Another Swiss ski resort known for spinning its lifts during the summer, Saas-Fee, will suspend operations, as the mercury climbs and the sun beats down, melting snow.
“Due to the persistently high temperatures and the resulting changes in snow and glacier conditions, the summer ski area will be temporarily closed from Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, until further notice,” officials said in a statement shared by Ski Racing Media.
The company noted that it’s no longer possible to operate its slopes and lift infrastructure safely.
Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images
Ski Racing Media reported that the closure includes team training, and that officials said they would reach out to groups with prior bookings about refunds.
Saas-Fee’s operators plan to monitor the conditions closely and resume operations when possible.
The announcement follows the news late last month that Zermatt, another Swiss summer skiing hotspot, would temporarily suspend operations. Ski Racing Media reported on August 6 that the earliest possible reopening is August 17.
Both the Saas-Fee and Zermatt closures come as Western Europe deals with boiling heat.
In July, the World Meteorological Organization announced that the region had experienced its hottest June on record. The extreme weather contributed to heatwaves and destructive wildfires.
“Heatwaves like this are what we expect to see in a changing climate,” said John Kennedy, head of climate information at WMO, in a release. “In the 50 years since the historic heatwave in 1976, Europe as a whole has warmed by around two degrees. It’s the fastest warming continents and extremes of temperature have increased too.”
World Weather Attribution, a group of researchers that analyze the connection between extreme weather and climate change, also found in June that fossil fuel emissions have rapidly worsened European heatwaves in just a few decades.
For some ski resorts on the continent, rising snow levels present a distinct challenge. Some mountains have closed entirely because of the lack of snow. Others have looked to diversify their offerings, leaning into off-season activities.
Western Europe is set for more hot weather in the coming days.
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