Industry News
The Italian summer ski resort Passo dello Stelvio had to close this week for six days following the heatwave across the European Alps. The increase in temperature made access to the glacier unsafe and the resort halted operations for last weekend. Following some work from the mountain operations team, the resort is slated to reopen on Saturday, September 2, 2023.
After the low pressure system moved across the Alps at the beginning of this week, temperatures dropped significantly and brought some surprising summer snow. On Monday August 28, the resort saw 25cm (10 inches) of fresh snow.
The ski resort Passo dello Stelvio is located at 2,758m (9,049 ft) and is the largest summer only skiing area in the European Alps. It is situated along the famous Stelvio pass, a long winding road which snakes in hairpin turns along the Italian side of Swiss-Italian border and is only open in summer. Since the road leading to the resort is only open from May to November, so is the the ski resort.
The Stelvio ski area extends to an altitude of 3,450m (11,319 ft) and comprises 20km (12 miles) of slopes as well as two cross country trails which are serviced by six lifts. Summer skiing at Stelvio has a long standing tradition dating back to the early 1930s when the mountain hut Livrio was built and the first ski courses were created.
At the moment not all six lifts are in operation. Both of the resort’s cable cars will operate from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. while the surface ski lifts Pajer and Cristallo on the glacier will only be operating from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Geister 1 and 2 lifts remain closed as they are currently being repositioned.
”We remind all users that we are in an extremely particular environment at high altitude on a Glacier, where it is mandatory to stay on slopes marked as open to the public only. Extreme caution is recommended. Opening times may be subject to changes based on current conditions.”
