
Gstaad
Gstaad: 200km across 6 sectors, 73% beginner terrain, 34 lifts. Bernese Oberland skiing from CHF 69/day. Magic Pass valid.
Gstaad spreads across 200 kilometres of pistes spanning six sectors in the Bernese Oberland, with 75 runs ranging from 948 to 2,011 metres elevation and 1,063 metres of vertical drop. The terrain caters predominantly to beginners and intermediates with 73 per cent beginner runs, 23 per cent intermediate and just 4 per cent advanced. Multi-day passes include access to Glacier 3000, reaching 3,000 metres and extending the skiable domain substantially. Annual snowfall averages 385 to 450 centimetres, with extensive snowmaking coverage across 87 kilometres of piste.
The ski area divides into two primary sectors east and west of Gstaad village, accessed via Eggli and Wispile gondolas plus the Rinderberg-Saanerslochgrat-Horneggli interconnected zone from Zweisimmen, Saanenmöser and Schönried. Signature runs include the 10-kilometre descent from La Videmanette to Rougemont with 1,150 metres vertical, and the steep Tiger Run on Wasserngrat. Wide cruising terrain dominates Eggli with nearly 60 kilometres of gentle blues, whilst tree-lined slopes on Rinderberg provide definition in poor visibility.
Gstaad operates as a quiet, refined ski destination rather than a high-adrenaline resort, attracting families and leisurely skiers to car-free village centres lined with traditional wooden chalets. On-mountain dining emphasises quality over quantity, with mountain restaurants at La Videmanette, Eggli and throughout the Rinderberg sector. The resort enforces strict architectural regulations preserving three-storey Simmentaler chalet style throughout all ten valley villages.
The TOP4 season pass at CHF 899 covers Gstaad plus Adelboden-Lenk, Jungfrau Region and Meiringen-Hasliberg, whilst the Magic Pass (CHF 559) includes 80-plus Swiss resorts. Day tickets range from CHF 69 to CHF 77 depending on date, with children under nine skiing free. The 2025-26 season runs 14 December to 30 March, suiting beginners, intermediates and families seeking varied terrain without extreme difficulty.
Gstaad spreads 75 runs across 88.9 km of piste of terrain. It leans beginner at 73%, with 55 beginner runs to find your feet and 3 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
The 2025-26 winter season opens 14 December 2025 and closes 30 March 2026, with Glacier 3000 extending operations from early November through late April. Some lifts begin as early as 22 November subject to snow conditions. The season spans approximately 107 days at the main resort elevation, shorter than high-altitude Swiss destinations but reliable given substantial snowmaking infrastructure.
Average annual snowfall totals 385 to 450 centimetres depending on sector and elevation, with December averaging 97 centimetres, January 100 centimetres and February 67 centimetres at mid-mountain. Historic data shows peak accumulation in February and March when upper elevations average 238 to 269 centimetres base depth. The second week of January typically delivers the snowiest conditions with 57 centimetres falling over 3.4 snowy days. Lower elevations at 948 metres can suffer in warm spells, particularly at season fringes.
January through mid-March offers optimal conditions with cold temperatures preserving powder on north-facing slopes and in shaded tree runs beneath Rinderberg and Saanerslochgrat. March brings spring corn snow and longer daylight for high-alpine touring. Quieter periods fall in January outside school holidays, whilst Christmas through New Year and February half-term draw peak crowds to this affluent destination.
The Gstaad Menuhin Festival anchors summer cultural programming, whilst winter events remain understated compared to party-focused resorts. Night skiing operates on Wispile and Rinderberg sectors with floodlighting. Heli-skiing launches from Gstaad and Zweisimmen bases accessing six surrounding peaks, and the Rinderberg Ronda Skisafari circuit links three mountains without repeating slopes or lifts over two hours.
Gstaad sits at 1,050 metres elevation in the Saanen valley (Saanenland) of the Bernese Oberland in southwestern Canton Bern, near the language border with French-speaking Vaud. The village forms part of Saanen municipality alongside nine other traditional chalet settlements including Saanen (1,010 metres), Schönried (1,230 metres), Saanenmöser (1,270 metres) and Zweisimmen (945 metres). The Simme river drains the valley floor, flanked by peaks reaching 2,000 to 3,000 metres.
Saanen lies just 2 kilometres north, serving as the protected historical heart of the region with 15th to 18th century chalets. Zweisimmen anchors the eastern valley entrance 15 kilometres away, whilst Château-d'Oex (30 minutes by train) and Rougemont mark the French-speaking transition towards Montreux. The ten villages collectively house around 9,200 permanent residents, swelling significantly during winter and summer high seasons.
Road access follows the well-maintained Route 11 threading the valley, connecting to major motorways via Spiez (north towards Bern and Zurich) or via Aigle towards Lausanne and Geneva. Driving from Geneva takes approximately 2 hours 11 minutes covering 128 kilometres, from Bern 1 hour 20 minutes, and from Zurich approximately 2.5 hours. The Jaun Pass provides seasonal access from Fribourg when open.
Bern-Belp Airport lies 78 kilometres distant with 1 hour 20 minutes driving or 2.5 hours by train. Geneva Airport sits 127 kilometres away requiring 2 hours driving or 3 hours 17 minutes by train via Montreux with one change. Zurich Airport is 3 hours by car or 3.5 hours by train. The scenic MOB railway (Montreux-Oberland Bernois) connects Gstaad directly to Montreux in 1 hour 35 minutes and Zweisimmen-Spiez towards Interlaken.
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The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.

Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.

Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.

We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.

Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.

An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.

A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.

Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
Live open status isn’t available right now.
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
Days 1–7
0.0cm
Days 8–14
17cm
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Base depth, summit depth, and recent snowfall are the core numbers to watch. At Gstaad, summit conditions (2011m) can differ noticeably from the base, so we break both out separately rather than showing a single average.
Wind and temperature swings matter as much as fresh snowfall. Cold, calm conditions hold snow quality well, while wind-loading or a warm-up can change things quickly — especially given the elevation spread between Gstaad's base and summit.
Snowfall and depth figures for Gstaad come from official mountain sources; weather and outlook data comes from independent forecasting services. The mountain is served by 19 lifts, including 3 quad chairlifts and 4 gondolas.
Conditions can change overnight, so mornings and late afternoons are the best times to check back on Gstaad.