Where You Can Ski This Weekend: Murren and Sulden Open, Solden Leads and the Alps Stay Dry

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There is no Alpine World Cup race this weekend, and that gap is the perfect time to answer the question skiers are actually asking at the end of October: where can I ski right now? The answer, updated on 31 October, is that the first non-glacier resorts open this weekend in the Alps, the glacier resorts are already open with limited terrain, North America has its first resorts open in Colorado, and Canada opens Lake Louise on Sunday. The weather, however, is not helping. High pressure is dominating the Alps, meaning it will remain mostly dry and sunny over the coming days, with no significant new snow expected, according to weathertoski.co.uk on Thursday 29 October.

That dry, sunny forecast is good news for skiers who want clear skies and firm pistes, and bad news for skiers who want fresh snow. A weak cold front grazed the northern Alps earlier in the week, delivering a few centimetres of snow in places, for example at Zugspitze and Kitzsteinhorn, but most areas stayed dry. The majority of any remaining fresh snow at altitude in the Alps is from last weekend's storms, which gave Zermatt and Cervinia some of the best conditions after 30 centimetres fell, while Solden and Hintertux in Austria have the most terrain open. Check the resort's own page before you travel, because opening dates in October depend on snow and weather, and a resort that is open on Saturday can close a lift on Sunday if conditions change.

What opens this weekend in the Alps?

Murren in Switzerland, and Sulden in Italy, are the first non-glacier areas to open, according to PlanetSKI, updated on 31 October. In Murren, the Riggli chairlift and the associated slope in the Engetal will open. For the first three weekends, Murren will be open for alpine skiing on Saturdays and Sundays only, before continuous winter operations commence on 21 November. That weekend only pattern is normal for early season openings, because snowmaking and grooming at lower altitudes are harder in October, and resorts want to preserve snow for the main season.

Sulden, in South Tyrol's Vinschgau Valley, beneath the Ortler mountain group, close to the Swiss border, is listed by PlanetSKI on 31 October as opening this weekend. Sulden is one of Italy's highest ski areas, and its season is scheduled to continue through 2 May 2027, making it one of the longest seasons in Europe. There is a caution to attach to Sulden, and it is a good example of why early season dates must be checked twice. An earlier SnowBrains report, updated on 28 October, said Sulden's start had been postponed by a week, to Saturday 7 November, due to current weather and snow conditions. PlanetSKI's 31 October update lists Sulden as opening this weekend, which is newer, but if you are travelling to Sulden specifically, check the resort's own page on Saturday morning, not just a news report, because the two reports conflict on the exact weekend.

The Molltal glacier in Austria was due to open this weekend, but it has postponed its opening due to insufficient snow, according to PlanetSKI on 31 October. That postponement is a reminder that glacier does not always mean guaranteed. A glacier resort still needs enough snow, and enough cold nights for snowmaking, to open safely, and Molltal does not have enough yet.

Where is already open in Europe?

Around a dozen ski areas are currently operating in Europe, according to SnowBrains and PlanetSKI, including Hintertux, Stubai, Pitztal, Solden, Kaunertal and Kitzsteinhorn in Austria, as well as Schnalstal, also known as Val Senales, in Italy, and Saas-Fee, Zermatt and Diavolezza in Switzerland. Finland's Levi and Ruka are also operating, with early season skiing made possible in part by snow farming, using snow stored from last winter.

Solden has the most terrain open in the world right now, at 30 kilometres of groomed runs, according to SnowBrains. That is because Solden hosted the World Cup opener on the Rettenbach glacier on 24 and 25 October, with 60,000 cubic metres of snow stockpiled from the spring, and because Solden's glacier terrain is extensive enough to offer a real ski day, not just a single run. Hintertux is the other Austrian glacier with extensive terrain, and Zermatt and Cervinia, which share a ski area across the Swiss and Italian border, have some of the best conditions after 30 centimetres fell in the recent storms, with Zermatt reporting 100 centimetres of snow on its upper slopes in the Snow-Forecast roundup on 29 October.

In Switzerland, Adelboden opened a kilometre of slopes thanks to snow farming at TschentenAlp, with 30 centimetres of snow reported. In France, no major resort is open yet. Tignes and Val Thorens are set to kick the season off in France in three weeks, on 21 November, according to the Snow-Forecast roundup, although they or others could open sooner if there is a big pre-season snowfall to justify it. France will be the last major ski nation where resorts begin opening, which is normal, because French resorts tend to open later and then open with more terrain.

In Scandinavia, Levi and Ruka in Finland are open using snow stored from last winter, Klappen in Sweden has its snowpark open using snow from last season, and Gladhopiggen Glacier in Norway is open but only for race teams. That Scandinavian picture matters for World Cup fans, because Levi hosts the next World Cup races, the women's slalom on Saturday 14 November and the men's slalom on Sunday 15 November, and the Levi Black slope is already in use for training and early season skiing, even though the World Cup itself is still two weeks away.

What is open in North America?

Arapahoe Basin in Colorado was the first resort to open for the 2026-27 season in North America, beginning its season on Wednesday 28 October. Keystone, also in Colorado, is now open as well, opening just before Halloween. Lake Louise in Canada is set to open on Sunday 1 November, according to PlanetSKI on 31 October. That makes this weekend the first weekend when a skier in North America has a choice of resorts, not just one early opener.

The North American opening dates that follow are important for planning, because they show how quickly the season builds in November. Mammoth Mountain in California plans to open on 13 November, Killington in Vermont is projected for early to mid November, and Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia plans to open on 20 or 21 November, with sources differing by one day. Those dates are planned openings, not guarantees, and they depend on snowmaking temperatures and natural snow, just like the European dates above.

The wider winter outlook, according to a snow guide checked on 31 October, is shaped by a strong El Nino, a warming of the tropical Pacific that shifts weather patterns around the world. In September, OpenSnow wrote that there was a greater than 90 percent chance of a very strong El Nino event during autumn and winter 2026-27. The most consistent signal from that outlook is average to above average snow in the United States Southwest, which is good news for Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, but it is not a guarantee for any single resort, and it does not change the dry forecast for the Alps this weekend.

What about cross country skiing this weekend?

Cross country skiing is also opening this weekend, on snow farming trails, in a way that is easy to miss if you only follow alpine resorts. Bessans in France officially opens its cross country skiing area this Saturday, with a 3 kilometre loop available, and the French cross country teams will be there for the opening, before the biathlon teams arrive on 3 November. Sjusjoen in Norway opened a 2 kilometre run on Friday, Beitostolen in Norway opens its first trail this Saturday, measuring 1.3 kilometres, extended to 2.5 kilometres from Tuesday and then to 5 kilometres from Thursday, and Trysil in Norway has had a 5 kilometre trail since Thursday.

In Finland, Muonio opens its first loop on Sunday, and Kontiolahti, where the Biathlon World Cup gets underway on 26 November, opened its first trail on Friday. Davos in Switzerland opened on Friday, and Santa Caterina in Italy opens on Saturday over 1.8 kilometres. In recent weeks, snow farming runs have also opened in Vuokatti, Idre Fjall, Ruka, Levi, Imatra, Pitztal, Bruksvallarna, Geilo and Valadalen. That list is long, and it shows that snow farming, storing snow from last winter under sawdust or tarpaulins and spreading it in October, is now a normal way to start a cross country season, not an experiment.

Where should you go this weekend, and what should you check first?

The table below summarises the weekend openings, with the caution that early season terrain is limited at every resort, and that lift and run counts change daily.

| Area | Status this weekend | What to expect | | Murren, Switzerland | Opens Saturday, weekends only for first three weekends, continuous from 21 November | Riggli chairlift and Engetal slope only, limited terrain | | Sulden, Italy | Listed as opening Saturday by PlanetSKI 31 October, earlier report flagged postponement to 7 November | Check resort page Saturday morning, high altitude, season to 2 May 2027 | | Solden, Austria | Open, most terrain in the world right now | 30 kilometres of groomed runs, glacier terrain | | Hintertux, Austria | Open | Extensive glacier terrain, one of the most open areas in Austria | | Zermatt and Cervinia, Switzerland and Italy | Open | Best conditions after 30 centimetres in recent storms, upper slopes 100 centimetres reported | | Levi and Ruka, Finland | Open, snow farming | Limited early season terrain, World Cup slaloms 14 and 15 November | | Arapahoe Basin and Keystone, Colorado, USA | Open, Arapahoe Basin from 28 October | Early season terrain, first North American openings | | Lake Louise, Canada | Opens Sunday 1 November | First Canadian opening of the season, check resort page for lift count | | Molltal glacier, Austria | Postponed, insufficient snow | Not open this weekend, despite being a glacier area |

If you are travelling this weekend, check three things before you leave. First, check the resort's own lift and run status, not just a news report, because Sulden shows how quickly an opening date can change. Second, check the snow depth at altitude, not at the village, because early season skiing is almost always at altitude, and village snow is not a reliable guide. Third, check whether your pass or ticket is valid for early season weekends only, because Murren's weekend only pattern means a weekday trip this week would not work, even if the resort is technically open.

The next World Cup races after Solden are the Levi slaloms on 14 and 15 November, then the Gurgl slaloms on 21 and 22 November, then Killington on 28 and 29 November, where Mikaela Shiffrin is scheduled to race her first slalom of the season, after skipping Levi and Gurgl as part of her exploration season, focusing on giant slalom and super-G. Shiffrin has 110 World Cup wins, including 73 slaloms, and she won nine of ten slaloms last season, so her return at Killington will be the biggest skiing story of November, even bigger than this weekend's openings. For now, though, the story is simpler: the season has started, the first non-glacier resorts are opening, Solden leads the world for open terrain, and the Alps are dry, sunny, and waiting for the next storm.

Related live posts: A New Boss Takes Over Mens Skiing on Sunday: Plancker, Levi and the Stars Picking Their Races, and After Solden: Who Is Fit for Levi, Who Returns in December and the Next World Cup Dates.

Sources: PlanetSKI, First Non-Glacier Resorts Open This Weekend in the Alps, updated 31 October 2026; Snow-Forecast, Europe Weekly Snow Roundup 338, 29 October 2026; SnowBrains, Sulden am Ortler opening report, updated 28 October 2026; Nordic Mag, cross country snow farming trails opening this weekend, 30 October 2026.