Europe

Less Than 50 Days Until Non-Glacier Ski Season Starts in the Northern Hemisphere

Ruka is consolidating all the snow they can get. Photo Credit: Ruka Ski Resort Facebook

Less than 50 days from now, the first non-glacial ski resorts in the Northern Hemisphere will kick off their 2026–27 seasons. Levi and Ruka in Finnish Lapland have confirmed an October 2, 2026 opening, both launching their ski seasons on stored snow from the previous winter — a system that places them among the earliest non-glacier ski resorts to reliably […]
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Norway Brings Freeride into National Ski Federation as Sport Prepares for Olympic Debut

Norway’s Ski Association has formally brought freeride skiing and snowboarding into its organization, creating a dedicated freeride council as the rapidly growing discipline prepares for its Olympic debut at the 2030 Winter Games. The decision was made June 5 at the Norwegian Ski Association’s freestyle meeting in Helsfyr and was announced by Norges Skiforbund on August 4. Freeride will become […]
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Julia Schneemann |
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Swiss Mountain Guide Convicted of Negligent Homicide Following 2023 Avalanche That Killed Colorado and British Teens

A Swiss mountain guide has been convicted of multiple counts of negligent homicide following an avalanche that killed two 18-year-old students during a ski tour near Meiringen, Switzerland, in March 2023. The Oberland Regional Court in Thun sentenced the guide to a conditional fine of 150 daily rates of CHF 90 ($110), totaling CHF 13,500 ($17,400), with a two-year probationary […]
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Julia Schneemann |
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Italy’s Stelvio Glacier, European Alps’ Last Glacier Ski Area, Suspends Summer Skiing

Italy’s Stelvio Glacier has suspended summer skiing until further notice, making it the latest Alpine glacier ski area to fall victim to a blistering summer heatwave in continental Europe. SIFAS announced on the resort’s website that skiing will stop from August 15 after persistent heat, a lack of overnight refreezing, and frequent storms made conditions too poor to guarantee safe […]
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Julia Schneemann |
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32 Mountaineers Forced to Pay for Helicopter Evacuation from Mont Blanc, France, After Climbing Despite Closure

UPDATE: 6:30 a.m. Monday, August 17: Charles Van der Elst, president of the French Federation of Alpine and Mountain Clubs (FFCAM), pushed back this week on the narrative that has formed around this incident, arguing the climbers did nothing wrong by staying at the Goûter refuge overnight. Van der Elst noted that the August 11 municipal order closed the refuges […]
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Julia Schneemann |
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20 Years Ago, One of Europe’s Forgotten Summer Ski Areas Disappeared from the Alps

20 years ago, the last remnants of one of Europe’s forgotten summer ski areas disappeared from a glacier high on the French-Italian border. The Sommeiller Glacier, above Bardonecchia in Italy’s Piedmont region, once offered an extraordinary proposition: skiing in the middle of summer at around 3,000 meters (9,840 feet). Three surface lifts carried skiers across the glacier, while a mountain […]
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Julia Schneemann |
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Tourists Ignore ‘No Access’ Signs and Fence for Selfies in Grindelwald, Switzerland, as Video Goes Viral

A video showing tourists crawling under a fence and past a ‘no access’ signs to take photos of the Swiss Alps has gone viral and sparked outrage and widespread criticism online. In the video, several tourists can be seen ignoring multiple warning signs and barrier tape to enter a fenced-off alpine pasture for photos. The tourists are seeking unobstructed views […]
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Julia Schneemann |
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Fit for a King — Where Royals Ski: The British Royal Family

Charles diana

This series explores winter sport-loving royals from around the world. Part two turns to the British Royal Family, whose relationship with skiing has stretched across generations and made a small Swiss village almost synonymous with royal ski holidays. Related: Fit for a King — Where Royals Ski: Thailand’s Royal Family The British Royal Family’s skiing tradition began with King Charles […]
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Julia Schneemann |
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36 People From 3 Families, Including Children in Prams, Rescued From 2,300 Meters in Sölden, Austria

36 people rescued

36 people, including several young children, were rescued Sunday, August 9, 2026, after a family hike above Sölden, Austria, turned into an alpine emergency when the group left the marked trail and became stranded in difficult terrain. The incident occurred in the Sonnberg area at an elevation of approximately 2,325 meters (7,628 feet). The group, made up of three families […]
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Julia Schneemann |
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Fit for a King — Where Royals Ski: Thailand’s Royal Family

This series will be exploring different winter sport-loving royals from all over the world. Part one will be about Thailand’s royals who have been skiing Europe’s resorts for several generations. The tradition of Thailand’s royals skiing in the Alps started when the current King’s grandfather moved with his sons, Rama X’s father and uncle, to Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1933 to protect […]
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Leander Walchshöfer |
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Trial Against 2 Ski Tour Guides Opens in Swiss Court Over 2023 Avalanche That Killed Colorado and British Teens

Avalanche meiringen

The trial of two guides who led an ill-fated ski tour with a group of boarding-school students will begin Wednesday, August 12, 2026, in Switzerland, more than three years after an avalanche killed two teenage students: Emily Franciose of Vail, Colorado, and British student Archie Harvey. 18-year-old Franciose grew up in the Colorado ski town of Vail and traveled to […]
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Julia Schneemann |
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Saas-Fee, Switzerland, Suspends Summer Skiing, Leaving Only One Glacier Ski Area Open in the European Alps

Saas-Fee, Switzerland, is set to suspend summer skiing on August 10, becoming the second major Swiss glacier ski area to shut down this season as persistent heat continues to deteriorate conditions across the Alps. The closure announcement comes just one week after  Zermatt’s decision to suspend summer skiing on the Theodul Glacier on August 1. Once Saas-Fee closes, Italy’s Passo […]
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Julia Schneemann |
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8 Weeks Until Hintertux Park Opening Kicks Off the European 2026-27 Freestyle Season

Betterpark Hintertux Park Opening

For snow sport fans, the summer can seem endless, but fret not, the 2026-27 freestyle season officially gets underway in just eight weeks. At the start of October snowboarders and freeskiers return to one of Europe’s most iconic glacier parks. The traditional Hintertux Park Opening from October 2-24, 2026, marks the unofficial start of the 2026-27 winter freestyle season. Related: […]
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Julia Schneemann |
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Famous Aiguille du Midi Ice Tunnel in Chamonix, France, No Longer Exists

The Aiguille du Midi ice tunnel in March 2014. Photo: Anna Lochhead

An effort to secure the Aiguille du Midi ice tunnel earlier this week was not successful, necessitating the famous tunnel’s removal. The tunnel has been a fixture of the Aiguille’s high mountain station in Chamonix, France, for decades and gives access to the high-mountain arête, Vallée Blanche, and major climbing routes. While the exit was closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, […]
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Sergei Poljak |
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Massive Rockfall on Matterhorn Causes Suspension of Guided Climbing Tours on Italian Side

Rockfalll matterhorn

A massive rockfall broke loose from the south face of the Matterhorn on Wednesday, August 5, sending a towering cloud of dust cascading down the iconic peak. No climbers or other people were caught in the collapse, but local mountain guides have temporarily suspended guided ascents of the mountain while conditions are reassessed. The rockfall occurred at an elevation of […]
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Julia Schneemann |
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Lara Gut-Behrami Retires From Ski Racing at 35, Ending One of the Greatest Careers in Alpine Skiing

Swiss alpine skiing legend Lara Gut-Behrami has officially announced her retirement from competitive ski racing, bringing an end to one of the most decorated careers in modern alpine ski racing. The 35-year-old Swiss skier confirmed on Wednesday in a TV interview with Italian-speaking Swiss broadcaster RSI that she will not return to the World Cup circuit after months of uncertainty […]
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Julia Schneemann |
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