Many winter sports enthusiasts are already looking forward to the upcoming ski season. Most of them can hardly wait to finally hit the slopes again. Conveniently, the dates for the first glacier openings in 2024 have already been set! SnowTrex reveals which ski resorts in the Alps will be open to ski fans as early as autumn and what glacier events await them in the snow.
Overview of glacier opening events in 2024
| Date | Event | Glacier ski resorts |
|---|---|---|
| 03.10. - 06.10.24 | Hintertux Park opening | Hintertux Glacier |
| 04.10.24 | Kaunertal ski resort opens | Kaunertaler Glacier |
| 11.10.24 | Stubai ski resort opens | Stubai Glacier |
| 19.10.24 | Diavolezza ski resort opens | St. Moritz |
| 26.10. - 27.10.24 | Ski World Cup Opening in Sölden | Sölden |
| 06.11.24 | Sulden Season Opening | Sulden am Ortler |
| 08.11. - 10.11.24 | Snowtime Kitzsteinhorn | Zell am See-Kaprun |
| 09.11. - 10.11.24 | Pitztal Glacier Open | Pitztal Glacier |
| 16.11.24 | Titlis Ski Resort Opening | Engelberg-Titlis |
| 30.11.24 | Winter Season Opening in Les 2 Alpes | Les 2 Alpes |
Hintertux Glacier (Austria) – Park Opening
Snowboarders and freestyle skiers have something to look forward to: Betterpark on the Hintertux Glacier, Austria’s only year-round glacier, will open at the beginning of October at an altitude of 3,200 metres. This makes it one of the highest fun parks in the Alpine republic. From 3 to 6 October, numerous daredevils will celebrate the 20th Snowpark Opening and can compete with other freestylers at Werni’s Transfer Games or the Metal Battle at the valley station. Young winter sports enthusiasts can also show off their skills in the snow at Kids Shred, while the afternoon alternative rock concert by Sempre Caoz and the evening party at the Hohenhaus Tenne will get the party started.
Please also note that by using our services and integrating the YouTube API Services, the YouTube Terms of Service and the YouTube API Services Terms apply and your use of our website is deemed to be acceptance of these terms.
Kaunertal Glacier (Austria) – Ski season begins
On 4 October 2024, the ski season will begin on the Kaunertal Glacier. This will mark the beginning of a new era at an altitude of up to 3,108 metres. After 38 years as the top event in the Tyrolean glacier ski area, the famous Kaunertal Opening (KTO) will be moved from autumn to spring in 2024. The ‘Spring Classics Kaunertal 2025’ will take place from 4 April to 11 May. The programme awaiting skiers and snowboarders here on 34 kilometres of slopes and in the snow park will be announced shortly.
Please also note that by using our services and integrating the YouTube API Services, the YouTube Terms of Service and the YouTube API Services Terms apply and your use of our website is deemed to be acceptance of these terms.
Stubai Glacier (Austria) – Ski season start
Once again this year, skiing on the Stubai Glacier will not start in September as usual, but almost a month later. On 11 October 2024, the mountain railways will take skiers and snowboarders from the Eisgrat valley station to the 3,212 m high mountain for the first time this season, where the piste teams have prepared the first runs on the glacier.
Please also note that by using our services and integrating the YouTube API Services, the YouTube Terms of Service and the YouTube API Services Terms apply and your use of our website is deemed to be acceptance of these terms.
Diavolezza (Switzerland) – Ski season starts
Winter sports enthusiasts in Switzerland can hardly find a more sophisticated place to ski than in the neighbourhood of posh St. Moritz. And that’s already in autumn, when the glacier in the Diavolezza ski area opens. This season, skiing will begin here in the shadow of Piz Bernina (4,048 m) on 19 October 2024. However, the slopes up to an altitude of 2,978 metres will not be open continuously. Until 22 November, the groomed slopes will only be open to tourists on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays. On other days, the slopes are reserved for ski pros and training.
Please also note that by using our services and integrating the YouTube API Services, the YouTube Terms of Service and the YouTube API Services Terms apply and your use of our website is deemed to be acceptance of these terms.
Sölden (Austria) – Ski World Cup Opening
The skiing world will be turned upside down when the Alpine Ski World Cup kicks off again in the Sölden ski resort on 26 and 27 October 2024. In addition to the spectacular races featuring the skiing aces on the Rettenbachferner glacier, visitors can look forward to a fantastic party programme. DJs and live acts have been making the Tyrolean ski resort an absolute glacier opening hotspot on the opening weekend for almost three decades. And for winter sports enthusiasts who just want to carve their turns in the snow: general skiing in the Sölden ski resort (3,340 m) usually starts at the beginning of October.
Sulden am Ortler (Italy) – Start of the season
From autumn to spring, the Sulden ski resort offers pure skiing fun. The season kicks off on 6 November 2024, when the lifts on Ortler (3,905 m) start operating. From this day onwards, the slopes on the South Tyrolean glacier are traditionally open until May. At an altitude of up to 3,250 metres, winter sports enthusiasts will find ideal snow conditions on almost 40 kilometres of slopes.
Zell am See-Kaprun (Austria) – Snowtime Kitzsteinhorn
Winter sports enthusiasts can also ski on the Kitzsteinhorn in November. And then one of the best glacier openings awaits. Because in the Zell am See-Kaprun ski region, it’s ‘Snowtime’! From 8 to 10 November 2024, the brand new skis and snowboards of the season can be tried out on the slopes during free test runs. In addition, there will be ski and snowboard workshops for advanced skiers and snowboarders, the ‘Kitzsteinhorn SnowTime Cup’ altitude competition and the ‘Cash4Tricks’ freestyle contest. And après-ski is not neglected at the start of the season on the glacier next to skiing at an altitude of up to 3,029 metres.
Please also note that by using our services and integrating the YouTube API Services, the YouTube Terms of Service and the YouTube API Services Terms apply and your use of our website is deemed to be acceptance of these terms.
Pitztal Glacier (Austria) – Glacier Open
Winter kick-off for young and old: On 9 and 10 November 2024, the annual opening will take place in Tyrol’s highest glacier ski area (3,440 m). The supporting programme for the ‘Glacier Open 2024’ consists of testivals for the latest ski and snowboard models, as well as lectures and courses on avalanche awareness. There is also an exciting entertainment programme off the slopes for young and old alike, before the adults enjoy après-ski on the Pitztal Glacier in the evening.
Please also note that by using our services and integrating the YouTube API Services, the YouTube Terms of Service and the YouTube API Services Terms apply and your use of our website is deemed to be acceptance of these terms.
Engelberg-Titlis (Switzerland) – Ski season starts
On 16 November 2024, the glacier in the Engelberg-Titlis ski resort will once again be accessible via two lifts, the Glacier Lift and the Ice Flyer. This marks the start of the ski season high above the world-famous monastery village in Central Switzerland. Winter sports enthusiasts who want to hit the slopes at altitudes of up to 3,020 metres in autumn can do so in Engelberg earlier than in almost any other ski resort in the Alps.
Les 2 Alpes (France) – Winter Season Opening
For years, SnowTrex has kicked off the new ski season with the popular PowderWeek. The event is based in the Les 2 Alpes ski resort. And in 2024, celebrations will once again take place in one of the world’s best glacier ski resorts, where the first turns can be made on empty slopes at the end of November and a top-class après-ski programme is offered. The event kicks off on 30 November 2024, when the ski season officially opens in this traditional resort in the French Alps. Until 7 December, participants can look forward to pure winter sports fun at altitudes of up to 3,560 metres, as well as an opening and bad taste party and a snow volleyball or ultimate Frisbee tournament.
Please note that the dates for the individual openings are subject to change and always depend on the snow conditions on site.
FAQs about glacier opening events
When will SnowTrex’s PowderWeek 2024 take place?
PowderWeek has been SnowTrex’s traditional season opener for years. In 2024, the event will once again take place in Les 2 Alpes from 30 November to 7 December. This coincides with the start of the ski season in the glacier ski area in the French Alps, where the lifts will also start operating for the first time this winter on 30 November.
Which glaciers in the Alps will open first?
The first glacier opening of the 2024/25 season will take place from 3 to 6 October in the snow park on the Hintertux Glacier (Austria). Here, in Austria’s only year-round ski area, the slopes are officially open for 12 months straight, as the name suggests. The same applies to the glacier ski areas in Zermatt and Saas-Fee (both in Switzerland), which are also open to winter sports enthusiasts from 1 January to 31 December.
When does the 2024/25 Alpine Ski World Cup kick off?
The traditional season opener of the Ski World Cup will take place on the Rettenbachferner in Sölden on the weekend of 26 and 27 October 2024. Skiers traditionally meet on the glacier in the Austrian Ötztal valley in late autumn for the first race of the season.
