J2Ski's Where to Ski in August 2025
J2Ski's Where to Ski in August 2025
Published : 03-Aug-2025 07:27
Southern hemisphere ski season is nearing its peak, with most centres open and healthy snowfalls reported. In contrast, skiing options in the northern hemisphere are limited, with only a few glaciers operational.
Valle Nevado, Chile, with plenty of snow to start August.
Where to Ski in August 2025
The southern hemisphere ski season is nearing its peak, with most centres open and healthy snowfalls reported. In contrast, skiing options in the northern hemisphere are limited, with only a few glaciers operational.
For Lesotho's Afriski, things always run a little earlier, and we are already past halfway, with their season ending at the end of the month.
Most of the five southern hemisphere ski nations are faring well, with regular snowfalls through June and July and most terrain now open. The exception is Argentina, where little is open at most areas.
In the northern hemisphere, skiing opportunities are quite limited, as expected in the hottest part of the year. Depending on conditions, up to five glaciers are open this month in the Alps, one in Norway, and, for the first three weeks of the month, one area in the US. Timberline in Oregon aims to operate until August 20th this year, conditions permitting.
The ski season is over for Japan's Gassan, believed to be the last still ski area open in Asia, so we are back down to five skiable continents.
Australasia / Oceania
Australia
It has been a much better season than predicted for snowfall so far in Australia, with regular decent dumps through June and July. Base depths are pretty healthy by Australian standards, with Thredbo hitting the metre mark even before the end of June, and most areas have surpassed that now.
Most areas are close to fully open, with some at 100%, for what will be the final full month of the season for some, as winter 2025 ends in the latter half of September, barring any last-minute extensions if next month is exceptionally snowy.
There was another 60 cm/24 inch snowfall in the final week of July, with more forecast as we start August.
New Zealand
It is approaching the middle of the 2025 season here too. Most of New Zealand's ski areas are in fairly good shape, at least on the South Island, after regular snowfalls in June and July.
Mount Hutt was the first to top the metre mark and reach full operations over a month ago, with Coronet Peak also hitting 100% open in early July. Cardrona has increased its open terrain and now reports it has the most on offer in New Zealand, though not all is yet open. Their new Soho Basin terrain opened last month.
Unfortunately, the North Island has had little snowfall so far, and Turoa and Whakapapa continue to struggle to open much terrain. That could change quickly with a good snowfall, of course.
South America
Argentina
August typically delivers peak snow coverage to Argentina's ski slopes, with fresh powder and well-groomed pistes across major resorts. However, 2025 has not been a banner season so far, with below-average snowfalls continuing through July after a slow start in June. At present, there is very little open (only 10% to 20% of slopes at most areas), except at the world's most southerly area, Cerro Castor, down in Tierra del Fuego province, which is close to fully open.
Things could still pick up, and leading resorts like Las Leñas, Cerro Catedral, and Chapelco will aim to be fully operational as quickly as conditions allow.
Chile
Chile's ski areas got off to a better start than their Argentinian neighbours in June, and by the beginning of last month, most resorts were already fully open, with snow depths up to 1.5 m/59 inches.
August marks the midway point in the season here as well, with most Chilean centres due to close their seasons in the latter half of September.
Classic resort Portillo is fully open, as is South America's largest interconnected ski region, the Tres Valles, with about 120 km/75 miles of slopes linking Valle Nevado, El Colorado, and La Parva, all just east of the capital Santiago.
Africa
Lesotho
August is the last month of the season at Afriski in Lesotho, the only ski area still operating in southern Africa, with South Africa's Tiffindell still out of action and up for sale.
Afriski reports that its main kilometre-long run is fully open as we start the month. It tends to start to thaw in the latter half of the month some years, but builds to a big season finale weekend at the end of the month.
Europe
The Alps
With the three French summer ski areas, Les 2 Alpes, Tignes, and Val d'Isère, ending their glacier ski seasons last month, there are currently just four resorts open in the Alps in Austria, Italy, and Switzerland.
They should all remain open through the month, with no others expected to open until September, barring summer heat that might thwart that plan.
The year-round Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, accessed from Cervinia and Zermatt, and Hintertux are open, along with Saas Fee, which opened for its summer ski season and indeed the 25-26 season last month.
Conditions are not too bad for this point in the year, with fresh snowfall in the past week above 2,800 m/9,186 feet. This is very different from the final week of June, which saw record heat.
Scandinavia
Norway's Galdhøpiggen Summer Ski Centre, boasting Scandinavia's highest-altitude slopes, is currently believed to be the sole operational ski area in the region and is expected to stay open through August, conditions permitting.
The nearby Fonna Glacier, which typically runs lifts this time of year, is sitting out this summer season while a new operator decides on future plans.
North America
USA
Only two U.S. ski areas are still offering in-bounds snow sports as we start August, and both are expected to close by the end of the month. They are Timberline's Palmer Snowfield on Mount Hood in Oregon and Copper Mountain's hike-to summer terrain park in Colorado, which remains open to the public Fridays through Sundays.
Timberline has announced plans to stay open until August 20th, conditions permitting. At present, the resort is running two lifts with terrain available daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a thin 50 cm/20 inch base remaining.
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