Glacier skiing at Passo Stelvio. | Image: Julia Schneemann
Italy’s Stelvio Glacier has suspended summer skiing until further notice, making it the latest Alpine glacier ski area to fall victim to a blistering summer heatwave in continental Europe. SIFAS announced on the resort’s website that skiing will stop from August 15 after persistent heat, a lack of overnight refreezing, and frequent storms made conditions too poor to guarantee safe summer skiing. SIFAS announced the closure on August 14, saying the decision was “painful but necessary” because of the weather conditions affecting the glacier over recent weeks.
“These factors make it impossible to guarantee the usual standards of quality and, above all, of safety required for summer skiing,” the Stelvio operator SIFAS explained.
The suspension leaves the European Alps without a lift-served summer ski area, at least temporarily, after Stelvio had become the final glacier resort still offering summer skiing. Stelvio was the last remaining glacier ski area in the European Alps offering lift-served summer skiing after other resorts were forced to shorten their seasons or temporarily suspend operations.
Hintertux Glacier in Austria has introduced summer breaks in recent years, while Tignes in France ended its 2026 summer ski season early because of deteriorating snow conditions. The glaciers above Zermatt and Saas-Fee in Switzerland have also experienced interruptions this summer. Now Stelvio has joined them, closing all summer ski opportunities in continental Europe.
Stelvio has been one of Europe’s most important summer ski areas for decades, traditionally opening in late spring and operating well into the fall. Its high elevation has historically allowed ski teams, professional athletes, and recreational skiers to train during the summer months when virtually all other Alpine resorts are closed. The glacier ski area sits at roughly 3,000 meters (9,840 feet) above sea level beneath the Ortler mountain group in northern Italy.
But even Stelvio’s elevation has not been enough to escape the increasingly warm Alpine summers. The lack of overnight refreezing is particularly important for glacier ski areas. During a normal summer night, temperatures drop enough for the snow surface to freeze and harden. This creates a firm layer for skiers the following morning. When temperatures remain above freezing overnight, the snowpack cannot properly refreeze. Continued daytime heat then accelerates melting and creates increasingly soft and unstable conditions.
The Stelvio operators specifically cited the disappearance of this overnight freeze as one of the reasons skiing could no longer continue safely but added that frequent storms have compounded the problem.
The cable car serving the Stelvio Glacier will remain operational despite the suspension of skiing. The operators will continue monitoring the mountain and said they hope falling temperatures could eventually allow skiing to resume later this summer. SIFAS will announce any potential reopening through their official channels.
Glacier skiing was once available at numerous resorts in the Alps during the summer months. Today, only a handful remain, with many operating for shorter periods or being forced to pause operations in the middle of summer. Athletes looking to train are increasingly forced to look for other options, such as traveling to the Southern Hemisphere or training at indoor ski centers.
Passo Stelvio was forced to halt summer skiing. | Image: Julia Schneemann