Skiing in June in The Dolomites

Can you ski in the Dolomites in June?

No, you cannot ski in the Dolomites in June. The Dolomiti Superski season runs through winter and closes in early April, so by June the lifts that are turning are running for hikers and mountain bikers, the pistes are green pasture, and there is no snow skiing anywhere in the region. The Dolomites have no summer glacier, unlike a handful of higher Alpine areas, so there is simply no lift served snow to ski here once spring arrives.

If you have your heart set on snow under your skis in June, the Dolomites are the wrong address and you would need to look to a high glacier elsewhere in the Alps. Within these mountains, June is firmly a summer month, and the honest advice is to plan a hiking and sightseeing trip rather than a ski one. The good news is that June is one of the most rewarding months of the entire year to be in the Dolomites, just not on skis.

This matters because the Dolomites are a relatively sunny, dry range that warms quickly. Even the highest pistes are bare of skiable snow by June, and the residual patches that linger on north faces and in gullies are for mountaineers, not lift served skiing. So treat any search for June skiing here as a sign to switch the plan to summer in the mountains.

What is the Dolomites actually like in June?

June is arguably the Dolomites at their most beautiful. The high meadows are green and full of wildflowers, the famous pale rock towers stand out against blue summer sky, the cable cars and chairlifts run to give walkers easy access to high trails, and the long days give hours of mountain time. It is the start of the hiking and Via Ferrata season, when the classic high routes and refuges open up, and it comes before the August holiday crowds, so the trails feel uncrowded and the rifugi are calm.

The catch in June is that the very highest routes can still hold late snow patches early in the month, and some high refuges and the topmost lifts may only just be opening, so a few of the loftiest itineraries are not yet in condition. Lower and mid altitude trails, valley cycling, the lakes and the lift assisted viewpoints are all in fine shape, which leaves plenty to do. Pack for changeable mountain weather, because June can bring warm sun and sudden afternoon thunderstorms in the same day.

If you want to ski in June, what should you do instead?

If skiing in June is non negotiable, accept that it means a high glacier, and the Dolomites do not have one. Within Italy the only summer skiing is the Stelvio Pass glacier in the high Alps to the west, well away from the Dolomites, which runs through the warm months. If you are flexible on country, a few high Alpine glaciers across the borders also offer summer laps. None of these are in the Dolomites, so a June ski fix means changing your destination, not your dates.

The better plan for most travelers is to keep the Dolomites for what they do best in June, which is summer in the mountains, and to book a separate winter trip for skiing. A winter visit between December and March gives you the deep snow, immaculate grooming and the full Sellaronda circuit that make the region a great ski destination, none of which exists in June.

When should you ski the Dolomites instead of June?

For skiing, come in winter. The Dolomiti Superski season runs from roughly late November to early April, with the deepest and most reliable snow from December to February and the famous grooming at its best through midwinter. March brings sunny spring days and good value at altitude before the early April close. Any of those months delivers real skiing, which June cannot.

Plan June for hiking, Via Ferrata, cycling and sightseeing, and plan a separate winter week for the skiing. Trying to combine the two in a single June trip does not work in the Dolomites, because the snow season and the green season do not overlap here. Save the skis for winter and bring boots and a Via Ferrata kit in June.

June in The Dolomites: the case for and against

Where to ski in the Dolomites in June

For June we would point you first at these, each with our full review:

• Cortina d'Ampezzo. A grand Dolomite base for summer, with lift served high trails and classic Via Ferrata on the doorstep, though no June skiing.
• Val Gardena. A central Sellaronda valley that is superb for summer hiking and cable car sightseeing once the ski season ends.
• Kronplatz. A rounded summit served by lifts in summer, with panoramic walking and museums, a good June mountain base without snow.

Common questions