Where to ski in the Alps in September
by Fraser Wilkin, Updated: 29 August 2026 (With edit on 4 September 2026)
September is one of the quietest months in the Alps as far as skiing is concerned, especially early in the month when only three or four glaciers have been open in recent years. More glaciers may open later in the month, but it depends a lot on the weather and how much snow has fallen.
Indeed, good snow cover on the glaciers is far from guaranteed in September. It is, after all, the end of the summer, and even if it hasn't been an exceptionally hot one (or a hot one following a lean winter) the lower glacial slopes can look decidedly threadbare.
The decline in September glacier skiing has accelerated in recent years. At the start of September 2025 (when this blog was last updated), some of the Alpine summer ski areas were still open and appeared to be in reasonable shape, although this was largely temporary and cosmetic, thanks to recent snowfalls.
2025 had seen another brutally hot summer, with freezing levels exceeding 5000m on more than one occasion - something that had previously been extremely rare, but had become more common in recent years. The Alpine glaciers had consequently suffered a lot of damage - indeed Hintertux (which had previously opened 365 days a year) had been forced to suspend operations in early August 2025 due to lack of snow.
This September (2026), following another exceptionally hot summer - the hottest since records began for many areas - the situation has deteriorated further in the Alps, with the resulting damage to the glaciers forcing the last remaining summer skiing options (Zermatt - Cervinia, Saas-Fee and Passo Stelvio) to suspend operations in August.
September 2026 will therefore begin with no skiing options available anywhere in the Alps. (EDIT: Passo Stelvio reopened on 4 September 2026 following a "drop in temporaratures.)
Hopefully, other ski areas (such as Sölden, Pitztal and Val Senales) may open/reopen later this September, but it will depend on weather and snow conditions.
Here are the summer ski areas that we would normally expect to be open in September...
1. Zermatt, Switzerland
Normal opening dates: 365 days a year
(Note: unscheduled closure in 2026 from 1 August due to poor snow conditions, with reopening date uncertain at time of writing)
Photo: Cervino SpA
Previously one of the only two glaciers in the Alps that attempted to offer skiing 365 days a year (weather-permitting), and now the only glacier to do so since Hintertux suspended operations in August (back in 2025), Zermatt (in theory) offers extensive, but mostly very gentle, glacier skiing in a splendid setting at the foot of the Matterhorn.
In summer, skiing is offered with a top height of 3899m. In a good year, up to 20km of pistes can be open later in September with a vertical drop of up to 900m if snow conditions permit. Earlier in the month, more typically, 12km will be open with a vertical drop of 450m.
This year (2026) Zermatt was forced to suspend its summer skiing operations on 1 August due to excessive heat and high altitude rain, which left snow conditions on the glacier both unfit and unsafe for skiing.
In the last week or two, it has snowed a couple of times high up on the glacier, but not enough to allow any skiing to reopen from the start of September. At the time of writing, it remains uncertain when (or even if) there will be any skiing in September available in Zermatt.
Access to Zermatt's ski area from the Cervinia side in Italy is scheduled to open on 24 October 2026. Had operations on the summer ski area shared between Zermatt and Cervinia not been suspended on 1 August 2026, access to the glacier from Cervinia would have remained open until 6 September 2026 (when it takes its annual scheduled break before reopening in October for the winter ski season).
Looking for hotels in Zermatt? Click here
Further info: www.zermatt.ch
2. Saas-Fee, Switzerland
Opening dates: 18 July 2026 through until spring 2027
(Note: unscheduled closure in 2026 from 10 August due to poor snow conditions, with reopening date uncertain at time of writing)
Saas-Fee is normally one of the only two serious skiing options open in Switzerland in September. Zermatt may have more altitude, but the glacier at Saas-Fee offers a little bit more gradient and is another popular choice for a serious pre-season work-out. Up to 20km of pistes can be open in September, but usually it is closer to 10km with a top height of 3500m and a vertical drop of 300m.
Like nearby Zermatt, Saas-Fee was forced to suspend summer skiing in August 2026 following relentless heatwaves, and rain falling as high as 4000m. There were a couple of minor snowfalls late in August, but not enough to get Saas-Fee open for skiing from the start of September this year.
At the time of writing (29 August 2026) there is no serious cooldown in the forecast anytime soon, so it is difficult to predict when Saas-Fee's glacier will reopen for skiing.
Looking for hotels in Saas-Fee? Click here
Further info: www.saas-fee.ch
3. Passo Stelvio, Italy
Opening dates: 30 May to 1 November 2026
(UPDATE 4 September 2026: Passo Stelvio had an unscheduled closure in 2026 from 15 August due to poor snow conditions. Reopening date was uncertain at time of writing this blog, but it reopened today.)
Relatively unknown Passo Stelvio, near Bormio in eastern Italy, usually offers skiing from June to November.
Easily accessible by road, the glacier here is compact but scenic, with up to 20km or so of mostly gentle terrain. In September, you can normally expect around 12km of pistes to be open, with a top height of 3450m and a vertical drop of 250m.
In August 2026, Passo Stelvio was also forced to suspend its summer skiing operations (on 15 August), due to excessive heat and high altitude rain, although it was the last glacier ski area in the Alps to do so.
As in other parts of the Alps, late August (2026) has seen some high altitude snowfalls on Passo Stelvio's glacier, but not enough to consider reopening it for skiing. At the time of writing (29 August 2026) it remains unclear when the glacier will reopen in September. (UPDATE 4 September 2026: Passo Stelvio reopened today!)
Further info: www.passostelvio.com
Note:
In previous years our list of "Where to ski in the Alps in September" has included:
1. Hintertux (in the Austrian Tirol) where you used to be able to ski 365 days a year and which can usually be relied on to serve up some of the best 'out of season' skiing in the Alps - a favourite venue for early season training camps with a glacier steeper and more varied than most. However, since 2025 (when it was forced to close in mid-August due to lack of snow) the Hintertux glacier now closes in late July before potentially reopening (subject to snow conditions) in late September, when you can expect around 18km of pistes to be open, with a top height of 3250m and a vertical drop of 600m. This year (2026), it has not yet set a September re-opening date.
2. Mölltal, one of Austria’s lesser known glacier areas which had, until a few years ago, opened for most of the year - even if that meant just three runs in the summer (including September), compared with up to 71km of pistes in winter. In past Septembers, you could usually expect around 5km of pistes to be open, with a top height of 3122m and a vertical drop of 300m. However, thanks to the impact of climate change, the resort's season has been contracting in recent years, now not opening at all in summer and not scheduled to resume skiing operations on the glacier in 2026 until early October.
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