Italy's Passo Stelvio ski area looks set to delay its planned 2024 season opening, scheduled for the weekend after next, as there's "too much" snow lying and high avalanche danger.
A resort spokesperson said the amount of snow lying on the pass was "the most for a long time" and a hotel at the base area announced it was postponing its opening date until June 8th, having originally planned for May 31st.
The exact opening date of the ski centre remains uncertain. It is still down as June 1st on the centre's website, but other sources say its unlikely the access road will be declared open by the Italian government's road crews until at least June 2nd.
Snow is still falling on the area, which is a favourite with race teams from all over the world for late-spring - autumn training. It has one of the longest seasons of a summer-only destination, through to November each year.
The centre usually opens each year soon after the pass opens and the Giro d'Italia cycle race passes through, but this year the iconic race is bypassing the area due to reported high avalanche danger due to the volumes of snow above the road.