The glacier at Saas-Fee looking rather grim in the last few days. | Image: @isafun76
Saas-Fee, Switzerland, is set to suspend summer skiing on August 10, becoming the second major Swiss glacier ski area to shut down this season as persistent heat continues to deteriorate conditions across the Alps. The closure announcement comes just one week after Zermatt’s decision to suspend summer skiing on the Theodul Glacier on August 1. Once Saas-Fee closes, Italy’s Passo Stelvio will be the only glacier ski area still operating in the Alps.
Swiss Ski team members training at Zermatt. | Image: Screenshot Swiss Ski video
Sunday, August 9, is expected to be the final day of summer ski operations at Saas-Fee, with the suspension taking effect the following day. Saastal Bergbahnen AG attributed the decision to persistent high temperatures and a lack of overnight cooling. The prolonged warmth has degraded snow and glacier conditions to the point that safe operations can no longer be guaranteed. The suspension will remain in effect until further notice. It is unclear at this point when summer skiing can resume in Saas-Fee.
The decision is a major blow to one of the Alps’ most important summer ski and training destinations and particularly to international racing teams. Saas-Fee’s high-elevation glacier has traditionally provided national teams and professional athletes with valuable access to snow during the summer months. The closure follows Zermatt’s suspension of summer skiing on the Theodul Glacier earlier this month, when unusually warm conditions also compromised snow and glacier conditions. Especially speed specialists have flocked to Zermatt and Saas-Fee as they offer the right gradient and length for speed training. Swiss newspaper Blick reported that as many as 600 athletes had been training at Saas-Fee in the days before the reported closure. The open terrain on the glacier had already shrunk from the usual 40 kilometers (25 miles) to fewer than 10 kilometers (6 miles), resulting in a crowded training environment as teams attempted to maximize every available hour on snow ahead of the upcoming World Cup season.
Swiss Ski team members training at Zermatt. | Image: Screenshot Swiss Ski video
Once Saas-Fee closes, Passo Stelvio in Italy will be the only glacier ski area still operating in the Alps. The Stelvio Glacier is one of Europe’s traditional summer ski destinations, typically operating from late spring into the fall and serving as an important training venue for ski racers. However, conditions at Stelvio are also not looking great, with the current heatwave as well as the shrinking glacier reducing available lifts and terrain. The Geister 1 and 2 t-bars have not been operating for years as the glacier below it melted away, leaving the lift-line suspended above the receding glacier. Ski teams training at Stelvio have reported large crevasses on the glacier.
The back-to-back closures leave international ski racing teams looking overseas for training ground. Many are slated to head to New Zealand and South America for training opportunities. With Austria’s Hintertux Glacier also on an extended summer break, there are just indoor ski centers or Norwegian Galdhøpiggen that athletes could head to in Europe. However, neither of those options offer terrain for speed specialists.
For now, though, one of the Alps’ most dependable summer ski destinations is preparing to close — leaving Passo Stelvio as the last glacier still turning lifts in the European Alps. Saas-Fee resort officials will continue monitoring conditions and will determine whether skiing can resume once temperatures and glacier conditions improve.
Zermatt’s Theodul glacier looking gray. | Image: Luca Rota @lucarotablog