J2Ski Snow Report - October 2nd 2025
J2Ski Snow Report - October 2nd 2025
Published : 02-Oct-2025 07:54
Kaunertal Glacier, Austria, opens tomorrow...
The 2025-26 ski season is gaining initial momentum in Europe with Austria and Finland opening new centres as the southern hemisphere winds down, leaving only a handful of resorts operating into mid-October.
The Snow Headlines - October 2nd
- Austria and Finland start the 2025-26 seasons.
- The southern hemisphere season nears its end, with only six areas expected to remain open next week.
- The last ski areas still open in Australia and Argentina are set to close the 2025 seasons this Sunday.
- Austria's Kaunertal, Stubai, and Sölden glaciers are due to open for the 2025-26 seasons this weekend.
- A US centre is opening with snow stored through summer for the pre-season Rail Jam weekend.
Snow forecast for the northern hemisphere.
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World Overview
The 2025-26 season is gaining momentum in the European Alps, with Austria and Finland joining Italy, Norway, and Switzerland, doubling the number of open centres to ten this weekend for the first time since early spring.
More glaciers are due to open this week, while Finland's season kicked off on Friday thanks to snow-farming.
North America remains weeks away from its first outdoor openings, although October usually sees at least one resort start the season.
Snow flurries have dusted high slopes in Europe and North America, including the Pacific coast for the first time this autumn.
Meanwhile, the southern hemisphere season is winding down, with most remaining centres closing this Sunday. Spring conditions dominate, with overnight lows barely freezing and daytime highs between 10°C and 20°C/50°F and 68°F. New Zealand and Chile are exceptions, with several resorts expected to stay open into mid-October.
Southern Hemisphere
Australia
Australia's 2025 season is due to end this coming Sunday.
About half a dozen of the country's larger ski areas are still open, but they are back to limited terrain availability, mostly at 20-40% of their full areas, and daytime highs are exceeding +10°C/50°F, resulting in very spring-like conditions.
Falls Creek has the most terrain open, with 50% of its slopes still available, as Australia's ski season nears its end. Perisher has 15 km/9 miles open and a 170 cm/67 inch base, still one of the deepest in the world. It reported 5 cm/2 inches of fresh snowfall on Thursday. "We are so excited to have woken up to a fresh dusting of October snow here at Perisher," said Maddi Ventura, Perisher's Marketing Manager. "We're looking forward to an awesome closing weekend."
Despite the cooler, snowier weather over the past few days, clearer conditions are expected for the season finale weekend.
New Zealand
New Zealand's 2025 ski season is winding down but should last longer than any other southern hemisphere ski nation.
Fresh snow has boosted bases at several resorts.
Cardrona reported 15 cm/6 inches to start the week, while Mount Hutt and The Remarkables aim to stay open until 12th October. Tūroa and Whakapapa may operate even longer, into the final weekend of the month.
Sunshine is forecast for the coming weekend, with easing winds, although Canterbury fields could see some more fresh snowfall.
Argentina
Argentina's 2025 season has been disappointing at most of the country's resorts, with snowfall totals well below average and limited terrain open as a result. It is all but over now, with most centres closing until 2026, but the country's largest by uplift, Bariloche's Cerro Catedral, and the world's most southerly, Cerro Castor, have one more weekend left, although both report only a few kilometres of slopes open.
Here too, classic spring freeze-thaw conditions prevail, with overnight lows close to freezing and daytime highs reaching into double figures.
Chile
Chile's ski season is also winding down, with Portillo already closed and resorts like El Colorado, Pillán – Villarrica, and Antillanca expected to finish this Sunday. Others, including Corralco, Valle Nevado, and La Parva, will remain open for at least one more week and report freeze-thaw cycles resulting in hard-packed pistes in the morning, rapidly softening throughout the day.
Winds may increase on Thursday, but clearer skies and crisp conditions are expected into the weekend for the best late-season skiing conditions possible.
Northern Hemisphere
The Alps
Austria's 2025-26 ski season began last Saturday, with Pitztal opening glacier runs and Hintertux returning after a two-month closure. Kaunertal, Sölden, and Stubai are due to open next this coming weekend, with Sölden promising up to 34 km/21 miles of terrain.
Glaciers at Zermatt and Saas-Fee remain open, while a third Swiss centre, Murren, has launched an autumn terrain park using snow stored from last spring.
Italy's Stelvio and Val Senales continue to operate, albeit with limited skiing.
Only France remains without open glaciers, likely until late November.
As for the weather; fresh snow has fallen across the Alps, closing some high passes. Cooler temperatures and scattered snow showers are forecast, especially above 2,500 m/8,202 ft, with easing winds and clearer skies expected into the weekend across Austria, Switzerland, and France.
Some areas of the Alps may see snow as low as 1500 metres this weekend, although it's unlikely to last long...
Scandinavia
Finland's 2025-26 season is getting underway, with two of the country's largest resorts, Levi and Ruka, both opening their seven-month long seasons this weekend. Both have stockpiled vast amounts of snow through the summer, and each has now spread that snow back out on their slopes to create a few kilometres of skiable runs, along with some terrain park features.
Early-season visitors can test new gear releases, interact with winter sports athletes training, and participate in events like rail jams.
It is forecast to be cold enough this coming week for some fresh snowmaking on top.
Norway's Galdhopiggen glacier, which reopened a fortnight ago, also remains open with a little fresh snow on its permanent slopes.
USA
The first snowflakes of the autumn fell on North America's West Coast mountains this week, with resorts from Heavenly in California to Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia posting videos of light flurries.
In the far north, Alberta's Marmot Basin showed snow-covered slopes.
While no Canadian or US ski area is currently open for lift-served skiing, Trollhaugen in Wisconsin will unveil its last-spring-stockpiled 'Snow Stash' for its Open Haugen Weekend and its 20th Rail Jam (3rd-5th October).
Looking ahead, light snowfall is forecast for Colorado, New Mexico, and the Canadian Rockies.
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