Glacier Skiing at Saas-Fee, Switzerland, Will Resume from October 3

Saas-Fee, Switzerland, has announced plans to partially reopen glacier skiing on October 3, 2026. Unless Zermatt can pull a hat trick in the next 12 days, Saas-Fee will resume glacier skiing ahead of Zermatt.

• Related: Opening Weekend at Schnalstal Glacier/Val Senales, Italy

Normally, Zermatt and Saas-Fee can stay open year-round, but this summer has been fatal to summer skiing in the Alps. Glaciers across Switzerland are retreating at a massive speed, with the latest GLAMOS data showing a loss of 6 meters (20 feet) of ice in the Bernese Oberland region, just north of Saas-Fee. As a result of this unprecedented melt, operations at Saas-Fee will be limited. The resort confirmed in an email to SnowBrains that it would reopen “only the upper section” of the glacier ski area and made the following announcement on its website:

“Due to the current glacier conditions, skiing operations can only resume on a limited basis for the time being. From 3 October, the two upper ski lifts, Allalin 2 and Allalin 3, will be in operation. The two lower ski lifts cannot be opened at this stage. Snow and glacier conditions will continue to be monitored on an ongoing basis. Further lifts will open as soon as conditions permit. We will provide information on any changes in due course.”

The Allalin 2 and 3 are two parallel drag lifts that operate on the upper glacier between about 3,300 and 3,600 meters (10,827 and 11,811 feet). Skiers typically access these lifts using the “Alpine Metro” funicular car, which takes skiers through the mountain to the summit of Mitteallalin peak.

• Related: Saas-Fee, Switzerland, Suspends Summer Skiing, Leaving Only One Glacier Ski Area Open in the European Alps

The reopening is welcome news to ski racing programs that train on high-altitude stations in the Alps during summer. Racing programs had to halt training this summer after both Saas-Fee and Zermatt suspended skiing (although Zermatt stayed open exclusively for national training).

There has been little snow on the glacier so far this summer. Currently, the weather remains under the influence of high pressure. For now, weather models point to a ridge breakdown and possible precipitation around the beginning of October, but it’s too far out to make any definitive calls.

• Related: The 2026-27 European Alps’ Winter Forecast

Saas-Fee is like the underappreciated little brother to the more famous Zermatt. At 3,600 meters, Saas-Fee is the third-highest ski area in the Alps, after Zermatt and the Aiguille du Midi. It’s also one of the most snow-sure, with a base elevation of 1,800 meters, tucked deep in the Swiss Valais. The upper slopes reach the glacier beneath the 4,027-meter Allalinhorn. Eighteen summits above 4,000 meters crown the valley, including the 4,545-meter Dom, Switzerland’s second-highest peak (after Dufourspitze). 

Like Zermatt and many other Swiss villages, Saas-Fee is car-free. However, the village itself is far more quaint, historic, and attractive than Zermatt. Most buildings are still made of wood rather than concrete. It’s also less of an established stop on the international luxury tourism circuit.