Yes, you read that right — for one European ski area, the 2026-27 season has already begun. While most of Europe’s ski resorts are still months away from opening, Italy’s Schnalstal Glacier, also known as Val Senales, kicked off its 2026-27 ski season this weekend,opening its glacier slopes on Saturday, September 19.Located in German-speaking South Tyrol in northern Italy, close to the Austrian border, Schnalstal is one of Europe’s established glacier ski areas and an important early-season training base for international ski racers. The resort officially opened for glacier training on September 19, making it the first European winter ski destination to put skiers back on snow for the new season. Meanwhile, summer-only ski area Passo Stelvio is also operating but will cease operations in early November as the pass road becomes impassable to access that glacier ski area (hence the term “summer-only”).
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The skiing at the Alpin Arena Senales is taking place high above the valley on the Hochjochferner glacier, with the resort reaching 3,212 meters (10,538 feet). The Grawand chairlift serves the glacier’s upper terrain, climbing 179 vertical meters (587 feet) over its 700-meter (2,297-foot) length. It is scheduled to operate from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. during the training season.
It is important to note that this is not yet a full winter operation. The September opening is primarily aimed at ski teams preparing for the coming racing season. The glacier cable car begins operating as early as 7:15 a.m. for training access, while the last descent is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. The resort advises recreational skiers to contact its team directly for current information on available free skiing.
The Grawand area provides several pistes used for race preparation, including technically demanding terrain for slalom and giant slalom. Schnalstal says its glacier training center is an important destination for Alpine and cross-country athletes, with the high-altitude environment providing an opportunity for pre-season preparation from September onward.
For skiers who want to make the first turns of the season particularly memorable, Schnalstal has something most European glacier resorts cannot match: ski-in, ski-out accommodation at 3,212 meters. The Glacier Hotel Grawand sits directly at the glacier cable car’s mountain station, allowing guests to wake up at more than 10,500 feet and step onto the snow. The hotel also reopened for the new season on September 19.
Schnalstal’s location also gives it unusually early access to winter conditions. The glacier cable car connects the ski area with Kurzras in the valley, climbing more than 1,000 vertical meters in around six minutes.
For now, the opening is a relatively small taste of what is to come. The Grawand chairlift and glacier piste are operating on a shortened morning schedule, while the rest of the resort will come online later in the fall. The main winter season is scheduled to expand progressively, with additional lifts beginning operation in October and November.
But for anyone keeping score, Europe has officially seen its first turns of the 2026-27 ski season.
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