Tignes, France, opening soon, looking good under the Northern Lights!
The ski season is kicking off in various resorts across Europe and North America, with Breckenridge, Davos, Gstaad, and Kitzbühel among those opening this weekend. 15 ski areas are currently open in North America, primarily in Alberta and Colorado.
The Snow Headlines - November 13th
- Breckenridge, Davos, Gstaad and Kitzbühel among resorts starting seasons at the weekend.
- 15 ski areas now open in North America, most in Alberta or Colorado so far.
- Snow still falling in the southern hemisphere, with up to 30 cm/12 inches reported in the Andes.
- The Pyrenees sees cold and snowy conditions although no areas are open there yet.
- The season is getting underway in eastern North America.
- The number of ski areas open in the Alps reaches 20, with half in Switzerland.
Snow in the forecast.
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World Overview
There has been a contrast in conditions on each side of the Atlantic, with more wintry weather than recently for much of North America, while Europe has turned milder and drier.
There are exceptions on both continents, with the Rockies experiencing drier, milder weather in the US, leading to a few delayed season starts (though others, including Breckenridge, went ahead), while the Pyrenees and Scandinavia in Europe saw cold, snowy weather.
In terms of resorts already open, we are now up to about 35 in eight countries, with Switzerland overtaking Austria to report the most ski areas open globally, with 10 resorts now operating - three more than Austria. Newly opened this past weekend are Arosa, Davos, and Glacier 3000. Most Swiss centres are currently open only at weekends. Austria had led through October, with seven glacier resorts and Kitzbühel joining last Friday.
However, this lead may be short-lived: the USA reached seven open areas last weekend, mostly in Colorado, and with colder weather and more openings expected, it is likely to surpass Switzerland imminently.
Europe
Austria
Kitzbühel became Austria's first non-glacier resort to open this season, launching limited terrain at Resterkogel last Friday using snow farming techniques. Stockpiled spring snow was redeployed to create early-season access, supported by light natural snowfall in late October. While midweek training was reserved for race teams, public skiing resumed at weekends.
Seven glacier resorts remain open, with Sölden offering the most terrain globally at 39 km/24 miles, followed by Hintertux (34 km/21 miles) and Stubai (31 km/19 miles). Kitzsteinhorn and Mölltal report the deepest bases at 90 cm/35 inches. Pitztal and Kaunertal also continue operations.
Weather across the Austrian Alps remains mild and dry, with daytime highs of 8–11°C/46–52°F. However, a significant temperature drop and a return of snowfall are forecast for this weekend into next week.
France
The French ski season is due to begin in just over a week, with Tignes and Val Thorens set to open on the 22nd.
Despite a wintry end to October, recent days have been mild, with highs reaching +10°C/50°F at 2,000 m/6,562 ft. Overnight temperatures remain cold enough for snowmaking, which continues most evenings.
The snowline currently remains above 2,500 m/8,202 ft, but a weather change is expected, with colder temperatures and snowfall anticipated next week.
Italy
With the Passo Stelvio summer ski area now closed for another year and no new centres opening this weekend, Italy's open ski centres are Sulden and Val Senales, with glacier access to the Zermatt-Breuil-Cervinia ski area also available, with more terrain opening this weekend.
The Italian Alps and Dolomites have seen largely dry, sunny weather through the past week, with daytime highs touching +12°C/54°F as high as 2,000 m/6,562 ft. However, colder, sub-zero nights have enabled crucial pre-season snowmaking.
No major snowfall is forecast, and the snowline remains above 2,500 m/8,202 ft, with light winds and excellent visibility. However, conditions should start to change this weekend with more unsettled weather moving in.
Switzerland
Switzerland has the most ski areas open in Europe, overtaking Austria with three more centres (Davos, Arosa, and Gstaad's Glacier 3000) starting their seasons last weekend.
Davos' Parsenn area opened early on 7 November, with more lifts expected to operate from 14–16 November and daily operations from the 21st. Glacier 3000 has opened key runs and snowparks. This means 10 Swiss centres are now open, although more than half are operating only at weekends.
Zermatt (25 km/16 miles open) and Saas-Fee, which boasts the deepest snowpack, are open daily, while limited terrain is also available at Adelboden, Verbier, Diavolezza, Murren, and Engelberg. The past week has seen mostly dry and mild weather, with highs of +10°C/50°F at 1,500 m/4,921 ft, although overnight lows have dipped below zero.
The coming week looks more unsettled, with lower temperatures and snowfall expected to return. Andermatt will be the 11th area to open this coming weekend.
Scandinavia
Scandinavia's ski season is already into its second month, with four centres remaining open, each offering 2–3 km/1–2 miles of slopes. Three opened last month thanks to snow farming.
Finland's Levi saw 7 cm/3 inches of fresh snow and temperatures around freezing, while Ruka had a light dusting and freezing, dry conditions.
Norway's Galdhøpiggen glacier is believed to be in its final week, with sub-zero temperatures, fresh snowfall, and strong winds. Geilo will open this weekend.
Sweden's Kabdalis remains cold, but no major new snow has been reported.
Scandinavia will stay mostly dry and cold, with Finland expecting 5–8 cm/2–3 inches of fresh snow and lows down to -8°C/18°F.
North America
Canada
Western Canada continues to enjoy cold temperatures and regular snowfall, with resorts seeing 5–10 cm/2–4 inches daily and up to 25 cm/10 inches in 24 hours, with temperatures dropping to -15°C/5°F at altitude.
Nakiska and Norquay have joined Lake Louise and Sunshine, opening for the 2025–26 season. Sunshine has the most terrain open of the dozen resorts where lifts are now operating in North America (around 24 km/15 miles) and the deepest snowpack so far at 85 cm/33 inches.
Despite this, Jasper's Marmot Basin to the north has reported it has been too warm there and has delayed its opening.
Eastern Canada has shifted to wintry weather after a warm spell, triggering snowmaking across Quebec and Ontario. Mont-Saint-Sauveur opened first last Sunday, initially for pass holders only. Conditions continue to look promising for gradual natural accumulation and strong pre-season snowmaking in the East.
Snowfall is expected to intensify in the west into the weekend, with low freezing levels supporting excellent early-season conditions.
USA
The focus in the US this week has been the East Coast and Midwest, where it has been much colder, ideal for snowmaking with some fresh snowfall.
Although it kept snowing in the far north (Alaska's Alyeska saw 45 cm/18 inches of fresh snow), the earlier heavy snowfall in California has dried up, and Mount Rose Ski Tahoe postponed its planned opening last weekend due to warm weather. Mammoth Mountain now looks set to open first in the West this Saturday, having delayed from Friday due to forecast storm conditions.
It has been warmer and drier in the Rockies, but Colorado's Loveland opened last Saturday, joined by Breckenridge, Copper, Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, and Winter Park—giving Colorado six centres open, matching Austria's Tirol.
Elsewhere, Vermont led the Northeast with 30 cm/12 inches of fresh snow, and Killington opened this week, along with Maine's Sunday River. New York state's Whiteface is the latest to announce it will be joining them this coming weekend. Several centres have also opened initial runs in the Midwest and south-eastern US, which is currently reporting record low temperatures for mid-November.
Cold, snowy conditions are forecast to continue across the Midwest and Northeast, with lake-effect snow near the Great Lakes and freezing temperatures supporting early-season operations. At the time of writing, little Ski Ward in Massachusetts has the only lift-accessed terrain open in the East so far, thanks to all-weather snowmaking, but things are changing rapidly.