Italy's Cervinia Says It Will Offer Skiing Year-Round

Italy’s Cervinia ski area says that after it opens for its 23-24 ski season in October, it won’t actually close again, staying open for skiing and boarding every day, year-round, weather permitting.

The resort already has one of the longest seasons in the world, open for around 9 months of the year in total, but up to now closing for 4-8 weeks in spring and again in early autumn/fall. When the 23-24 ‘winter’ season end there though in early May next year, it won’t close slope access but just re-open the next day for its summer season.

The resort is crediting the completion of the long-planned Alpine Crossing series of gondola and cable car lifts crossing the Swiss-Italian border between Cervinia and Zermatt for its decision. This allows pedestrians including wheelchair users and families with babies in buggies (as well as skiers) to cross the border in enclosed lift cabins year round. The final section from the Italian border up to the Klein Matterhorn, and the location of Europe’s highest lift-accessed ski area, opened on July 1st.

This lift means skiers and boarders can easily access the glacier, already open for skiers year-round from the Swiss side, from Cervinia too.

The only other remaining year-round outdoor ski area in the world is at Hintertux in Austria, others that once were like Tignes in France and Solden in Austria have scaled back due to climate change. In the meantime over 100 year-round indoor snow centres have opened in more than 30 countries on six continents.

Cervinia says it will close the slope access for a final time in September and October before beginning its year-round operation.

(Image shows the then-proposed, now open new lift)