J2Ski's Where to Ski in May 2026
J2Ski's Where to Ski in May 2026
Published : 03-May-2026 19:45
Nearly 80 ski areas in Asia, Europe, and North America will offer skiing into May 2026, though only about 10 high-altitude or glacial resorts plan to remain open past the end of the month.
The glacier at Les Deux Alpes, France, should be open until the end of May.
Where to Ski in May 2026
Nearly 80 ski areas in more than 15 countries plan to keep offering lift-served skiing into May this year. The centres are spread across three continents – Asia, Europe and North America. About half of the areas are in the Alps where Austria has the most to choose from, about a dozen centres open into May, half of them glaciers, half snowsure high-altitude resorts. A quarter of areas open are in the US, which has more to choose from than any other country, despite having a historically bad season in the west of the country.
Eastern Europe's season is officially over but Slovakia's Jasna just announced it will reopen some high terrain for a bonus weekend.
Although 70+ areas will make it into May, about half of those will close after the first weekend of the month, by 3rd May. The number of remaining centres open will continue to drop quickly through the month and only about 10 ski areas are likely to keep operating in the northern hemisphere beyond 31st May, with meteorological summertime beginning on 1st June - those that do mainly operate high altitude or far northerly latitude summer skiing in June and in a few cases later in the summer.
Europe
Austria
Austria invariably has more ski areas open in May than any other European nation and on a global comparison, is up there in the first week with Japan and North America. Most of Japan's resorts close after the first week and the US has had a particularly poor winter, so this year Austria may lead the world.
The month begins with about a dozen Austrian centres – a mix of glaciers and the most snowsure non-glaciers, still open.
By 3rd May, half of these will have closed (Ischgl, Obertauern, Pitztal, Silvretta, Sölder, Sportsgastein), leaving only glaciers left. The Stubai is open to 17th May with Kaunertal, Kitzsteinhorn and Molltal continuing to the end of the month and only Hintertux expected to stay open into June.
Austria had below average snowfall until late March when some serious 1 metre plus/39 inches plus accumulations took glacier base depths through the 3 metre/10 foot mark, so it looks like standard May skiing conditions in terms of open terrain and likely late spring weather.
France
French ski areas have been posting the deepest snowpacks in Europe for most of 2026, the cover lying up to 4 metres/13 feet deep through April, so they're well-placed to operate into May. Five centres will be open for the first few days of the month but only Les 2 Alpes plans to stay open after the first weekend of the month, with glacier skiing continuing into June.
For the first few days of the month you can also still ski or ride at Val Thorens, Val d'Isère or Tignes and at the Grand Montets ski area above Argentière in the Chamonix Valley.
Italy
May skiing in Italy is also centred on a small handful of high-altitude holdouts, all targeting early May or beyond. Cervinia continues to offer the country's broadest lift-served terrain thanks to its Zermatt link. As long as the snow lasts, you can ski on the Italian side on the Bontadini chairlift slope back to Plan Maison and on the beautiful Ventina slope up to Cime Bianche laghi. For beginners, the baby la Vielle ski lift at Plan Maison will also be available at weekends.
Val Senales is the only other area planning to stay open in May after the first weekend. It's aiming for 10th May whilst Cervinia will continue on.
Ponte di Legno, Livigno, Cortina and Sulden all planned to close after skiing today (Sunday, 3rd May). The country's summer-only ski destination, Passo Stelvio, plans to open for its season on 30th May this year.
Switzerland
A similar story to the rest of the Alps in Switzerland. The exception is Zermatt which is now the only (hopefully) year-round snowsports destination left on the planet. It's currently posting the most terrain still open anywhere in the world thanks to its high altitude slopes.
Four other Swiss centres remain open as we start May, but they're all expected to be amongst the areas closing on Sunday, 3rd May. Adelboden's Engstligenalp area, skiing at Engelberg, the Diavolezza glacier near St Moritz and the Samnaun ski areas shared with Ischgl all close after this coming weekend.
Scandinavia
In Scandinavia about 10 ski areas stayed open into the first week of May. Finland had five areas still open with Ruka, Pyha and Yllas closing on 3rd May but Levi and Saariselka going for 10th May.
In Norway, Hemsedal and in Sweden the region's largest resort Åre as well as Kåbdalis, Tänndalen and Tärnaby stayed open to 3rd May.
Riksgransen up in the Swedish Arctic stays open through to 24th May and this year has announced it will reopen four days a week from 28th May through to Midsummer next month, Thursdays to Sundays. In May it offers skiing under the midnight sun on Saturdays and Mondays each week.
Norway used to have three summer ski areas which start their seasons in May, however one of these, Fonna, has ceased operating and its drag lift is being dismantled, although there's talk of an ad hoc terrain park being created this summer. That leaves Galdhøpiggen opening on 8th May and Stryn opening on 22nd May.
Pyrenees
It's been a particularly good winter in the Pyrenees but that doesn't seem to have changed planned season end dates much, with the region's largest resort, Andorra's Grandvalira, closing as planned over the past two weekends even though the snow is lying 3 metres/10 feet deep up top.
Spain's La Molina/Masella area, as well as Sierra Nevada, Europe's most southerly major ski area, both closed on 3rd May.
Scotland
Amazingly, Scotland's season carries on at Cairngorm, where the Ptarmigan Bowl still offers roughly 1 mile/2 kilometres of upper-mountain skiing for the first weekend of May. A season end date hasn't been set yet. Valley temperatures near 20°C/68°F over the past few days of April, among the warmest in the British Isles, haven't stopped the freestyle park operating.
Glencoe's ski season is officially over, but the Access Chair continues for ski tourers seeking remaining high-altitude patches, and its snow-factory sledging run stays open until Bank Holiday Monday.
North America
Canada
North of the border, which has had a much more normal winter, five Canadian resorts including centres at Banff, Jasper and Whistler, also have May skiing scheduled. The end of April has treated Western Canada well with some cold weather continuing and good fresh snow accumulations.
Lake Louise and Marmot Basin are expected to close on 3rd May with Banff Sunshine and Whistler Blackcomb continuing another fortnight to 18th May.
On the East Coast, Quebec's Sommet Saint Sauveur usually reopens a small area of snow at weekends through May and has made it to the end of the month to claim 'last operating in Canada' in past years.
USA
The Western US has had one of its worst ever seasons for snowfalls and lots of centres have closed early. However, there are still more centres open here than any other country even though resorts usually open in May like Breckenridge and Loveland in Colorado have ended their seasons early. Currently more than a dozen areas remain open.
Dates can change but so far East Coast resorts Camelback and Sugarbush are aiming to stay open to 3rd May with Vermont's Jay Peak, which has beaten many West Coast resorts this season with over 400 inches of snowfall, aiming for 9th May.
Black Mountain, in New Hampshire is aiming for 25th May, Killington is yet to name a closing date. In the Midwest Boyne Mountain and Mount Bohemia are aiming for 10th May or later.
Western late closers include Utah's Brian Head and Brighton as well as Colorado's Arapahoe Basin and Copper (3rd May), Solitude and Snowbird a week later on 17th May (to be confirmed) then Mammoth Mountain on 25th May (the Memorial Day long holiday weekend in the USA). The Palisades, which markets itself as America's Spring Skiing capital, usually stays open at least to the Memorial Day holiday, sometimes as late as 4th July, had announced it would close early originally, but after 84 inches/2.1 metres of April snowfall changed their minds and now say they're aiming for at least mid-May.
Timberline in Oregon, which usually stays open into August, has announced it will probably shut in mid-July this year due to the poor snowfall in the west last winter. This also led to Arapahoe Basin, usually open into June, as well as resorts like Breckenridge and Mount Bachelor, which usually stayed open to the end of May, closing early.
Finally, the Beartooth Basin summer ski area which normally opens in late May or early June and was last reported to be up for sale has posted that it's gearing up for its 2026 season, but has not yet given dates.
Asia
Japan
Over a dozen Japanese ski centres also plan to stay open into next month to reach what's known as the Golden Week holiday there. Daisetsuzan Kurodake – Sounkyo, Furano, Happo One, Niseko, Nozawa Onsen and Zao Onsen are among areas aiming to keep operating to 6th May. After that it will only be Shiga Kogen for another fortnight and then the Gassan summer ski area which started its season on 10th April this year with double the then world's deepest reported base. It posted 8.5 metres/28 feet lying.
Southern Hemisphere
There's already been snowfall at most southern hemisphere ski areas with New Zealand's Hanmer Springs opening for two April ski days after a significant accumulation there which has since melted. In Australia, Corin Forest made snow with an all-weather machine through April for snow play but not skiing or riding.
The same machines are to go into operation at the end of the month in New Zealand. Whakapapa on the North Island is expected to start using theirs then (yet to be confirmed) for beginner skiing and a snow run. A second machine has also arrived in the country at Coronet Peak which says it will open on 29th May thanks to it, with snow play and beginner carpets.
Although more early snowfall could lead to resorts opening main runs early, as has happened in May some years, official season start dates in the Andes, Australia, Africa and New Zealand are in June.
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