Coronet Peak, New Zealand, managed some night skiing last night...
The Snow Headlines - July 2nd
- Ski areas in northern hemisphere still have more runs open than those in southern.
- Much needed snowfall arrives on Aussie slopes.
- Only one US ski area expected to be open for 4th of July skiing.
- Some fresh snowfall on Alpine glaciers.
- Les 2 Alpes set to end 7+ months season this weekend.
- US summer ski area Beartooth Basin ends 2026 run with late June snow.
- Snow and cold allow New Zealand's ski areas to open limited terrain.
- Canada's Sunshine open for Canada Day but ends 2026 summer skiing this weekend.
- More centres open in the Andes but most Argentinian centres remain closed.
A little more snow forecast for New Zealand and South America.
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World Overview
We're into July but Northern Hemisphere summer skiing is outpacing the Southern Hemisphere's in early winter, with around ten areas still operating across Europe and North America. It's a similar number in Australia, New Zealand and the Andes where there should be 60+ by now - as all are still struggling through an unusually poor start to the 2026 season, leaving tiny Lesotho as the only region enjoying something close to normal winter conditions.
Most southern hemisphere resorts are still waiting for a long enough spell of sustained cold. Australia has only short, snow-machine-made strips open, with a weekend cold front finally bringing 10–20 cm/4–8 inches of natural snow. New Zealand has limited terrain open at a handful of resorts now, with further snowfall expected later this week. Argentina and Chile remain largely closed, offering only thin or limited cover.
In the north, summer glacier skiing carries on at Tignes, Hintertux, Zermatt, Passo Stelvio and Norway's Galdhøpiggen, while Timberline's Palmer Snowfield and Copper Mountain's hike-to terrain park are North America's remaining summer options. Banff's Sunshine ski area remains open as well, although only to Sunday.
Southern Hemisphere
Australia
Australia's 2026 season remains stalled, but colder nights have boosted snowmaking and slightly improved conditions. Fresh snowfall arrived on Wednesday and is expected to intensify into the weekend with cold temperatures too.
Down in Tasmania, Ben Lomond managed to open a short run at the weekend, while Mount Buller, Thredbo and Corin Forest are maintaining small sub-1 km/0.5 mile strips thanks to all-weather snowmaking systems.
The country's largest centre Perisher has a similarly small area open, with webcams showing heavy use as crowds flock to the limited snow. Most other resorts remain closed. The sharp cold front that has moved in to end the week should bring natural snowfall totals of 10–20 cm/4–8 inches on upper slopes at major resorts, the most for a month.
Snow may fall to 1200–1400 m/3,937–4,593 feet, with rain possible lower down and strong winds also in the mix. 'Mother Nature has answered her critics with a fierce display of winter on the slopes of Perisher today,' a resort spokesperson commented on Thursday, adding, 'We've had 5 cm/2 inches of fresh snow overnight and there's more through the Perisher Valley this morning as snowmaking temperatures return. Another front rolls in tonight with up to 20 cm/8 inches more natural snow forecast by morning.'
New Zealand
New Zealand's ski season is slowly gaining momentum as colder temperatures and late-week snowfall allowed several resorts to open limited terrain. Cardrona led the way last Friday with beginner slopes and a small rail park, followed over the weekend by The Remarkables and Mount Hutt. Mount Hutt operated its Nor'West Express and Magic Carpet while working to expand upper-mountain access, and The Remarkables added the Alta Chair on Sunday, noting that early-season conditions meant Alta Green was running as intermediate terrain.
Coronet Peak, already open thanks to its all-weather snowmaking system, has now added the Coronet Express II chair.
Some areas remain on hold. Treble Cone has delayed its start again, Mount Dobson confirmed it will not open this weekend, and Rainbow warned its mid-July launch is uncertain without a significant weather shift. However Mount Lyford announced it would open from Friday 2nd July.
A more wintry pattern arrives late week, with widespread snowfall, colder temperatures and 15–30 cm/6–12 inches possible across higher South Island terrain.
Argentina
Like most other southern hemisphere ski nations, Argentina's 2026 season start remains stalled, with most resorts still closed and natural snowfall minimal. Temperatures have been cold enough for snowmaking, but major centres such as Cerro Catedral report only a few centimetres of cover.
Sunshine has dominated for a week, although there has been some fresh snowfall over the past few days, with upper-mountain lows between –10 and 0 °C and bases around five degrees warmer.
Cerro Bayo (0/20 cm/0–8 inches) is the only area operating, offering very thin cover and only a short stretch of skiable terrain.
A continued dry pattern is expected to affect northern resorts including Las Leñas, Penitentes and Vallecitos, where clear skies and –10 to –2 °C are expected. Further south, light snowfall may briefly refresh higher slopes, while Ushuaia and Cerro Castor stay colder and more unsettled with occasional snow showers.
Chile
Chile's ski season ended June with cold, mostly dry weather, allowing most resorts to open—with only small sections of terrain available, almost entirely thanks to snowmaking.
Valle Nevado (10/30 cm/4–12 inches) and Corralco (5/25 cm/2–10 inches) currently offer the largest skiable areas at roughly 4 km/2.5 miles, still under 15% of their terrain.
Portillo has delayed its opening again but now says it will open on the 4th.
Overnight lows below –10 °C have helped expand limited terrain, with Valle Nevado now running around six lifts and 3.5 km/2 miles of slopes.
A clear, colder pattern continues into early July, with strong freezes and bright days across central Chile. Summit temperatures fall to –15 to –6 °C, bases –4 to +2 °C. A weak disturbance late Saturday may deliver a light dusting on higher terrain, but meaningful natural snowfall remains unlikely.
Southern Africa
Lesotho's Afriski (10/30 cm/4–12 inches) remains open and is thought to have its full mile-long run available, sustained almost entirely by snowmaking. Daytime temperatures have climbed well above freezing this week, even near 3,000 m/9,843 feet, but clear nights continue to deliver sub-zero lows suitable for top-ups.
A colder spell arrives Thursday as a wintry surge hits the Maloti Mountains. Summit temperatures fall to –13 to –5 °C, with a brief chance of light snow before skies clear again for the weekend.
Northern Hemisphere
The end of a long season is nigh at Les 2 Alpes with Sunday expected to close a season that has run for more than seven months since early December.
With Val d'Isère ending summer ski operations earlier than expected in June after unprecedented heat across Western Europe forced an early shutdown after just two weeks, from next week, only Tignes (0/100 cm/0–39 inches) is expected to remain open in the French Alps, currently offering around 6 km/3.7 miles of skiable terrain.
Across the rest of the Alps, Austria's Hintertux (0/145 cm/0–57 inches) continues to post the most open terrain in the northern hemisphere, and currently globally, with 16 km/10 miles available. The glacier has announced it will pause operations for several months from July, with no exact date confirmed.
Zermatt, still operating year-round, has close to 15 km/9.3 miles open and launched a new summer terrain park last weekend.
Italy's Passo Stelvio (0/180 cm/0–71 inches) also remains open with roughly 4 km/2.5 miles of skiing.
All Alpine centres had been battling unusually warm temperatures until recently, with some afternoons reaching 20 °C even at glacier altitude. However Passo Stelvio and other areas including Val Senales reported some fresh snowfall on Wednesday/Thursday.
Further north, Norway's Galdhøpiggen (20/120 cm/8–47 inches) remains fully open and has hosted increased national and regional team training. Conditions have varied, with temperatures ranging from freezing to +8 °C and occasional double-digit highs. Another short-term option returned last weekend as Trysil opened a summer terrain park, using snow stockpiled from winter; it will operate again from Friday to Sunday.
Looking ahead, a high-pressure pattern should keep Alpine glaciers sunny and stable, with freezing levels well above 3,000 m/9,843 feet and no meaningful snowfall expected. Norway's Galdhøpiggen also stays settled, with reliable overnight freezes and dry daytime conditions.
Across the Atlantic, Western North America saw sharp contrasts this week, with record June cold and fresh high-elevation snowfall in the northern Rockies, even as wildfires burned elsewhere.
The Beartooth Highway briefly closed again due to new snow but Beartooth Basin wrapped up its 2026 season on Sunday.
Timberline in Oregon remains the main US ski option, offering about a mile of terrain on the Palmer Snowfield as it approaches its earlier-than-usual 19th July closing target. Copper Mountain's hike-to summer park also continues Thursday–Sunday.
In Canada, Sunshine near Banff enters its final days of summer skiing, with its 16-day run due to end on Sunday.