More Summer Ski Areas Open With Fresh Snow
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
Most skiers and boarders have understandably forgotten all about the ski season, but June has seen heavy snow on most of the dozen or so glacier ski areas which are still open for skiing and boarding in the Alps right now.
Two French ski resorts – Tignes and Les 2 Alpes – have reopened for summer skiing and boarding in the past few days after a foot of fresh snow landed on the glacier.
Tignes began its summer ski season with a now ‘traditional’ bikini and boxer shorts skiing competition that happily brought in journalists and resulting TV and newspaper publicity across Europe!
The most ski areas open in one country however are in Austria where four resorts are open, including the Hintertux glacier near Mayrhofen and the Kitzsteinhorn glacier above Kaprun.
In Italy there are three glacier areas to visit and Norway also has three centres – some with incredible 20 foot accumulated snow depths.
In Switzerland only Zermatt is open at present – operating Europe’s highest ski lifts to 3899, which are normally only open in the summer. The vertical drop down to the base of the glacier is larger than the vertical offered in the southern hemisphere through the UK’s summer.
Across the Atlantic Whistler has also re-opened for summer snow sports on the Blackcomb glacier after a three week closure.
