J2Ski's Where to Ski in June 2026

Mon, 1 Jun 2026 19:12:13 GMT

June sees the Southern Hemisphere ski season begin across the Andes, Australia, Lesotho and New Zealand, while Northern Hemisphere skiing is limited to a small number of glacier and summer ski areas.

Perisher, New South Wales, Australia, it's not yet deep but it is cold...

Where to Ski in June 2026
June marks the start of winter in the southern hemisphere. The month will see most ski areas in the Andes, Australia, Lesotho and New Zealand open. 2026 has not brought any big pre-season snowfalls so far, but there has been some snow and even temporary early-opening with snowmaking machines firing up. Resorts with all-weather snowmaking machines already have small amounts of terrain open.

It is summertime in the northern hemisphere and only a handful of resorts that opened back in autumn last year are still operating into June. They are being joined by a growing number of summer-only areas opening for 2026, keeping the number operating in Asia, Europe and North America at around a dozen.

Southern Hemisphere
Australia

Australia's season is set to get underway on the first weekend of June, as it traditionally does, regardless of snow conditions. The weekend includes a bank holiday Monday to celebrate the King's birthday.

Resorts started snowmaking around 20 May with a number including Thredbo, Mount Buller and Corin Forest all operating all-weather snowmaking machines to increase their chances of having at least some early snow to play and learn on. There was a little natural snowfall, for Perisher and Hotham, as temperature dipped as low as −5oC/23oF overnight on 30-31 May.

There is a chance of a warmer, drier winter than usual due to a strengthening El Nino currently developing; however meteorologists stress that although that is the general trend, random fronts from the Antarctic bring a lot of the snow and they are less influenced by Pacific weather systems.

Most of the country's leading resorts open on 4 or 5 June, with a few waiting until the following or third weekends of the month but all should be open by the end of June.

New Zealand

New Zealand's ski season is already underway, with two areas opening small snow areas on the final weekend of May, created with all-weather snowmaking machines.

At Whakapapa their Snowland in Happy Valley offers 'snow play' and tubing but does not seem to be offering beginner lessons this year as it has in the past. Coronet Peak has a new all-weather machine this year so is also an early opener. It mentions 'limited' skiing on beginner terrain served by a conveyor lift, as well as snow play.

The 'season proper' is scheduled to start on 12 June with Mount Hutt opening, followed the next day by Cardrona, Coronet Peak's full opening and The Remarkables. Most other New Zealand areas will open through the month.

Argentina

There has been some pre-season snowfall in Argentina, particularly on more southerly slopes and those at higher altitudes. Although it can start early if there are some big snowfalls over the coming week, most Argentinian areas typically begin to open from the middle of the month, this year 13 June, with the majority open by 27 June. Cerro Bayo is often one of the first to open.

Chile

Chile has also enjoyed some modest pre-season snowfall so far, again heaviest on high terrain at more southerly latitudes towards Antarctica. Here too, ski areas have opened in late May after very snowy autumns in recent years, but traditionally open mid-June. The so-called '3 Valleys of the Andes' at Nevados de Chillan, La Parva and El Colorado/Farellones as well as Corralco are often among the first, most likely from 12-13 June with Portillo opening the following weekend and almost all by the last weekend of the month.

Africa

The only lift-served skiing still operating in southern Africa is Afriski in Lesotho, which normally opens in the first week of June. The resort reported some light natural snowfall in May but usually relies on snowmaking, made possible thanks to low temperatures that are the winter norm at its high altitude.

Northern Hemisphere

There are about a dozen ski areas open in the northern hemisphere in June, the first month of meteorological summertime. More than half of them for parts of the month, a few like Hintertux and Cervinia/Zermatt in the Alps, Galdhopiggen in Norway, Timberline in Oregon and Japan's Gassan operate right the way through.

Europe

June is the month when all three remaining French summer ski areas are open.

Les 2 Alpes is the only resort that was open there through May. Skiing continues through June but this month its glacier slopes are reserved for pro teams training; however its Snowpark 3200 summer terrain park remains open to all.

For skiers looking for a full ski run, there is a short wait before Val d'Isere opens for its three-week summer ski season, from Friday, 6 June to Sunday, 29 June this year. It offers three slopes open to all: Moraine, Montet and Combe du Geant served by the Cascade chairlift and Montet ski lift. A further four runs are open but reserved for race training.

Tignes has the latest starting French summer ski season from 20 June to 19 July this year. The resort's Perce Neige funicular operates from 6.45am daily to allow access to the summer ski slopes, which includes up to 20 km/12 miles of slopes open until noon daily.

Elsewhere in the Alps Hintertux in Austria remains open through June, as does Zermatt's Matterhorn Glacier Paradise with Europe's highest lift-served slopes. It is also accessible from Cervinia on the Italian side, where Passo Stelvio is starting its 2026 season.

Scandinavia also has several options including the Galdhopiggen and Stryn glaciers in Norway. The latter has had a short season and closed suddenly in recent years so, having opened for the final week of May, it is unclear how long it will remain open through June. Sweden's Riksgransen is also open, in its case through to Midsummer. Opening days are Friday to Sunday each week until then with skiing under the midnight sun offered on one evening.

North America

After the poor winter in the western USA there are fewer options staying open into summer than usual. Oregon's Timberline will be one, aiming to stay open all month and California's Mammoth Mountain has kept extending its season, so far into the first week of June.

Colorado's Arapahoe Basin, usually still open, was already closed by mid-May. However, Copper Mountain reopens on 5 June with its hike-up terrain park. It is also open to the public more days each week: Thursday to Sunday instead of Friday to Sunday previously.

The other option is Wyoming's Beartooth Basin summer ski area which started its 2026 season in the final days of May and will aim to operate through June, like Mammoth deciding week by week exactly how long it will stay open.

Canada's season ended in late May but for the first time in a few years there will be lift-served skiing there from late June into July. That is because Banff's Sunshine ski area has announced plans to reopen for 16 days of summer skiing after receiving more than 10 metres/33 feet of snowfall through the winter.

Where's open in the northern hemisphere in June week by week

W/C 7 June

Austria: Hintertux
France: Les 2 Alpes (Terrain park only), Val d'Isere.
Italy: Cervinia, Passo Stelvio
Norway: Galdhopiggen, Stryn
Sweden: Riksgransen (Thursday to Sunday only, skiing under midnight sun on Saturdays)
Switzerland: Zermatt
Japan: Gassan
USA: Beartooth Basin, Montana; Copper, Colorado (Hike to terrain park, Thursday to Sunday only); Mammoth, California; Timberline, Oregon.

W/C 14 June

Austria: Hintertux
France: Les 2 Alpes (Terrain park only), Val d'Isere
Italy: Cervinia, Passo Stelvio
Norway: Galdhopiggen, Stryn (? TBC)
Sweden: Riksgransen (Thursday to Sunday only, skiing under midnight sun on Saturdays)
Switzerland: Zermatt
Japan: Gassan
USA: Beartooth Basin, Montana (TBC ?); Copper, Colorado (Hike to terrain park, Thursday to Sunday only); Timberline, Oregon.

W/C 21 June

Austria: Hintertux
Canada: Sunshine
France: Les 2 Alpes (Terrain park only), Tignes, Val d'Isere
Italy: Cervinia, Passo Stelvio
Norway: Galdhopiggen, Stryn (? TBC)
Switzerland: Zermatt
Japan: Gassan
USA: Beartooth Basin, Montana (TBC ?); Copper, Colorado (Hike to terrain park, Thursday to Sunday only); Timberline, Oregon.

W/C 28 June

Austria: Hintertux
Canada: Sunshine
France: Les 2 Alpes (Terrain park only), Tignes.
Italy: Cervinia, Passo Stelvio
Switzerland: Zermatt
Japan: Gassan
Norway: Galdhopiggen, Stryn (closure date depends on conditions, last year start of July).
USA: Beartooth Basin, Montana (?); Copper, Colorado (Hike to terrain park, Thursday to Sunday only); Timberline, Oregon.

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J2Ski's Where to Ski in June 2026