It’s been a great start to the season across the Alps, and if you’re lucky enough to be able to access one of the Alpine ski resorts in France, Switzerland, Austria or Italy, then you’re probably already aware. In what the locals (especially those dependent on ski industry businesses) are calling an early-season miracle, snow reports are confirming near-record proportions of snowfall during late November 2025, transforming the mountains into a powder paradise far earlier than usual.
If you’ve been waiting for the green light to book your first trip of the season, consider the starter pistol fired.
The heavy snowfall has blanketed the region, setting the stage for what looks to be an exceptional winter. But while the entire Alpine range received a healthy dusting, one region stood head and shoulders above the rest: the North-Western Alps. This area, encompassing the northern French Alps and the western/northern Swiss Alps, was the bullseye of the storm, with totals ranging from one meter (3.3 feet) to an astounding 1.5 meters (nearly 5 feet) in a matter of days at the end of November.
Where has the snow fallen in the Alps?
The snowiest official figure from the period came from a Swiss measuring station near the Dents du Midi, just south of the Portes du Soleil. This station, at L’Ecreleuse (2252m), clocked an unbelievable 176cm (1.76 meters) of snow between Sunday 23rd November 2025 and Wednesday 26th, a figure that has been highlighted by snow forecasting specialists like weathertoski.co.uk. This volume of snow at this time of year is exceptional.
Furthermore, reports of up to one metre of snow in 24 hours were reported in parts of the French Alps, causing the avalanche danger to surge to level 4 (high) in areas like the Chamonix Valley and the Aravis region around La Clusaz.
This volume of snow has resulted in what weathertoski.co.uk described as “excellent right now-as good as you could realistically hope for in late November!”
French Alps: The Hotspot of the storm
Unsurprisingly, the French resorts in the northern Alps claimed some of the biggest totals and best conditions. These mountains were absolutely inundated with snow, setting up many world-class ski areas for a solid early season opening.
- Chamonix Valley & Aravis: As noted above, the Chamonix Valley and the Aravis region near La Clusaz were the clear winners in terms of intensity, with locals reporting a metre of snow falling rapidly. Resorts like Chamonix saw storm totals of around 1 meter over a 72-hour period.
- The Tarentaise Valley: Major destinations in this area are already operational or scheduled to open early with a massive base. Val Thorens, part of the colossal 3 Valleys, was already up and running and claimed 90cm of fresh snow from the latest storm, with bases now reaching 140cm on the upper slopes. Nearby, Val d’Isère was preparing for its opening with “perfect weather and snow conditions” and totals nearing 81cm in the storm cycle.
- Low-Altitude Winners: Perhaps the most unusual and welcome development is the heavy snow at lower altitudes. This is fantastic news for resorts like Morzine, Les Gets, Megève, and La Clusaz, which rarely see this much cover at resort level so early in the season.
Swiss Alps: Deep and Early
The western and northern Swiss Alps were equally blessed, delivering fantastic cover that is encouraging many resorts to begin operations ahead of schedule.
- Portes du Soleil & Dents du Midi: As the home of the 176cm record, this region is sitting pretty. Resorts like Villars, Gstaad, and Mürren were thoroughly “dumped on,” receiving at least a metre of snow over four days.
- Crans-Montana: This resort took advantage of the exceptional conditions and opened some of its ski area early. Check out our Crans Montana guide.
- Engelberg-Titlis: Located further east but still benefiting from the storm’s trajectory, Engelberg also saw accumulations over the one-metre mark.
Austria and Italy see solid foundations for the winter season
While the very highest numbers were reserved for the west, the storm was generous enough to ensure fantastic conditions for the start of the season in the Austrian and Italian Alps as well.
- The Arlberg, Austria: The Arlberg region, home to resorts like Lech and St. Anton, received between 20–50cm from the storm cycle. This accumulation, combined with cold temperatures, has established a strong foundation.
- Obertauern: Known as one of Austria’s snowiest non-glacier resorts, it reported a huge 40cm in a 24-hour period, bringing its mid-mountain base to a healthy 80cm.
- Glacier Reliability: Austrian glacier areas like Sölden (which led the pack in open terrain with 98km of piste) and Hintertux are boasting great conditions, bolstered by the new snow.
- Italian Borders: The far north-western Italian Alps, including Courmayeur and La Thuile, benefited from the same weather system that hit France, seeing significant accumulations of over a metre. In the Aosta Valley, Cervinia is also enjoying great early-season coverage.
Ski resorts opening early in 2025
The combination of massive snowfall and cold temperatures has given mountain operators the perfect window to open lifts and welcome guests well ahead of the traditional December start.
Many resorts have taken advantage of the “extraordinary November conditions,” as reported by PlanetSKI. Resorts that either opened early or took an initial preview weekend due to the snow included:
- France: Val d’Isère, Les 2 Alpes, Avoriaz, Flaine, La Clusaz.
- Switzerland: Crans-Montana, Gstaad.
- Austria: Ischgl, Ski Welt.
For winter sports enthusiasts, this massive early dump is the best possible precursor to the season and hopefully an early indicator of good things to come. That being said, in our early season prediction for 2025/26, we did foresee that this being a La Niña year does mean that when it’s good, it’ll be great. But, we could see some rapid thawing too at later points in the season.
Anyway, for now, with such a robust snowpack established so early, conditions are excellent for the official start of December. The Alps are white from top to bottom, the resorts are opening their doors, and the mountain is ready. It’s a good time to start booking that trip!
Image credit: Chamonix Mont-Blanc
