Arapahoe Basin, USA, open for one more weekend (15th to 17th May)
Final weeks of the northern hemisphere ski season, with roughly two dozen areas still open across Asia, Europe and North America. Arapahoe Basin staying open following late-season snowfall, and summer ski programmes start in Canada and Japan.
The Snow Headlines - May 14th
- Ski season in Rockies extended a further week at last minute.
- Number of areas open in Europe drops to single figures but fresh snowfall in the Alps.
- Final weekend of Canada's ski season incoming, but Sunshine announces summer skiing.
- Turkish ski area still operating reports latest opening for 15 years.
Most ski areas now closed, but there's Snow forecast for the Alps and America.
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World Overview
We're fast approaching another change in the seasons, meteorological summer is now a fortnight away in the northern hemisphere, with the southern hemisphere's winter equally close.
The global map of open ski areas has thinned to just a few dozen operational areas across Asia, Europe and North America. Currently there's nowhere open in the southern hemisphere although reports of new snowfall and early-season cold spells are becoming more frequent.
Roughly two dozen northern-hemisphere ski areas remain open, with North America still offering the widest choice, just. Europe is down to 10 centres open, with Finland's last two open centres closing last weekend. Italy's Val Senales glacier has also shut leaving Cervinia the only area open there until Passo Stelvio opens for its 2026 season at the end of the month.
Against the closures, Norway's Galdhøpiggen is the first summer-only area in Europe to open for 2026. In addition, Turkey's Erciyes, the highest mountain in Central Anatolia, is still open, at least to this weekend, having extended its season to mid-May for the first time since 2011.
In North America lifts continue to spin on the East Coast, in the Midwest, through the Rockies and along the Pacific Coast.
In the Rockies, conditions diverge sharply. Colorado and Utah were preparing for early closures last weekend until a major late-season storm prompted one area, Arapahoe Basin, to delay shutting down yet again - and they're open through this coming weekend to their final day on 17th May.
North of the border, Sunshine Village near Banff, celebrating a 10-metre/33 feet snowfall winter, plans a 16-day summer ski window in June and July, even as it and the two other still-open Canadian ski areas aim to close on 25 or 26 May.
Japan's Gassan summer ski centre continues its summer season, reporting the world's current deepest base at 460 cm/181 inches and all runs open after a mostly sunny week.
Europe
The Alps
It has been an unusually cold week in the Alps, with glacier temperatures getting down as low as –14°C/7 degrees Fahrenheit overnight and remaining below freezing around the clock some days.
Snowfall has been reported down to resort level at higher (but now closed) centres like Val d'Isère and Obertauern. There have been 5–10 cm/2–4 inches top-ups between sunny spells, creating excellent late-spring conditions.
Austria remains the clear leader for lift-served skiing in Europe in May, with five Alpine glacier areas still operating. Hintertux continues to offer Europe's deepest base (305 cm/120 inches) and the most open terrain (42 km/26 miles). The Kitzsteinhorn and Mölltal glaciers also remain open into next week but the Kaunertal and Stubai will end their season after skiing on Sunday.
Across the other Alpine nations, only two glacier options remain. France's Les 2 Alpes has about 20 km/12 miles of pistes and its park open, after last week's 60 cm/24 inches of fresh snow. The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, shared by Cervinia and Zermatt, is the final option.
Looking ahead, a cool, unsettled pattern is expected to continue on glaciers, with snow showers above 2,800–3,000 m/9,186–9,843 feet, brief brighter spells and –4 to –8°C/25–18 degrees Fahrenheit summit lows.
Scandinavia
Finland and Norway wrapped up their seasons last weekend, leaving Sweden's Arctic Circle resort of Riksgränsen briefly as Scandinavia's only lift-served option. By Friday, Norway had rejoined the list as the Galdhøpiggen glacier opened with a 4 m/13 feet base, currently Europe's deepest. With Fonna currently out-of-action Norway's other surviving spring/summer glacier ski area at Stryn plans limited cat-skiing in the coming days but hasn't confirmed how long it will operate. Riksgränsen is running on a below-average base with about half its terrain open, but its midnight-sun season is underway, with twice weekly skiing from 11.30pm to around 1am.
The weather remains fairly wintry at these northerly latitudes with mixed sunshine and snow showers, temperatures from –8°C/18 degrees Fahrenheit to +5°C/41 degrees Fahrenheit, and regular 5–10 cm/2–4 inches top-ups. A colder, unsettled pattern is expected to continue over the coming week in the far north.
North America
Canada
Canada's ski season is entering its final stretch, with just three areas still operating, two in the West and one in Quebec in the East, before the season wraps up on Victoria Day, this coming Monday 18 May.
Sunshine Village near Banff continues to lead with the best conditions in North America after one of its snowiest winters on record, maintaining deep cover and more than 90% of its terrain open to the end. The resort will close with the 96th Slush Cup and has announced it plans to reopen briefly for a fortnight of summer skiing in late June/early July.
Whistler Blackcomb remains open through the weekend too, but is down to roughly 20% of its terrain.
In the East, Sommet Saint-Sauveur is offering limited Friday-to-Sunday terrain park laps on a narrow remaining strip of snow.
A warm, mostly settled pattern dominates the forecast for the final days.
USA
The Rockies had been expected to wrap up the 2025–26 season last weekend, with the final three areas preparing to close, but Colorado's Arapahoe Basin extended operations (again) after one of the largest storms in more than six months delivered more than 35 cm/14 inches of new snow. The resort added another bonus Friday–Sunday opening, citing excellent spring conditions and strong demand. A-Basin, which typically skis into June, had previously blamed below-average snowfall for its earlier-than-normal closing date, originally set for 3 May.
In Utah, the season did end, with Brighton and Snowbird both closing last Sunday.
Spring skiing continues on the West Coast. Mammoth still has close to half its terrain open and has shifted to 7:30 a.m.–2 p.m. opening hours, with several lifts and the gondola running daily and more terrain scheduled for a Friday–Sunday reopening.
Palisades Tahoe retains a small selection of runs, while Oregon's Timberline continues to offer around 10 km/6 miles of upper-mountain skiing.
The East and Midwest remain active, with Killington and Jay Peak in Vermont, Black Mountain in New Hampshire and Michigan's Boyne Mountain all still operating (although now, other than Killington, only at weekends) on very limited spring terrain.