October is the real start of the early ski season in Europe. Most (but not all) of the glacier resorts will be up and running during the month, helped by snowmaking and colder night-time temperatures.
Austria
Hintertux Glacier
The Hintertux glacier ski area at the end of the Tux valley in the Tyrol offers year-round skiing. At the time of writing it has 11 lifts open, with some of them only until early afternoon.
Maximum snow depth on 01 October was 45cm.
More information: www.hintertuxergletscher.at
Stubai Glacier
The Stubai glacier currently has 5 lifts open and one red and one blue run with a total length of 6km.
Maximum snow depth on 01 October was 25cm.
More information: www.stubaier-gletscher.com
Sölden Glaciers
The Rettenbach glacier above the Tyrolean ski resort of Sölden is open with one blue run and a length of 4km.
Maximum snow depth on 01 October was 25cm.
More information: www.soelden.com
Pitztal Glacier
The glacier ski area at the end of the Pitztal valley in the Tyrol currently has three lifts running and two red runs open.
Maximum snow depth on 01 October was 30cm.
More information: www.pitztal.com
Kaunertal Glacier
The Kaunertal Glacier in the Tyrol currently has two lifts open with three blue and one red run available.
Maximum snow depth on 01 October was 20cm.
More information: www.kaunertaler-gletscher.at
Kitzbühel has announced that it will become the first non-glacier ski area in Austria to open on 19 October. It is using stores of snow which it has preserved from last winter to cover the slopes at Pass Thurn. (So-called ‘snow farming’ is an increasingly popular measure with Austrian ski resorts these days.)
Other Austrian Provinces
The Kitzsteinhorn glacier in Salzburg is now open and is reporting 30cm of snow and six runs operating.
More information: www.kitzsteinhorn.at
The Dachstein glacier in Upper Austria is closed for downhill skiing but has one cross-country trail open. The downhill runs will open when snow conditions allow.
The Mölltal glacier in Carinthia is now open and lists 40cm of snow and three runs in operation.
Italy
Passo Stelvio
The Passo Stelvio (or the Stilfserjoch as the German-speakers in the area call it), a small summer-only ski area on the border between Lombardy and the South Tyrol, is open into October.
More information: www.passostelvio.eu
Val Senales
The Schnalstal (or Val Senales, as Italian speakers call it) glacier is now open with with 20cm of snow and 5 runs operating.
More information: www.schnalstal.com
Switzerland
Zermatt
The summer ski area on the Plateau Rosa above Zermatt is open all year round, although summer skiing on the Italian side above Cervinia is closed.
More information: www.matterhornparadise.ch
Saas Fee
Four runs, with the longest weighing in at around five kilometres, are currently open in the Mittelallin ski area above Saas Fee.
More information: www.saas-fee.ch
Engelberg
The skiing on the Titlis glacier near Engelberg is up and running with 60cm of snow on the slopes and two runs open.
France
Tignes
The Tignes glacier ski area is now scheduled to open on October 19 after delaying its opening by a few weeks.
More information: en.tignes.net
