When do the Alps open this season

Across the 184 resorts in our database, opening dates cluster far more tightly than most people expect. 139 of them list December as their typical opening month, 35 open in November, and only 8 get going earlier than that. If you are planning a first trip of the winter, that spread is the single most useful thing to understand: the choice in October is a shortlist, the choice at Christmas is essentially the whole of Europe.

The months below come from the typical season each resort publishes, which is the pattern they plan around rather than a guarantee. Lifts open earlier in a strong autumn and later in a poor one, and glacier and high altitude areas hold to their dates far more reliably than valley resorts do.

Saas Fee sits outside the seasonal calendar entirely, running lifts on glacier terrain through the summer months.

Glacier and very high terrain, where the skiing is real but limited to a handful of runs until the lower lifts follow.

1. 1SöldenÖtztal, Austria · season Sep to May3340 m

Glacier and very high terrain, where the skiing is real but limited to a handful of runs until the lower lifts follow.

1. 1Pitztal GlacierPitztal Glacier, Austria · season Oct to May3440 m
2. 2Stubai GlacierTirol, Austria · season Oct to Jun3210 m
3. 3Zell am See KaprunSalzburg, Austria · season Oct to May3029 m
4. 4KaprunSalzburg, Austria · season Oct to May3029 m
5. 5KitzsteinhornSalzburg, Austria · season Oct to May3029 m
6. 6LeviLapland, Finland · season Oct to May531 m
7. 7RukaNorthern Ostrobothnia, Finland · season Oct to May492 m

The point at which the season becomes a genuine choice rather than a pilgrimage, led by the highest of the purpose built resorts.

1. 1ZermattValais, Switzerland · season Nov to Apr3899 m
2. 2CerviniaAosta Valley, Italy · season Nov to Apr3883 m
3. 3Les Deux AlpesIsère, France · season Nov to Aug3600 m
4. 4TignesEspace Killy, France · season Nov to May3456 m
5. 5Val d'IsèreEspace Killy, France · season Nov to May3456 m
6. 6Hintertux GlacierZillertal, Austria · season Nov to Apr3250 m
7. 7Obergurgl HochgurglÖtztal, Austria · season Nov to May3080 m
8. 8Flims Laax FaleraGraubünden, Switzerland · season Nov to Apr3018 m
9. 9Passo TonaleLombardy, Italy · season Nov to May3016 m
10. 10Crans MontanaValais, Switzerland · season Nov to Apr2927 m
11. 11ZinalSwitzerland, Switzerland · season Nov to Apr2895 m
12. 12Arosa LenzerheideGraubünden, Switzerland · season Nov to Apr2865 m

And 23 more resorts listing November as their typical opening month.

The main body of the European season, from the big linked areas down to the village hills.

1. 1ChamonixMont Blanc, France · season Dec to May3842 m
2. 2Alpe d'HuezIsère, France · season Dec to Apr3330 m
3. 3VerbierValais, Switzerland · season Dec to Apr3330 m
4. 4NendazValais, Switzerland · season Dec to Apr3330 m
5. 5Thyon-Les CollonsLes 4 Vallées, Switzerland · season Dec to Apr3330 m
6. 6St. MoritzEngadin, Switzerland · season Dec to Apr3303 m
7. 7Sierra NevadaAndalusia, Spain · season Dec to Apr3300 m
8. 8GudauriGeorgia, Georgia · season Dec to Apr3276 m
9. 9Alagna ValsesiaMonterosa ski, Italy · season Dec to Apr3275 m
10. 10ChampolucMonterosa ski, Italy · season Dec to Apr3275 m
11. 11La PlagneParadiski, France · season Dec to Apr3250 m
12. 12Champagny-En-VanoiseParadiski, France · season Dec to Apr3250 m

And 127 more resorts listing December as their typical opening month.

Glacier and very high terrain, where the skiing is real but limited to a handful of runs until the lower lifts follow.

1. 1RiksgränsenLapland, Sweden · season Feb to Jun909 m

For an early trip, altitude is the only thing that reliably buys you snow, so the resorts at the top of the September and October lists are where the risk is lowest. Hintertux Glacier and Sölden exist on the calendar precisely because their terrain sits high enough to be independent of what the valleys are doing.

For a first proper week, December openers give you the whole map, and the trade off moves from snow certainty to price and crowds. Our snow sure resorts guide ranks the same dataset by how much terrain sits above the treeline, which is the more useful filter once everywhere is technically open.