The wait for lift-served skiing in the Austrian Alps could be down to less than a week.
Pitztal Glacier and Kaunertal Glacier are both targeting Saturday, Sept. 26, for the start of their 2026-27 ski seasons. Both openings remain dependent on snow and weather conditions, but the two Tyrolean glacier areas currently list Sept. 26 as their official start date.
For skiers in the Northern Hemisphere, it is one of the clearest signs yet that winter is beginning its return.
The timing is especially notable after an unusually difficult summer for European glacier skiing. As Unofficial Networks reported in August, warm temperatures and deteriorating glacier conditions temporarily left Europe without any outdoor lift-served skiing.
Now, the calendar is beginning to flip back toward winter.
Pitztal Plans to Start Skiing Sept. 26
Pitztal Glacier currently lists its 2026-27 ski season as running from Sept. 26 through May 2, conditions permitting. The resort’s latest operating information specifically says the first turns of the new winter season are scheduled for Saturday.
Pitztal has a major advantage when it comes to early-season skiing: elevation.
The resort bills itself as Austria’s highest ski area, with lift access reaching approximately 11,286 feet at Hinterer Brunnenkogel. The Wildspitzbahn carries visitors to the same elevation as Cafe 3440 and a high-alpine viewing platform overlooking the surrounding glaciers and peaks.
That elevation allows Pitztal to operate on a much different calendar than most conventional Austrian ski areas.
The resort currently lists skiing from late September through early May, while the lower Rifflsee ski area is not scheduled to begin winter operations until Dec. 12.
Pitztal’s current status page says the 2026-27 winter season will begin Sept. 26. Exact opening-day terrain and lift availability will depend on conditions closer to Saturday.
Check the current Pitztal Glacier lift and trail status
Kaunertal Is Opening the Same Day
One valley away, Kaunertal Glacier is targeting the exact same date.
Kaunertal’s official operating calendar lists its 2026-27 winter season from Sept. 26 through May 17, although the resort cautions that both the opening and closing dates can change depending on snow conditions.
Kaunertal’s lifts reach more than 10,200 feet along the Austrian-Italian border.
The Karlesjochbahn tops out at approximately 10,197 feet, while the nearby Falginjochbahn reaches approximately 10,213 feet. From the Karlesjoch viewing area, visitors can look across Austria, Italy and Switzerland.
Access to the glacier is unusual by ski-resort standards.
Rather than taking a base-area gondola from the bottom of a valley, visitors can drive the Kaunertal Glacier Road directly into the high alpine. The road climbs through 29 hairpin turns before reaching the glacier center at roughly 9,022 feet.
Kaunertal lists 34 miles of groomed ski terrain during its full operating season, along with a long history of freestyle skiing and snowboarding at Snowpark Kaunertal.
As with Pitztal, however, skiers should not expect the entire winter trail map to be available on Sept. 26. The actual opening-day lift and terrain lineup will depend on conditions.
The Two Glacier Areas Are Closely Connected
Pitztal and Kaunertal are not simply two unrelated ski areas opening on the same day.
The neighboring resorts have a reciprocal ticket arrangement. Pitztal says ski passes valid for two days or longer include access to partner skiing at Kaunertal. Kaunertal similarly offers access to Pitztal with qualifying multi-day tickets.
The joint Top 4 season pass covers Pitztal Glacier, Rifflsee, Kaunertal Glacier, Fendels and the Feichten village lift.
That means Sept. 26 could effectively mark the start of the winter calendar across both neighboring glacier systems.
Austria Could Actually See Skiing One Day Earlier
Pitztal and Kaunertal are not necessarily going to be the first Austrian ski areas to open this fall.
Soelden currently lists Sept. 25 as the beginning of its early-autumn glacier skiing period on the Rettenbach and Tiefenbach glaciers. That opening is also explicitly dependent on snow conditions.
Hintertux Glacier, meanwhile, says ski operations are expected to resume in late September but has not posted an exact opening date on its current operating-hours page.
That makes the next several days worth watching.
If Soelden can open Friday and Pitztal and Kaunertal follow Saturday, Austria could go from summer glacier closures to multiple operating ski areas in the space of a weekend.
Last Year’s Glacier Season Started at Almost the Same Time
The Sept. 26 date is also remarkably close to last year’s schedule.
Pitztal began its 2025-26 season on Sept. 27, opening roughly 1.6 miles of terrain on its upper glacier.
Unofficial Networks covered the beginning of Austria’s 2025-26 ski season, when Pitztal and Hintertux were among the country’s first operating areas.
The bigger difference this year is what happened during the summer.
European glacier skiing has been gradually moving away from continuous summer operations. Hintertux, once famous for offering skiing throughout the year, suspended summer skiing again this year and currently expects skiing to return in late September.
Other European glacier areas also suspended skiing during the summer as warm temperatures and glacier conditions made operations impractical.
That makes Saturday’s planned openings less about skiing through every season and more about the beginning of a new one.
For Pitztal and Kaunertal, that season is scheduled to start Sept. 26.
And if the weather cooperates, Northern Hemisphere skiers will be back on lifts next weekend.
