Saisonstart

Winter is getting closer, the first glacier ski areas are opening and we’re all wondering: How much snow will the Alps get this time? El Niño is getting plenty of attention across North and South America, but what does it mean for us in the Alps? There’s no simple answer. It might be raining in the valley while plenty of snow falls higher up. And an early winter doesn’t tell us much about what the rest of the season has in store. We’re excited for it, though! Here are the planned opening dates for ski resorts across the Alps. Dates may change depending on conditions.

Every year, the snow often comes faster than you think - and the last avalanche safety training usually a lies whole year in the past. Here's a friendly reminder: it doesn't always have to be an organized course. It's often enough or at least a good start to get to grips with your equipment again and do a bit of digging with friends.

Although the big snow masses are still a long way off, the first ski resorts are already opening their turnstiles - and other resorts are gradually following suit.

The sight of snow-covered peaks says it all: it’s time to get moving again. The lifts are starting to turn, the first tracks carve across the slopes, and with each passing day, the anticipation for the new season grows stronger.

In many places, the Alps are a winter wonderland. Nevertheless, we have a mixed assessment of the start of the season. There has been some nice precipitation, but none of it has been heavy. The snow conditions across the Alps are neither bad nor good for mid-December. The prospects for new snow are similar. I therefore describe the situation with the beautiful Spanish proverb: ni fu ni fa.

The weather is going crazy and leeward cyclone Anett has caused chaos in many regions with large amounts of precipitation (a more detailed analysis in weather blog #1 2024/25). It brought an early onset of winter to the Alps at higher altitudes and even below 1500 metres. Even if the beloved snow is just melting again, the start of winter cannot be stopped. Here is an overview of the ski resorts that are the first to open.

A WeatherBlog sparked by the circumsrtances; the first snow is falling in the Alps, and it's falling a lot. We take a closer look. Is that enough to go powder skiing already? Or does it at least provide a stable base for future snowfalls? We also clarify the status of our current weather service and give an outlook on new developments for the winter.

Compared to the last few winters, the start of the season was reasonably good for the northern side of the Alps. Even Munich and even Lower Bavaria enjoyed and groaned under unprecedented amounts of snow. This was followed by a warm and wet period of precipitation, which caused considerable damage to the snow cover at lower altitudes. But now a cold front gives us hope for good fresh snow before we head towards sunny times. We are also noticing that the southern side of the Alps is still suffering from a considerable lack of snow.

They have all come to stay.

Even if there isn't much sign of winter at the moment, it is slowly approaching and the first motivated skiers are already out on the glaciers. It's time for us to wake up from our summer slumber. Every year, we kick things off with a list of the ski resorts opening in the Alps.

This year, winter is taking a while to arrive, but as the saying goes, "good things take time". In any case, patience is still required for casual off-piste tours, as the limited amount and consistency of snow means that not much is possible yet. The danger of avalanches is already very present. We are worried about an early winter problem with old snow coupled with very susceptible drift snow packs. Let's hope it doesn't stay with us for the whole winter!

Skiing is destroying the environment, destroying the climate and melting glaciers. Then there is the war, the energy crisis and the climate crisis. But we still don't want to be discouraged by these crises. After all, in between all the bad news, there is also some good news from time to time! Snow of Tomorrow focuses on good news instead of crisis posts at the start of the season.