The ski season 2026-27, resort by resort
Official opening and closing dates for Courchevel, Verbier, Zermatt and the three St. Moritz mountains, what the glaciers add at either end, and which months give the most dependable snow.
In the high Alps the ski season runs from late November or early December to mid or late April, and glaciers stretch it from October into May. For winter 2026-27, Zermatt’s Sunnegga and Gornergrat areas open on Saturday 28 November 2026, Courchevel on Friday 4 December and the whole 3 Vallées the next day; Verbier’s passes start on 5 December. Closings run from 4 April (the smallest sectors) to 2 May 2027 in Zermatt. St. Moritz’s main mountain, Corviglia, had not published its dates when we checked on 17 October 2026.
Every date on this page comes from the resort’s lift company or tourist office, and each one assumes normal snow: an opening can slip if early winter is dry, and a high sector can stay open longer when spring is generous. We give the sector-level detail because that is where the season really lives. Most resorts open in stages, and the last weeks of April often mean one high mountain rather than the whole area.
If you are choosing a week rather than a skiing window, our week-by-week planner for chalet ski holidays 2026-27 sets every Saturday of the winter against the UK, French and Geneva school calendars. This page stays with the mountains: when they run, and when the snow is at its most dependable.
Altitude, snowmaking and glaciers in figures
Checked against official sources, so you can plan with confidence.
In Les 3 Vallées, runs lie between 1,100 m and 3,230 m, 85% of the ski area is above 1,800 m, and over 2,800 snowmakers cover 55% of it.
Source: les3vallees.comCourchevel’s snowmaking system covers more than half of its 150 km of marked slopes; the tourist office credits altitude and snowmaking for optimal snow conditions from December to April.
Source: Courchevel TourismeIn the 4 Vallées, the highest point is Mont-Fort at 3,330 m, most slopes lie above 2,000 m and 63% of the area has snowmaking.
Source: Verbier winter press kit 2024-25Zermatt’s ski area reaches 3,883 m at Matterhorn Glacier Paradise; on the Theodul Glacier, up to 21 km of pistes stay open in summer, generally until midday.
Source: matterhornparadise.chThe Corvatsch mountain station, at 3,303 m, is the highest in the canton of Graubünden.
Source: corvatsch-diavolezza.chFrom Diavolezza, an ungroomed glacier run of eight kilometres leads down to the railway station of Morteratsch, where the train takes skiers back to the valley station.
Source: corvatsch-diavolezza.chSki season dates 2026-27, sector by sector
The table follows each resort’s own wording. Where a lift company publishes only the validity of its season pass, we say so: it is the clearest commitment it has made, but it is not quite an opening day.
| Resort and sector | Opens | Closes | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courchevel | Friday 4 December 2026 | Sunday 18 April 2027 | Official ski pass site and tourist office. Courchevel opens a day before the rest of the 3 Vallées. |
| Les 3 Vallées, whole area | Saturday 5 December 2026 | Sunday 18 April 2027 | Méribel and Les Menuires keep the same dates; Saint-Martin-de-Belleville opens on 12 December. |
| Val Thorens and Orelle (3 Vallées) | 21 November 2026 | 2 May 2027 | The highest part of the 3 Vallées, reachable on skis from Courchevel once the links are open. |
| Verbier and La Tzoumaz | 5 December 2026 | 25 April 2027 | Validity of the sector’s season pass, as published by the lift company. |
| 4 Vallées, whole area | 12 December 2026 | 18 April 2027 | Season pass validity for the whole linked network, including Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon. Bruson: 12 December to 4 April. |
| Zermatt, winter season | Sunday 1 November 2026 | Sunday 2 May 2027 | Winter season of the lift company, carried by the glacier and the high lifts. |
| Zermatt, Sunnegga and Rothorn | Saturday 28 November 2026 | Sunday 11 April 2027 | Opening and closing published by the lift company. |
| Zermatt, Gornergrat | Saturday 28 November 2026 | Sunday 18 April 2027 | Opening and closing published by the lift company. |
| St. Moritz, Corviglia | Not yet published | Not yet published | No 2026-27 dates on the lift company’s site when we checked on 17 October 2026. |
| St. Moritz, Corvatsch | Saturday 21 November 2026 | Sunday 25 April 2027 | Both cable car sections. The Cristins lift runs from 5 December to 11 April. |
| St. Moritz, Diavolezza | Saturday 19 December 2026 | Sunday 2 May 2027 | Plus an autumn ski opening from 24 October to 15 November 2026, on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. |
| Lagalb and Furtschellas | Saturday 19 December 2026 | Sunday 4 April 2027 | Operating periods published by the lift company. |
Sources: skipasscourchevel.com, les3vallees.com, verbier4vallees.ch, matterhornparadise.ch, corvatsch-diavolezza.ch and mountains.ch, checked on 17 October 2026. One banner on Zermatt’s ski pass page shows a shorter validity than its main text: we use the main text and suggest confirming before an early-May trip.
How long is the ski season in each resort?
Counted from the published dates, Courchevel runs for a little over 19 weeks, the Verbier and La Tzoumaz sector for about 20, Corvatsch for about 22 and Val Thorens for about 23. Zermatt’s winter season lasts just over 26 weeks, and with summer skiing on the glacier the resort comes close to a year-round calendar.
Those totals hide a narrower core. In Zermatt, Sunnegga and Rothorn run for 19 weeks out of the 26; in the 4 Vallées, the full area is covered by the pass for about 18 weeks against 20 for Verbier itself. The practical rule: the further you are from mid-season, the smaller the ski area you should expect.
St. Moritz is the case to watch this year. Corvatsch opens a month before Christmas and Diavolezza already welcomes skiers in October, but Corviglia, the mountain most of the town skis from, had not announced its dates at the time of writing. We will confirm them for any client planning an early or late week.
Glacier skiing: the season before the season
Glaciers and very high lifts are what turn a four-month season into a six-month one. Among our four resorts, the options are not equal, and it helps to know which mountain carries the early and late weeks.
- Zermatt: the winter season starts on 1 November 2026 on the high ground above the village, four weeks before Sunnegga and Gornergrat open, and summer ski pass rates applied from 4 May to 31 October 2026. The tourist office says skiing may also be possible in October, depending on which lifts are open. Our guide to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise explains the lifts that reach it.
- Diavolezza, near St. Moritz: an autumn ski opening on three days a week from 24 October to 15 November 2026, then the winter season from 19 December to 2 May. The glacier run to Morteratsch is not groomed, so treat it as off-piste and go with a mountain guide.
- Corvatsch, near St. Moritz: not a glacier opening in the strict sense, but at 3,303 m it opens on 21 November and runs to 25 April, the longest continuous winter on the Engadin side among the dates published so far.
- Courchevel and the 3 Vallées: no separate glacier opening is published. The earliest and latest days come from Val Thorens and Orelle, open from 21 November to 2 May, with runs up to 3,230 m. From Courchevel, they are a long ski across the valleys once the whole area opens on 5 December.
- Verbier: the high point is Mont-Fort at 3,330 m, but the lift company has published no separate glacier dates. For 2026-27, plan on the sector pass, 5 December to 25 April, as your window.
When is the snow most reliable?
No one can promise snow, and we will not quote averages we cannot source. What we can do is describe how each part of the season tends to behave in high resorts such as ours, and what protects you when the weather does not cooperate: altitude, snowmaking and north-facing terrain.
- Altitude: 85% of the 3 Vallées is above 1,800 m, most of the 4 Vallées above 2,000 m, and Zermatt reaches 3,883 m. Higher means colder and longer-lasting snow.
- Snowmaking: more than half of Courchevel’s slopes, 55% of the 3 Vallées and 63% of the 4 Vallées are equipped. It secures the pistes, not the off-piste.
- Aspect: north-facing slopes hold snow longer in spring; south-facing ones soften earlier and are best skied first thing.
| Period | What to expect | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Late November to mid-December | Openings depend on the first big snowfalls and on cold nights for snowmaking. High sectors and glaciers come first; links between valleys can open later. | Flexible skiers who can move dates, and anyone happy with a smaller area. Avoid fixing a non-refundable week on the opening weekend. |
| Christmas to early January | Most of each ski area is normally running by now. Days are short and cold; in a dry December the base can still be thin on lower slopes. | Families tied to school holidays. Stay high: Courchevel 1850 or Zermatt’s upper areas rather than the valley runs. |
| Mid-January to February | The heart of winter: cold, with the snowpack building and the best chance of fresh snow that keeps. This is when the whole area is open everywhere. | Strong skiers chasing powder, and anyone who wants the full ski area. February brings the school-holiday crowds. |
| March | Longer, sunnier days on a deep base. Zermatt’s tourist office notes that March generally still brings excellent days on the slopes. South faces soften by midday. | Couples and friends who want sun and space, and families on an early Easter (28 March 2027). |
| April | Spring snow: firm in the morning, soft in the afternoon. Lower sectors close first, from 4 April, and high ones carry on to 25 April and into May. | Early starters who ski until lunch. Pick Zermatt, Val Thorens, Corvatsch or Diavolezza for the last weeks. |
A description of typical behaviour, not a forecast. Conditions vary from one winter to the next.
If your dates sit at either end of the ski season
Opening weekends and the last fortnight of April are the weeks where a little preparation saves a disappointing trip. This is how we handle them for clients.
- Check which sectors, not just which resort
An opening on 28 November in Zermatt means Sunnegga and Gornergrat, while a late-April week in the 4 Vallées means Verbier and La Tzoumaz rather than the whole area. Read the sector line in the table above against your plans: from Chalet Zeyr, Zermatt, the Sunnegga funicular is a two-minute walk, so the first area to open is on the doorstep.
- Look at the live lift status the week before
Each lift company publishes the lifts and slopes open each day. A week before you travel, it tells you more than any calendar printed in October.
- Choose a resort with a high fallback
If you must travel in late November or late April, Zermatt, Corvatsch and Diavolezza, or Val Thorens from Courchevel, keep you skiing if the lower slopes are bare. Our guide to the 3 Vallées ski area shows how the valleys connect.
- Plan the afternoons
In spring, ski the morning and keep the afternoon for the spa, a long lunch or a walk. A chalet with its own wellness area earns its place in April; our ski chalets with a hot tub are made for it.
- Ask us before booking
We check the latest dates and the state of the snow with our contacts in each resort before confirming an early or late stay, and we tell you honestly when another week would serve you better.
Chalets close to the first lifts to open
One chalet per resort, each near the lifts that carry the start of the season; every one has been visited by our team.
Chalets side by side
Guests, bedrooms and wellness, for an early-season or spring week.
| Residence | Guests | Bedrooms | Bathrooms | Living area | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chalet ZeyrZermatt | 12 | 6 | 7 | 565 m² | Sauna, Massage Room, Jacuzzi, Gym, Elevator |
| Chalet SallyCourchevel | 20 | 8 | 9 | 830 m² | Ski-in / Ski-out, Cinema Room, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room |
| Chalet AuronVerbier | 14 | 7 | 8 | 1,150 m² | Indoor Pool, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room |
| Chalet NoreSt. Moritz | 15 | 6 | 7 | 467 m² | Indoor Pool, Cinema Room, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room |
Rates are on request and depend on dates and services. Your advisor confirms availability and the final details of every residence.
Ski season questions
Anything else? Our team in Paris answers personally, usually within the day.
Ask our teamWhen is the ski season?
In the high Alps, the main ski season runs from early December to mid or late April. For 2026-27, Courchevel opens on 4 December and closes on 18 April, the Verbier and La Tzoumaz pass runs from 5 December to 25 April, and Zermatt’s winter season lasts from 1 November to 2 May. Glaciers such as Zermatt’s and Diavolezza’s add skiing in autumn and, in Zermatt, in summer.
When does the ski season end?
Closing dates are staggered. For 2027, the smallest sectors close first: Bruson, Lagalb and Furtschellas on 4 April, Sunnegga and Rothorn in Zermatt on 11 April. Courchevel, the 3 Vallées, the full 4 Vallées and Gornergrat follow on 18 April, Verbier and Corvatsch on 25 April, Val Thorens and Diavolezza on 2 May, and Zermatt’s winter season on 2 May.
How long is the ski season?
In our resorts, between about 18 and 26 weeks for 2026-27, depending on the sector. Courchevel runs for a little over 19 weeks, the Verbier sector for about 20 and Zermatt’s winter season for just over 26. The full ski area is usually open for a shorter core period in the middle, roughly mid-December to early April.
When does Verbier open for skiing?
Verbier’s lift company sells its 2026-27 season pass for the Verbier and La Tzoumaz sector from 5 December 2026 to 25 April 2027. The pass covering the whole 4 Vallées, including Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon, runs from 12 December 2026 to 18 April 2027. The lift company describes its winter as skiing from November to the end of April, so watch its news page for any earlier opening.
When does Courchevel ski season start?
Courchevel’s 2026-27 season starts on Friday 4 December 2026, one day before the rest of the 3 Vallées opens on Saturday 5 December. Both close on Sunday 18 April 2027. If you want to ski earlier, Val Thorens and Orelle, at the far end of the 3 Vallées, open on 21 November and stay open until 2 May.
When does St Moritz open for skiing?
It depends on the mountain. Corvatsch opens on 21 November 2026 and Diavolezza has an autumn opening from 24 October, then its winter season from 19 December 2026 to 2 May 2027. Corviglia, the main ski area above the town, had not published its 2026-27 dates when we checked on 17 October 2026. We confirm them for clients as soon as they appear.
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Tell us your window, we check the snow and the chalet
Send Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad the dates you have in mind and the resort, or simply when you can travel. We confirm the latest lift dates and suggest the chalet that suits that moment of the season, including residences that are not published online. WhatsApp +33 7 80 98 05 43 or contact@lutetia-group.com; we usually reply within the day. Prices on request.