-round resorts.
European glacier operations are increasingly summer-constrained but currently remain viable through 2030 at least. Glacier mass loss has reduced summer ski windows at marginal operations: Pitztal Glacier (Austria) reduced summer operating dates by 4 weeks in the last decade; Marmolada Glacier (Italy) ceased ski operations in 2020 entirely; Glacier des Diablerets (Switzerland) has shortened seasons. The highest, coldest operations (Zermatt 3,883 m, Saas-Fee 3,500 m, Stelvio 3,450 m, Tignes 3,456 m) remain robust. Snowfarming (covering glacier snow with reflective fabric in summer to preserve depth into autumn) is now standard at Pitztal, Stubai, Sölden and Mölltaler — extending operating seasons but at significant environmental cost. Summer skiing's long-term viability depends on resort altitude — the lower the operation, the more uncertain the future.
Methodology
Operating dates and summer-km figures collected from each resort's official lift-company website in November 2025. "Year-round" means the resort operates 350+ days per year subject to short annual maintenance breaks. "Full" means standard full-month operation; "Part" means partial-month operation (typically opening or closing dates mid-month, or weekend-only operation); "Closed" means the resort is not operating ski lifts that month. Day pass prices are 2026/27 adult walk-up rates converted to EUR at mid-November 2025 ECB reference rates (CHF, GBP, USD, NZD, CLP, AUD, ARS). Southern Hemisphere resorts ski from approximately late-June through early October — listed here as European-summer alternatives. Always confirm operating dates and pricing on the official resort website before booking; glacier-resort dates change annually based on snow conditions.