
Belpiano Schöneben: 65km slopes, famous Lake Resia bell tower views, 1,460-2,390m elevation. Two-country ski arena near Austria.
Belpiano (Schöneben) offers 40 kilometres of pristine skiing across sunny plateaus and north-facing slopes in South Tyrol's upper Vinschgau Valley, with elevations ranging from 1,500 to 2,900 metres. The resort combines family-friendly zones with challenging expert terrain, highlighted by the Erschbaum black run featuring sustained 65% gradients.
Modern snowmaking systems cover 95% of all marked runs, ensuring reliable conditions throughout winter despite the area's southern position. The resort's panoramic location delivers extraordinary views across the Ortler mountain range and into Switzerland, with distinctive Alpine scenery complementing the skiing experience.
Belpiano (Schöneben) spreads 12 runs across 65 km of piste of terrain. It leans intermediate at 46%, with 5 beginner runs to find your feet and 1 advanced or expert run when you want to push.
The Belpiano winter season typically runs from early December through mid-April, with optimal conditions from January through March. The area benefits from a remarkable microclimate, receiving over 300 sunny days annually while maintaining excellent snow preservation on north-facing slopes.
The resort's high elevation and comprehensive snowmaking capabilities ensure reliable skiing from opening day, with operations typically beginning on upper mountain sectors before expanding across the entire network by Christmas week. March brings classic spring conditions with firm morning snow and increasingly longer daylight hours, complemented by spectacular Alpine panoramas.
Situated in South Tyrol's upper Vinschgau Valley, Belpiano sits 80 kilometres northwest of Bolzano and 70 kilometres east of St. Moritz, Switzerland. The resort operates above several traditional villages including Mals and Burgeis, which maintain authentic Alpine architecture and strong cultural connections to both Italian and Austrian heritage.
The surrounding region features remarkable biodiversity within the Stelvio National Park, with extensive protected forests accessible via winter hiking trails. The area's strategic location places it within South Tyrol's Ortler Skiarena network, providing connection opportunities to neighbouring Watles and Trafoi resorts through a unified lift pass.
Hotels and lodges near Belpiano (Schöneben), powered by Stay22.

I'm not a gamer. I'm a skier and snowboarder who happens to have a laptop. So when a ski resort management game called Ski-E-O! landed on Steam, I wasn't expecting to lose an afternoon to it - but here we are. Real mountain terrain, a full weather system, storms that roll in and wreck your snow base, avalanche danger, and enough depth to make RollerCoaster Tycoon feel simple by comparison. Early access lands in November. Here's what a few hours in the free demo actually looks like.

The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.

The death toll from Thursday night's fire at Restaurant Beverin in Thusis, Switzerland, has begun to firm up. One Swiss outlet, citing Graubünden Cantonal Police, reports that two of the five people initially reported missing have now been confirmed dead, leaving three unaccounted for. The building's collapsed stairwell and structural instability have slowed recovery efforts throughout. Here's what's changed since the fire broke out, and what's still unconfirmed.

Selwyn Snow Resort has called an early end to its 2026 season, a day after Victoria's Mount Baw Baw did the same. Rain on Thursday stripped what was left of the snowpack, and the cold nights needed to rebuild it through snowmaking never arrived. It's a rough result for a resort that only just found its footing again after being burned to the ground in the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires and a multi-year rebuild. Here's how the season fell apart, and where Selwyn's been since the fire.

Mt Baw Baw is calling time on its 2026 season this Sunday at 5pm, becoming the first Australian resort to close for the year after warm spells and rain wore through its snowpack. Lifts stop, but the resort stays open, entry fees get waived, and there's one last Bollywood Weekend before the lights go out. Fifty-seven days after opening, here's how the season ended and what it means for the rest of Australia's struggling snowpack.

Arosa's Hörnli sector is getting its biggest overhaul in decades. The 1986 gondola and 1994 chairlift linking toward Lenzerheide are both being replaced, with capacity up, tower count down and a new base station lower on the hill. At roughly CHF 67 million, it is the largest single investment Arosa Bergbahnen has ever made - and the target opening has already slipped a year, to December 2028. Here is what is changing, and why the timeline moved.

Sundance Mountain Resort's back mountain is finally getting a proper lift. The Electric Horseman Express opens for 2026-27, unlocking a new bowl next to Bishop's Bowl and three expert gladed chutes across roughly 105 fresh acres - on top of the Storyteller ridge run that debuted in preview form last season. It's Sundance's biggest expansion since 1985, and it turns a three-lift slog into a single six-minute ride to Bearclaw Summit.

Finland's Levi and Ruka open for the 2026-27 season on October 2, more than seven weeks before most of Europe sees a lift turn. Neither resort is waiting on autumn snowfall - both are skiing on snow buried since last spring, insulated through the Finnish summer and dug back out for opening day. It is not a shortcut. It is a decades-old system now spreading from the Arctic Circle to Idaho, Utah, Vermont and Colorado. Here is how snow farming actually works, and why it is catching on.
Full day skiing at Belpiano Schöneben with 65km of slopes and stunning Lake Resia views. Two-country ski arena with 14 lifts including 10-seater Höllental cable car.
Buy passJunior daily ticket for Belpiano skiing with Lake Resia panorama. Youth pricing for ages 8-17 with access to wide family-friendly slopes and modern lift system.
Buy passFree skiing for children under 8 at Belpiano Schöneben. Kids ski free when accompanied by paying adult with spectacular Lake Resia and Ortler mountain views.
Buy passSenior discount lift ticket for Belpiano skiing. Reduced rates for skiers 65+ with access to 65km of two-country ski arena slopes and Lake Resia views.
Buy passAccess to expanded Ortler Skiarena including Belpiano, Haideralm, and Watles. Two-country ski experience with Austria and Italy skiing from single pass.
Buy passHalf day skiing at Belpiano starting at 12:30pm. Afternoon access to Lake Resia slopes with Ortler panorama and family-friendly terrain across 65km of pistes.
Buy passThree-day lift ticket for Belpiano with savings over daily rates. Extended skiing in tri-border region Italy-Austria-Switzerland with Lake Resia backdrop.
Buy passFamily season pass for Belpiano with Ortler Skiarena benefits. Unlimited access to Lake Resia skiing with partner resort privileges and children's ski school discounts.
Buy passDay passes start from €38, with peak rates up to €66.
More Belpiano (Schöneben) intelligence: snow report, webcams, resort overview.