Following the recent snowfall, the first ski resort in the Alps has opened. Skiing is possible from an altitude of 1500 m. Despite the bad weather, the first skiers were there.
The winter season usually starts in December, sometimes even at the end of November. Skiing in September is almost unheard of. And it happens in the Austrian Alps south of Salzburg. The Hochkeil resort opened to snow sports enthusiasts on Sunday, September 15.
If such an early opening is possible, it is thanks to Storm Boris, which brought heavy and devastating rainfall to Central and Eastern Europe last weekend. At altitude, this very heavy rainfall logically turned into fresh snow.
Seeing the amount of snow covering the slopes, the management of the Hochkeil resort decided to open the first ski lift. The decision was made spontaneously, he told the Austrian newspaper The Time of the DayThe first 300 skiers managed to make their first descent of the season from a height of 1500 meters, which took more than 4 hours.
There is no artificial fluke on the slopes but 100% natural snow as the amount of snowfall is impressive. The resort management will adapt the opening according to the development of the snow cover and the use of the ski area.
The first ski areas in France will start the 2024-2025 season in December. In the Pyrenees, the first resorts plan to open on December 1, while other resorts are announcing the start of the season on December 6/7 or December 16, 2024.
