Where To Ski or Board In Europe This Summer
Where To Ski or Board In Europe This Summer
Published : 26-May-2011 07:54
The opening patterns of Europe's glacier snow sports areas in the summer change each year, and seem to have little rhyme or reason to them.
At the turn of the century (that's 20th to 21st) there were about 20 ski areas open at some point each summer in the Alps and half a dozen open year round. That numbers now halved to 20 with only two – Tux in Austria and Zermatt in Switzerland - the continent's highest ski area touching 3899m in summer – open year round, weather permitting.
May is the quietest month and currently no summer ski areas are open in France (Val d'Isere, Tignes and Les 2 Alpes will open for 5 -10 weeks from mid—June, but summer skiing At Chamonix, Alpe d'Huez, Val Thorens and La Plagne is no more).
Switzerland has had four summer ski areas open at Gstaad (Glacier 3000), St Moritz and Engelberg but these too are due to close after this weekend, leaving only Zermatt.
Italy is going in the other direction. Having only had two reds on the Presena glacier open in May, a second option at Passo Stelvio opens at the weekend followed by a third at Val Senales early in June. A fourth Italian option, Cervinia, follows later in the month.
Val Senales will run summer camp in its Gentlemen riders Nitro Snowpark from 11th June to 24th July on their glacier 3200m above the sea. There'll also be a special Rookie Summer Camp from 25th June to 9th July designed for children aged 10 to 17 years.
Austria has the most summer skiing opportunities in Europe though with up to ten glacier areas open at some point or another between May and October. Five are currently open with Tux having the most terrain available – 45km. The other choices include the Dachstein, Kaunertal, Kitzsteinhorn (at Kaprun) and Stubai glaciers.
Elsewhere in Europe three summer ski centres are open in Norway, with the continent's deepest snow – lying up to 7m (23 feet) deep. You can also ski at Riksgransen in the Swedish arctic until late June, under the midnight sun twice each week if you like or on a single run kept open at Ruka in Finland.
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