The Pitztal glacier, which operates Austria's highest lifts, will open for an eight month 2014-15 ski season at 8.30am tomorrow. The Wildspitzbahn and Brunnenkogel T Bar lift will be in operation to 1pm daily through the remainder of September.
The Kaunertal glacier will also be reopening with 4 km of groomed slopes open served by the Weisseefernerlift I & II and Falgin lifts. It too will initially be open until 1pm daily, right through to spring 2015.
A third Austrian glacier area at Solden, which will stage the first of the northern hemispheres 2014-15 Season World Cup races next month, is also scheduled to open about 4km of terrain. It reports a glacier snow depth of 35cm with the last new snow falling last weekend.
In Italy, Val Senales opened at 7.30am this morning for the start of its 20-14-15 season. It reports a 55cm base.
The four centres joins the Stubai glacier near Innsbruck which opened last weekend.
The next big opening weekend comes in a fortnight's time on October 4th when the first areas open in France and North America.
Tignes is scheduled to open in France on that day, along with Timberline in Oregon, the first North American area likely to open for winter 2014-15. Another Austrian area, the Kitzsteinhorn at Kaprun says it will open on that weekend at the earliest, subject to snow conditions.
Several areas have been open in the Alps all summer and continue to be. They include Saas Fee and Zermatt in Switzerland, Hintertux in Austria and Passo Stelvio in Italy.