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 2025 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 2025
| Date | Event | Glacier ski resorts |
|---|---|---|
| 27.09.2025 | Pitztal Ski season begins | Pitztal Glacier |
| 03.10.2025 | Kaunertal Ski season begins | Kaunertaler Glacier |
| 03. - 05.10.2025 | Hintertux Park Opening | Hintertux Glacier |
| 10.10.2025 | Stubai Ski season begins | Stubai Glacier |
| 11.10.2025 | Kitzsteinhorn Ski season begins | Zell am See-Kaprun |
| 18.10.2025 | Diavolezza Ski season begins | St. Moritz |
| 25.10.2025 | Titlis Ski season begins | Engelberg-Titlis |
| 25. and 26.10.2025 | Ski World Cup Opening in Sölden | Sölden |
| 14.11.2025 | Sulden Ski season begins | Sulden am Ortler |
| 29.11.2025 | Winter Season Opening in Les 2 Alpes | Les 2 Alpes |
Pitztal Glacier (Austria) – Ski season begins
Winter begins for young and old alike: on 27 September 2025, the slopes will open in Tyrol’s highest glacier ski area (3,440 m). Just under a month and a half later – from 7 to 9 November – the ‘Pitztal Testival’ will take place, where winter sports enthusiasts can try out the latest ski and snowboard models on the slopes before enjoying après-ski on the Pitztal Glacier in the evening.
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Kaunertal Glacier (Austria) – Ski season begins
On 3 October 2025, the ski season will begin on the Kaunertal Glacier. For the second year in a row, the ski resort, which reaches an altitude of up to 3,108 metres, is breaking new ground. After 38 years as the top event on the Tyrolean glacier, the famous Kaunertal Opening (KTO) has been moved from autumn to spring in 2024. This season, the ‘Spring Classics Kaunertal 2026’ will therefore take place from 11 April to 25 May. The programme awaiting skiers and snowboarders here on 34 kilometres of slopes and in the snow park will be announced shortly.
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 5 October, numerous daredevils will celebrate the 21st Snowpark Opening and can compete with other freestylers in Werni’s Transfer Games or Rock A Rail at the valley station. And even the little winter sports enthusiasts can show off their skills in the snow at Kids Shred, while the Opening Party Nights at the Hohenhaus Tenne will get the party started in the evenings.
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Stubai Glacier (Austria) – Ski season start
Skiing on the Stubai Glacier will not start in September as usual this year, but almost a month later. On 10 October 2025, the cable cars will take skiers and snowboarders from the Eisgrat valley station up to the 3,212-metre-high mountain for the first time this season, where the piste teams have prepared the first runs on the glacier.
Zell am See-Kaprun (Austria) – Ski season starts
Winter sports enthusiasts can also ski at Kitzsteinhorn in November. And then one of the best glacier openings awaits. Because in the Zell am See-Kaprun ski region, it’s all about ‘enjoying pure snow’! The cable cars will start operating on 11 October 2025. Between 8 and 9 November, the ‘Kitzsteinhorn Ski & Board Test’ will also offer free test rides on the brand new skis and snowboards of the season from various well-known manufacturers. And, of course, après-ski on the glacier at an altitude of up to 3,029 metres is also a traditional part of the skiing experience here.
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 18 October 2025. However, the slopes up to an altitude of 2,978 metres will not be open continuously. Until 16 November, the groomed slopes will only be open to tourists on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays. On the other days, the slopes will be reserved for ski professionals and training.
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Engelberg-Titlis (Switzerland) – Ski season starts
On 25 October 2025, the glacier in the Engelberg-Titlis ski area will once again be accessible via two lifts, the Glacier Lift and the Ice Flyer. This will mark the start of the skiing 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 Swiss ski resort.
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 25 and 26 October 2025. In addition to the spectacular races featuring the skiing aces on the Rettenbachferner glacier, visitors can look forward to a fantastic party programme. For almost three decades, DJs and live acts have made the Tyrolean ski resort an absolute hotspot for the glacier opening weekend. And for winter sports enthusiasts who just want to hit the slopes: depending on snow conditions, the Sölden ski resort (3,340 m) usually opens at the end of September.
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Sulden am Ortler (Italy) – Start of the season
From autumn to spring, pure skiing fun is guaranteed in the Sulden ski resort. The season kicks off on 14 November 2025, when the lifts on the 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.
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 2025, 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. The event will kick off here on 29 November 2025, when the ski season officially opens in this traditional resort in the French Alps. The popular SnowTrex event will then take place from 13 to 20 December, where participants can enjoy pure winter sports fun at an altitude 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 2025 take place?
PowderWeek has been SnowTrex’s traditional season opener for years. In 2025, the event will once again take place in Les 2 Alpes from 13 to 20 December. This is exactly two weeks after the start of the ski season in the glacier ski area in the French Alps, where the winter season begins on 29 November with the opening of the lifts.
Which glaciers in the Alps will open first?
The first glacier opening of the 2025/26 season will take place on 27 September on the Pitztal Glacier (Austria). Here, in Tyrol’s highest glacier ski area, the slopes are officially open until May. Incidentally, the only year-round ski areas in the Alps are the Hintertux Glacier (also in Austria) and the glacier in Zermatt (Switzerland), both of which are open to ski enthusiasts from 1 January to 31 December.
When does the 2025/26 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 25 and 26 October 2025. Skiers traditionally meet on the glacier in the Austrian Ötztal valley in late autumn for the first race of the season.
