TL;DR
Zermatt has suspended public summer skiing on the Theodul Glacier, the first time it's shut down since 2022. Persistent heat, warm nights that won't let the snowpack refreeze, and repeated thunderstorms are behind the call, according to Zermatt Bergbahnen. Selected Swiss-Ski teams can keep training on a limited basis, and the squad still flies to Chile as planned on August 27. With Hintertux already on its seasonal break, only Stelvio and Saas-Fee remain open for summer skiing in the Alps.
Zermatt has suspended public summer skiing on the Theodul Glacier with immediate effect, the resort's first such closure since 2022.
Zermatt Bergbahnen pointed to persistent heat, a lack of overnight cooling, and repeated thunderstorms as the reasons safe, high-quality skiing is currently off the table for guests. Selected Swiss-Ski teams can still use the prepared training slopes on a limited basis, though the closure applies to everyone else until conditions improve.
What's actually wrong with the glacier
The snowpack has thinned out more than usual for this point in summer, and glacial movement has picked up enough that crevasse activity is making the training slopes unreliable. Without overnight temperatures dropping low enough to refreeze the surface, each hot day just keeps eating into snow that never gets the chance to firm back up. Zermatt sits in the Swiss canton of Valais, and the Theodul Glacier is one of a shrinking number of spots in the Alps where summer skiing is still possible at all.
