Not everyone will be thinking of snow sports while it’s still the last few days of summer but with three more glacier ski areas scheduled to open in the next 24 hours, Tirol can claim to have five of the ten ski areas currently open in the northern hemisphere on their territory!
Along with year round Hintertux and Austria’s highest slopes on the Pitztal Glacier which opened last weekend, the Stubai, Kaunertal and Solden ski areas are all due to open today or tomorrow.
Elsewhere in the northern hemisphere there’s no ski areas open in North America or France. Val Senales in italy’s South Tyrol will join Passo Stelvio as a second Italian option from Saturday and there’s also Saas Fee and Zermatt in Switzerland. Along with indoor snow skiing, the only other open glacier is also in Austria, on Mölltal in Carinthia, giving Austria 6 – 4 against the rest of the world, and Tirol 5 – 5.
Norway’s Galdhøpiggen glacier aims to re-open on the 27th and a seventh Austrian option the Kitzsteinhorn in Salzburgerland expects to open on the 28th and an eighth, the Dachstein is open year round for cross country skiing but is currently closed for downhill.
The season will begin to gather pace in October when more Italian and Swiss resorts will open, as well as Tignes in France, along with the first non-glacier resorts in North America and Lapland, thanks to snow making and (hopefully) low temperature at their latitude/altitude.
In the Tirol numerous season-starting events are planned including from 12th – 13th October, the Rettenbach and Tiefenbach glaciers above Solden are the venue for the First Snow Glacier Opening with two days of free ski and snowboard equipment testing, live concerts and DJ’s.
The first FIS Ski World Cup race of the winter will take place from 26th – 27th October in Sölden too. It will be ladies first for the Women’s Giant Slalom and on Sunday the Men’s Giant Slalom competition will take place high above Sölden on the Rettenbach Glacier.
From 26th – 27th October, Tirol’s highest glacier festival will take place on the Pitztal Glacier, with the opportunity to test skis, boards, freeriding equipment as well as compete in a Giant Slalom. Join in some workshops, including an introduction to ice-climbing with Austria Alpin, avalanche training with Pieps and designing your own ski/board worskhop with SpurART.
Kaunertal will officially open with the legendary opening festival weekend running from 11th – 13th October. The Kaunertal Opening will include snowboard and freeskiing contests, concerts and parties as well as the “Testival”, sampling new material for 2013/14 season.
In Stubai, the MOREBOARDS Stubai Zoo snow park opening, includes a packed programme of jib battles, trick sessions, snowboard pro and rookie contests, video workshops and girls’ camps. There is also the opportunity for testing the latest brands and to party at several venues in Neustift.
