It's Ski Season Somewhere

Ski Season Is in Full Swing. You're Just Looking at the Wrong Half of the Globe.

You may not believe it, but ski season is here.

No, seriously.

While the resorts in the United States have shut down, the entire bottom half of the globe is kicking off their ski season. Not to mention a large chunk of Europe. 

And no, these aren't just run of the mill resorts.

I'm talking about world class mountains that just happen to operate on a flipped schedule.

And honestly, for those of us who just spend the offseason counting down until Thanksgiving, skiing in the Southern Hemisphere is the perfect way to feed our addiction.

As we close out June, the majority of these resorts have already opened with their seasons just kicking off.

We even had our first major snowfall in Chile.

So for those of you looking to trade in the July heat for the cool breeze of the mountains, we compiled a list of every resort that is currently open.

And we even highlighted some of our personal favorites.

First though, a quick word on passes...

A good chunk of these mountains live on the two big passes you've probably already got buried in your wallet. The Ikon Pass gets you into a surprising number of them down south. The Epic Pass covers a few more. I'll flag which is which as we go, because nothing stings quite like flying eleven hours to find out you could've been skiing for "free."

New Zealand

If you've never chased winter south before, this is where I'd send you. The South Island stacks four world class fields within a couple hours of each other, and the access is almost unfairly easy.

Views off Coronet Peak! 

• Coronet Peak (Queenstown): ⭐ Diamant's pick. Open now through October 4. On Ikon. Twenty minutes from the airport. Twenty. The easiest "yes" on this whole list. Slightly longer flight, but if you're taking a summer vacation this should be the one.
• The Remarkables (Queenstown): Open through October 11. On Ikon. Yes, that's the real name. Yes, it earns it.
• Cardrona (Wānaka): Open through October 11. Not on a major pass. Now the biggest field in the country at 615 hectares.
• Treble Cone (Wānaka): Opens June 27, running to September 27. Not on a major pass. The locals' pick for steep terrain and big lake views.
• Mt Hutt (Christchurch): Open through October 11. On Ikon. The closest major field to a mainland city.
• Whakapapa (Mt Ruapehu): Spinning since late May. Not on a major pass. Your North Island option.

Australia

The land down under opened the floodgates on June 6, and all five big mainland resorts have been running ever since.

One catch for the Epic crowd: your North American Epic Pass doesn't cover Australia in the same year — you'll want the dedicated Epic Australia Pass for that. Epic never seems to make it easy...

• Perisher (NSW): Open through October 5. On Epic. The largest ski area in the entire Southern Hemisphere.
• Thredbo (NSW): Open through October 5. On Ikon.
• Mt Buller (VIC): Open through October 4. On Ikon. About three hours from Melbourne. By Australian standards, basically next door.
• Falls Creek (VIC): Open through October 4. On Epic.
• Mt Hotham (VIC): Open into early October. On Epic. Highest proportion of black runs in the country.
• Charlotte Pass & Selwyn (NSW): Both opened June 20. Not on a major pass. Charlotte Pass sits on the highest village base in Australia.

South America

The closest option for those of us in the United States. A real no brainer for those of us looking to scratch the itch.

Portillo is just stunning.

• Valle Nevado (Chile): ⭐ Our pick. Open through October 4. On Ikon (7 days, no blackouts). An hour from Santiago and freshly linked with neighboring La Parva into one ridiculous 4,000-acre playground.
• Portillo (Chile): ⭐ Our pick. Open June 20 through September 26. Not on a pass. The oldest resort in South America and a genuine bucket-list experience — the yellow hotel, the lake, the Saturday-to-Saturday crew. Worth every peso.
• El Colorado (Chile): Open through October 4. Not on a major pass. Part of the Santiago cluster.
• La Parva (Chile): Opened around June 20. Now linked to Valle Nevado on one ticket.
• Corralco (Chile): Opened June 19. Not on a major pass. Further south, on the slopes of a volcano.
• Nevados de Chillán (Chile): Opening end of June. Not on a major pass.
• Cerro Catedral (Bariloche, Argentina): Opening around June 20. Not on a major pass. Bariloche is an actual city — chocolate shops, Malbec, and an après scene that does not quit.
• Las Leñas, Chapelco, Cerro Bayo & Cerro Castor (Argentina): Coming online late June into July. Not on a major pass. Cerro Castor down in Ushuaia is the southernmost resort on Earth.

Europe

Alright, confession time: the Northern Hemisphere isn't completely dead. Climb high enough onto the glaciers and a handful of European resorts basically haven't stopped.

The Matterhorn has never disappointed.

• Zermatt / Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (Switzerland): ⭐ Our pick. Open now. The highest lift-served skiing in the Alps at 3,899m, with the Matterhorn looming over every run, and access shared with Cervinia on the Italian side. Ikon-affiliated in winter, though summer runs on its own ticket. Basically still Winter.
• Hintertux (Austria): Open 365 days a year. Not on a major pass. The most reliable summer snow on the continent and the most open terrain in Europe right now at 25km. Again, basically Winter. 
• Passo Stelvio (Italy): Open May 30 through November 1. Not on a major pass. Summer-only, near Olympic host Bormio, with about 20km of pistes and a 700m drop.
• Tignes (France): Grande Motte glacier, open June 20 to July 19. Not on a major pass. Up to 20km of high-alpine pistes.
• Val d'Isère (France): Open now for a roughly three-week run. Not on a major pass. About eight trails, half reserved for race training.
• Les 2 Alpes (France): Open through July 5. Not on a major pass. Heads up: June terrain has leaned heavily toward race teams, so leisure runs can be limited.
• Galdhøpiggen (Norway): Open with all slopes running. Not on a major pass. Norway's highest lift-accessed terrain.

A couple to leave off your "open now" list: Norway's Stryn already closed after a short 19-day season, Sweden's Riksgränsen wrapped at midsummer, and Saas-Fee doesn't open until mid-July.

Combine your Euro Summer with some runs. 

North America

Yeah, you read that right. You can still ski in North America at the end of June.

Two weeks of pure summer skiing bliss.

• Banff Sunshine (Alberta): ⭐ Our pick. Open June 20 through July 5. An absurd snow year reopened it for 16 days of summer laps on the Strawberry Express, about two hours from Calgary. On Ikon in winter; Ikon and Mountain Collective holders get half off these summer tickets. It is seriously worth a quick weekend trip.
• Timberline, Mt. Hood (Oregon): Open now, closing July 19. Not on a major pass. The only lift-served summer snow in the States, ninety minutes from Portland. A thin snow year means it's wrapping up earlier than its usual August finish, so move fast.

So there it is. Ski season in full swing. Just in another part of the world.

You don't have to wait until Thanksgiving. 

See you out there.

-Shai