Europe Weekly Snow Roundup #287
Early Season Openings Across the Alps
As of 5 November 2025, the Alps are witnessing record early openings. Verbier, Murren, and Sulden launched their ski seasons ahead of schedule thanks to deep glacier snow.
Snowfall and Glacier Conditions
The significant snowfalls that occurred the weekend before last, followed by additional snow, made the final week of October favorable across the Alps. Around a dozen glacier centres, already open, reported powder conditions and expanded their terrain. More centres in Italy and Switzerland also opened.
Centre Openings and Regional Comparisons
- Switzerland and Austria now each have seven centres open.
- Italy has up to four ski areas currently open.
- The French ski season is set to start in just over two weeks.
The biggest surprise was Verbier’s announcement to open nearly a month early last Saturday.
Snow in Northern Europe
Significant snowfall has also been recorded across Scandinavia, Scottish peaks, and Iceland, where 37 cm (15") of snow set an October record. This has raised hopes for early openings of ski areas there.
“It was great, but not enough to open,” said Blafjoll regarding the conditions.
Conditions in Austria
Austrian slopes enjoyed a strong week with fresh snowfall, open glacier resorts, many blue-sky days, and more fresh snow in between. Existing centres have been able to operate more lifts and expand terrain thanks to new snow.
Solden’s Ongoing Season
After hosting the World Cup openers at the end of October, Solden continues to offer the most open terrain worldwide, with 34 km (21 miles) of runs and snow depths of 0-35 cm (0-14").
Summary: Early heavy snowfall has triggered record-early openings and expanded ski terrain across the Alps, with strong conditions continuing in Austria and promising signs for northern Europe.