Skiing in August in The Alps
August is out of season for normal resort skiing in the Alps, with the lifts closed almost everywhere and turns limited to a short list of high summer glaciers, so it suits dedicated glacier skiers and race teams rather than anyone planning a classic ski holiday.
Reviewed for the 2026 season by the Ski Resorts for Kings editorial team
Can you actually ski in the Alps in August?
You can, but only on a handful of high glaciers, and it is a very different thing from a winter holiday. The normal Alpine ski season runs roughly from late November to early May, so by August the pistes, lifts and villages that make up a classic ski trip are shut and green. What remains is summer glacier skiing on a few of the highest, coldest, most reliable glaciers, where lifts keep turning on a small upper mountain above roughly 2,900 to 3,500 meters.
This is skiing for people who specifically want to ski in summer: race teams and national squads training through the off season, freestyle riders on the summer parks, and dedicated skiers who cannot wait for winter. It is not a holiday for beginners, families wanting a full mountain, or anyone expecting apres ski and a buzzing resort. The terrain is limited, the day is short, and the surrounding valley is in full summer hiking and biking mode.
Which glaciers stay open in the Alps in August?
Only the highest year round glaciers can be relied on in August. Zermatt in Switzerland runs the highest summer ski area in the Alps and is one of the very few resorts that operates year round, while Hintertux in Austria also keeps its glacier open every month of the year and is a magnet for summer race training. Other summer glaciers that open earlier in the season, such as the Glacier du Mont de Lans above Les Deux Alpes in France, typically wind down by late July or early August, so August leaves the shortest list of the summer.
Even on the year round glaciers, August is the leanest part of summer. Warm temperatures and a long stretch since the last big snowfall mean thinner cover and softer, slushier snow than June or autumn, and operators sometimes pause for a short maintenance window. Always check the specific glacier's current status and opening days before booking travel, because summer skiing runs on a reduced timetable and is the first thing weather closes.
What are conditions and prices like for August glacier skiing?
Expect a morning sport rather than a full day. Summer glacier skiing typically runs from early morning until early afternoon, because the snow is firm and fast at dawn and turns to heavy slush once the August sun gets to work. The skiable area is a fraction of a winter resort, often a few lifts and a cluster of runs plus a summer terrain park, so a couple of hours of laps is the realistic shape of the day before the snow goes off.
On cost, there is no normal resort week to price because the resort is not running a winter operation. You are paying summer lodging in a busy hiking and biking valley plus a glacier day pass, so a trip built around a few mornings of skiing usually lands in the under $2,000 to $4,000 per person band depending on travel and how long you stay. The skiing itself is a small line item; flights, transfers and summer accommodation are what set the total.
Who should ski an Alps glacier in August, and who should wait?
August glacier skiing suits a narrow group: ski racers and freestyle athletes who need summer snow time, instructors and keen skiers who simply cannot go a summer without turns, and anyone combining a high alpine summer holiday with a novelty morning on snow. If that is you, Zermatt and Hintertux are the dependable choices and the experience of skiing above a green valley is genuinely memorable.
Everyone else should wait. If you want a real ski holiday with a full mountain, deep snow, ski school and apres ski, August is the wrong month and you should either look to the winter season from December to April or, for guaranteed depth in the European summer, fly to the Southern Hemisphere instead, where New Zealand and the Andes are in full winter. For families and beginners in particular, a thin summer glacier is a poor and expensive substitute for a proper winter week.
August in The Alps: the case for and against
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Where to ski in the Alps in August
For August we would point you first at these, each with our full review:
Sources we checked
Common questions
Can you ski in the Alps in August?
Only on a few high summer glaciers, not at normal resorts. The Alpine ski season runs roughly late November to early May, so in August the year round glaciers at Zermatt and Hintertux are about the only places still turning lifts, on a small upper mountain.
Which Alps resort is open for skiing in August?
Zermatt in Switzerland and Hintertux in Austria are the dependable year round glaciers open in August. Most other summer glaciers, including Les Deux Alpes in France, typically close by late July or early August.
Is August glacier skiing in the Alps any good?
It is reliable but limited. You ski a small high glacier in the morning before the snow softens, with thinner cover than June or autumn. It suits race teams and dedicated skiers, not anyone wanting a full resort and deep snow.
Where should I ski instead in August?
For guaranteed winter conditions in the European summer, fly to the Southern Hemisphere, where New Zealand and the Andes are in full season. For a classic Alps holiday, wait for the winter season from December to April.
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