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Val d'Isère has opened for summer skiing on its Pisaillas Glacier. Skiing is available between 07:00-12:00 between for four weeks until 6th July.

Access to the resort's summer ski area has been made possible by the opening of the Col de l'Iseran allowing access to the facilities for amateurs and professional visitors alike.

The slopes currently have an average snow depth of 1.50m with six runs open, with three accessible to everyone (Moraine, Montet, and Combe du Géant) and three reserved exclusively for club and national team training (Champions, Aiguille-Perse, and Pisaillas). The slopes are accessible via the Cascade chairlift and the Montets drag lift.

Lift passes start from €36 for one day, or €289 for the season. The parking area at the foot of the glacier is accessible from the Col de l'Iseran, where guests will also find the ski pass sales point at the base of the Cascade chairlift.

Val d'Isère joins Les 2 Alpes as the second French ski area currently open, with a third, Tignes, due to reopen for summer skiing at the end of next week.

Some Australian ski resorts have now reported more than 50cm of fresh snowfall from a huge snowstorm that's moved up from the south in a polar blast from the south.

The storm's arrival was almost perfectly timed, hitting on the first day of the season for most Aussie areas. Some Australian weather forecasters are predicting it's potentially going to be the biggest snowfall in three years by the time is starts to weaken on Monday, with snowfall totals of 70-90cm forecast.

The country's largest ski area, Perisher, reported another 25cm of snowfall overnight, bringing the weekend total to 45cm of natural snowfall by the end of the ski day on Sunday. It and other Aussie areas also haved snoiwguns firuing to help build bases.

"We've got freshly groomed laps on Front Valley, the V8 spinning and now the Mitchell T-Bar, along with carpets 3 and 4 running for beginners and groms," said Madeleine McVie, Perisher's Marketing Coordinator. "The Slopestyle Mini Park is also open with some early-season features to enjoy!"

Falls Creek ski area opened today reporting it hah had 53cm of snowfall ready for its opening morning.

This year Australian ski areas are the first in the southern hemisphere to open for 2025 although New Zealand's Manganui Ski Area operated by Stratford Mountain Club also opened on Saturday after big snowfalls there. The Afriski ski area in Lesotho, South Africa also appears to have a small snow slope open thanks to snowmaking efforts.

Most ski areas in Australia have opened for the 2025 season today, with a perfectly timed snow storm, forecast to be the largest in three years, starting to dump yesterday evening.

So far resorts have reported up to 20cm of snowfall but totals by the time the storm blows through on Tuesday/Wednesday are expected to be nearer 60-90cm.

"What a morning here at Perisher! We have had fresh snow overnight with more on the way," said Madeleine McVie, Perisher Marketing Coordinator, adding, "Skiing and boarding are open for 2025; we couldn't be more excited!"

After some uncertainty due to dry conditions in the run up to the season start the resort's Village Eight Chairlift is spinning from day one and Front Valley open for skiing and boarding.

"As the snow continues to fall, we will be able to open more terrain and lifts and you don't want to miss out," McVie added.

Australian ski areas are the first to open full runs in the southern hemisphere this year. The season had been expected to start last week with New Zealand's Mt Hutt planning to open early after a big snowfall in early May but it abandoned the plan after subsequent thawing. It has now just reported another huge fall, 90cm (pictured below), and plans to open on its original date next weekend with several other New Zealand ski areas.

Africa's only remaining ski area, Afriski, opened last weekend but has not yet reported a completed run open. The first ski areas in the Andes are expected to open for 2025 next weekend.

Most Australian ski areas will open on Saturday, June 7th, despite some not yet having enough snow cover to open a full ski run.

The snow issue could be solved quickly though as opening day should herald a multi-day storm set to bring 60-90cm of snowfall to Aussie slopes by Tuesday.

Up to now, although there have been some light snowfalls and snowmakers have worked in every available low temperature window, the snow conditions have been marginal.

A few centres have managed to create a run for opening day and most of the rest have snow play areas, learning zones and small terrain park set ups, along with the hope they'll be able to open full runs very quickly, assuming the snow arrives as expected.

The country's largest resort, Perisher, has had over 100 snow guns working at night over recent weeks.

"We're thrilled to welcome guests back to Perisher after Mother Nature brought some snow and colder temperatures in the past week. We look forward to watching guests discover, or re-discover, their moment at Australia's largest ski resort," said Nathan Butterworth, Vice President and General Manager of Perisher Ski Resort. "Our teams have worked tirelessly to prepare the resort, and we can't wait to share the magic of the mountains."

"We are super excited here at Perisher to open this weekend, we've got skiing and snowboarding on Front Valley, we've got The PEAK Music festival with lots of live music, and, best of all: we've got a storm rolling in with experts predicting up to 60cm of snow – we can't wait, we'll see you there!" Madeleine McVie, Perisher's Marketing Coordinator, added.

The ski areas that are managing to open at least one run even before the snowfall arrives include Mt Buller (helped by their five SnowFactory all-weather snowmaking machines) and Thredbo. Falls Creek, Hotham and Perisher say they hope to be able to very soon once the snow arrives but don't have anything confirmed yet.

All Australian areas open Saturday except Charlotte Pass and Selwyn Resort, the 7th marks the start of a long holiday weekend in most of the country's states, including the main ski states of Victoria and New South Wales, with Monday 9th a holiday in celebration of King Charles III's birthday.

With no ski areas open yet in South America, Lesotho's Afriski open last weekend but not yet having a ski run available and Mt Hutt in New Zealand cancelling plans to open early last weekend, then this, Australian ski resorts will be the first to open this year for the 2025 southern hemisphere ski season.

Friends Reuben Gray and Matt Brinkley are taking on an extraordinary challenge: walking 801 miles from central London to Val Thorens in the French Alps—both fully dressed in ski boots and ski clothing.

Their ambitious journey will span 45 days, taking them through Kent to Dover, across the Channel to Dunkirk by ferry, and onward through Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Switzerland, before finally reaching Val Thorens.

Dubbed No Lifts, Just Legs, their trek aims to raise significant funds for Macmillan Cancer Support and Snow Camp—a UK charity that transforms young lives through snow sports.

For Reuben, the journey holds deep personal significance. Inspired by his late godfather, Jerry Chilvers, and his battle with cancer, he reflects:

"We're not just 'walking the talk'; we're putting our belief in shared human resilience to the ultimate test. This 801-mile trek is a raw demonstration of what everyday perseverance looks like in the face of extraordinary circumstances. It's for everyone who dares to dream big, and most importantly, for the vital work of Snow Camp and Macmillan Cancer Support."

Matt adds:

"This challenge embodies teamwork and determination—just like the best adventure experiences. It's not just about publicity or a few blisters; it's about grit, camaraderie, and proving that normal people can push their limits. We want to show why King of the Hill exists—to encourage everyone to take on challenges together and enjoy the moment with their mates."

This endurance feat marks the official launch of King of the Hill, a groundbreaking AI-powered skiing and adventure sports app designed to make planning group trips easier, gamified, and social. Their progress will be tracked live through GPS partner ZeroSixZero, creating an interactive map for the public to follow their every step.

With daily video updates, real-time GPS tracking, industry meetups, and surprise events along the way, the King of the Hill trek promises to capture the highs and lows of this extreme endurance adventure.

Reuben and Matt will kick off their journey from Oxford Circus at 12 pm on Friday, June 13, 2025.

Donate here:

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/walk-to-the-alps-in-ski-boots

A sports centre that includes one of the UK's longer established dry slopes appears to have been saved thanks to a new operator taking it over.

The Folkestone Sports Centre closed unexpectedly late last summer when the charitable trust running in ran into financial problem. Now a new charity operator, The Sports Trust, a not-for-profit charity based in the town, has taken over.

Besides the dry slope, which dates to the 1960s, the 11 acre site includes are two indoor swimming pools, three outdoor tennis courts, a health and fitness suite, a sports hall, three squash courts, spin and aerobics studios, a health and beauty facility and a cafe/bar. There's also an archery area, a nine-hole footgolf course and a high ropes course.

The Sports Trust describes itself as a charity which seeks to dismantle barriers to sports participation and celebrate sport as a tool for social improvement. It already operates several other leisure facilities in the area and works with schools, sports clubs and the local community.

"As we anticipated from the outset, interest in the centre came from a wide variety of potential purchasers, including those interested in alternative uses and redevelopment of the site. However, such was the importance of Folkestone Sports Centre to the local community, we were pleased to see that the majority of interest in the centre came from the charitable health and leisure club sector with a mutual goal of re-opening the business," said Jon Patrick, Head of Leisure and Development at specialist property adviser Christie & Co who added, "Following a competitive bidding process, we were delighted to confirm The Sports Trust as our preferred bidder, and given their significant local knowledge and outreach as well as investment plans for the property, we believe they were the best placed party to ensure the future of Folkestone Sports Centre."

Dan Hulme, Chief Executive Officer of The Sports Trust, commented:

"We are excited to be acquiring Folkestone Sports Centre. It was much loved and had been immensely important to our community. We are now able to look forward to bringing it back to life and re-establishing it as an excellent facility."

It will be some time before the centre, which closed in August last year, will reopen however. There is considerable work to be done to the centre to ensure that it complies with all necessary regulations. Work has begun but a statement from The Sports Trust notes, "..essential works on the building and equipment will be completed over the next twelve months, subject to successful funding."

"For now, we simply ask for a little more patience. The Folkestone Sports Centre will be an exciting addition to The Sports Trust, and we will work tirelessly to open it again as soon as possible," Dan Hulme added.

image credit: Christie & Co

The mother of a snowboarder who died after falling nearly 50 feet from a chairlift wants to make the use of the safety bar mandatory.

32-year-old Donovan Romero fell from the lift at Keystone Ski Resort in Colorado in December sustaining multiple injuries. He died more than four months later from the resulting traumatic brain injury, having never regained consciousness.

His mother Tonette Romero now wants restraining bars to be required on all chairlifts at ski resorts and for their use to be mandatory. She also wants to see additional staff checking the bars are down and for more safety signage.

The chairlift her son was riding on did have a safety bar but it was raised when he fell off.

In a statement, Keystone Resort's vice president and general manager extended their deepest sympathies and support to Donovan's family and friends.

"I can't process. There are no regulations about sending people as high as 60 feet in the air without a requirement to making sure that they're properly restrained?" Tonette Romero told CNN "Please, just put the bar down. It can and it will save your life."

New Zealand's Mt Hutt, which had announced plans to open for its 2025 season a fortnight early*, this Saturday May 31st, has said recent weather conditions mean it now has to cancel that plan.

"Unfortunately, the last few weeks of weather have been very unkind to us and we won't be able to open for Kings Birthday weekend as we had all hoped. We will provide further updates as conditions change - but in the meantime thanks for your understanding!" the centre's Snow report today reads.

Mt Hutt announced the May 31st opening plan, two weeks ahead of its scheduled date, in mid-May after receiving more than a metre of snowfall from a huge pre-season storm. It was to be the centre's earliest opening for more than a decade and make it the first to open for 2025 in New Zealand and the whole southern hemisphere.

Unfortunately though, although there have been more comparatively light snowfalls since, a lot of the early snow accumulation is reported to have melted during warm afternoon temperatures.

"We are still holding out for an earlier opening on the weekend of 7th and 8th June but if the snow conditions/weather are still not up to par, we will revert to our original opening date of 13th June," the snow report adds.

New Zealand's season will kind of get started this week anyway with Whakapapa on the North Island opening 'snow play' areas thanks to its all-weather snowmaking machine.

(* see our earlier report: https://www.j2ski.com/ski-chat-forum/posts/list/0/21268/mount-hutt-nz-open-early.page)