Summer skiing on a glacier: 5 resorts where winter carries on

Summer skiing in Austria and Switzerland stopped being a niche a long time ago. While the thermometer climbs to 30 degrees in the valley, the high glaciers still hold enough firn snow for clean turns. The appeal: empty pistes, cool mountain air, and the chance to keep your technique and feel for the ski alive through the warm months.

For keen skiers and training groups these weeks are gold. Race squads polish their carving turns here, ski tourers hold their form, and anyone who cannot wait until December gets a fix of snow. But not every glacier area really stays open in high summer. This comparison separates the true summer ski areas from those with merely an extended season.

Climate change makes the picture more complicated. The glaciers are retreating and the reliable summer months are getting shorter. Even the top addresses have had to suspend operations for a while in low-snow years. All the more reason to check the current status before you travel, and to know which area fits your plan.

Five areas stand out, two in Switzerland and three in Austria. They differ mainly in altitude, summer opening and character. The quick overview:

\*Hintertux stays open year-round in principle, but has had to pause for a few weeks in low-snow summers. You will always find the current status on the official glacier site or on SnowOnline.

The Hintertux Glacier in the Zillertal is the fixed point for summer skiing in Austria, and the only area in the country with skiing almost all year. At up to 3,250 metres there is still plenty of firn even in July; in good years up to 20 kilometres of piste have been open through the summer months.

For early risers, training groups and anyone who wants real turns in summer, Hintertux is the obvious choice. The lifts run from 08:15, and that is exactly when you want to be up there, before the sun softens the slope. Not ideal if you are after piste kilometres by the dozen: the offering shrinks in high summer, and the focus is squarely on carving and training.

Zermatt is the iconic summer ski area of the Alps, and the highest and largest with it. The lifts take you via Trockener Steg up to the Klein Matterhorn at 3,883 metres, where around 21 kilometres of summer piste wait on the Theodul Glacier. Add what is arguably the most spectacular backdrop in the Alps, with the Matterhorn in view throughout.

The extreme altitude makes conditions unusually reliable. One thing to note: skiing happens mainly in the morning. The firn stays wintry until around midday, then softens. An early start pays off twice over. Summer ski pass rates apply from the beginning of May to the end of October. Not ideal if you want a cheap weekend: Zermatt sits at the top of the price range.

Saas-Fee is the classic for glacier fans who like it quiet and properly alpine. The area around the Allalin is compact, easy to read and notably training-friendly, which is no accident: plenty of race and national teams put in their summer blocks here.

The important difference from Hintertux and Zermatt: Saas-Fee only opens its summer season in mid-July. If you want turns in June, this is the wrong address. In return you get consistent firn at real altitude and an atmosphere that suits keen skiers and casual ones alike. Not ideal if you expect a sprawling piste network. The strength here is focus and quality rather than kilometres.

The Kitzsteinhorn above Kaprun is one of Austria's best-known glacier locations, and a sensible building block above all for the late season. Skiing usually runs from October into early summer, and a little longer depending on snow.

The appeal lies in the combination: glacier, modern lifts, training operations, and the resort of Kaprun with Zell am See right next door. If you want to pair skiing with an active family or mountain holiday, this is the most rounded solution. Not ideal if you are after classic high-summer skiing in July and August, when the lifts here are usually still.

The Stubai Glacier is Austria's largest glacier ski area and belongs on any list of summer skiing in the Alps. Altitude, size and reputation make it a fixture, though with a clear emphasis on an extended season rather than classic high-summer skiing.

The ski season typically runs to mid-May. In summer the area is open to day trippers, hikers and visitors to the Top of Tyrol viewing platform, while the skiing pauses. For spring turns on big terrain the Stubai Glacier is superb; for skiing in July you need Hintertux or Zermatt.

A clean distinction helps when you plan. Real summer skiing in the strict sense, meaning reliable operations in July and August too, exists in the Alps essentially at Hintertux and Zermatt. Saas-Fee joins them from mid-July.

Kitzsteinhorn and the Stubai Glacier are glacier areas with an extended season: strong in autumn and spring, usually closed to skiing in high summer. Both are great destinations, just not for a turn in the middle of summer.

Summer skiing is not a winter holiday in July. The conditions work differently. The sun is high, UV radiation above 3,000 metres is extreme, and the firn changes a lot over the course of the day. Plan for that and you get the most out of the day.