Will the 2025/2026 ski season be one for the record books? Well, while we can’t predict anything with certainty, there are a lot of factors at play which suggest this could be a good ski season in the Northern Hemisphere, including the Alps.
The 2024/2025 ski season was a pretty epic one for most, with crazy snowfall seen in Japan and some of the best seasons for years out in Eastern Europe.
And with this being a La Niña year, what can we expect – or at least anticipate – as move towards the winter season?
How La Niña impacts snow in the Alps and Europe
While the impact of La Niña is felt most strongly in the Pacific region, where it occurs, the effects do knock-on to Europe. The ocean cooling that occurs under La Niña means that there is more humidity in the air which is in turn pushed in a northerly direction – ie. towards the northern hemisphere. This results in heavier precipitation which is manifested as snow at higher altitudes.
In short, La Niña equates to heavier snowfall, especially across North America and the Rockies, but also in Europe and across the Alps.
However, this is not a strong La Niña year, so the snowfall itself might not be quite as exceptional as the 2024/25 season.
And despite the promise of decent snow this year, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is also anticipating that temperatures will be higher than usual as a result of the climate warming that is affecting the planet. While this means that those snow dumps should be pretty epic, it might also mean that snow melts will be equally epic when the clouds clear.
Will it be good snow in the Alps in 2025/26?
If the La Niña predictions are to come true, then yes we should see some good snow coverage throughout the coming ski season in the Alps. While we might not expect quite the bumper snowfall that was seen right up until the end of the 2024/25 ski season, which really was quite exceptional, snow cover in 2025/26 should be reliable and consistent at least for the startof the season.
The WMO is also suggesting that the season could start early this year, with significant atmospheric cooling already being felt across Northern Europe.
There is already some snowfall occurring in the Alps in September 2025 – although temperatures have not dropped low enough to make this into the snowpack for the coming season yet. The snowfall so far has been fairly typical of the season, so nothing to write home about. For context though, Mont Blanc has seen just under 40 cms of new snow since the start of September 2025, and resorts such as Engelberg and Stubai Glacier have seen between 20 cms and 10 cms of fresh snow.
So while it’s not time to book your ski trip to the Alps just yet, it is looking like a good winter season lies ahead.
Will there be good snow in Eastern Europe this year?
It’s hard to say how La Niña will affect the Eastern European ski resorts this year, as the weather pattern typically doesn’t have as much of an impact. So while Bulgaria, Poland and Slovakia, for example, all saw good snow in 2024/25, it might not be so clear this year.
For resorts in these countries the general consensus is that a La Niña winter increases the odds for a colder and potentially snowier season compared to an El Niño year, but the forecast is less certain than for regions like the North American Pacific Northwest or even the European Alps.
With that said – the conditions indicate the potential for a good winter season in the eastern ski resorts of Europe such as Bansko, Zakopane and Jasna.
Will it be a good winter season for the Nordics in 2025/26?
Generally speaking, the Nordics tend to have consistent snow cover as their ski resorts are located at a high latitude. This makes them more directly influenced by Arctic air masses and the Polar Vortex. The link between La Niña and Nordic weather is still open to interpretation, but the overall forecast suggests that the combination of the developing La Niña and a potentially weaker Polar Vortex means higher chances for a colder and snowier winter.
If you’re planning a trip to Norway, Sweden or Finland this winter then pack your super insulated jacket and thermals because it will be cold. But you should have some excellent snow cover regardless of what La Niña does this winter.
Winter season 2025/26 in North America and Japan
The Rockies are in the firing line for the best of the upcoming ski season, so what happens here in the early stages should set the trend for the rest of the winter.
La Niña tends to result in more precipitation (ie. snow) across the Western seaboard of North America – so it could be a vintage winter season this year.
For those with an eye on the Japanese ski season, this is strongly affected by the La Niña oscillations, so it could be another solid year around the Pacific rim.
In summary
The changing climate makes predicting the winter season even harder than ever, but La Niña does offer a guide as to how this winter’s snow might fall. And while the odds are that we might not be in for the epic snowfall of the previous season, the 2025/26 winter season in Europe and across the Northern Hemisphere should be a snowy one – even if the temperatures don’t allow it to stick around for long.
Keep an eye on those weather patterns, and be ready to pounce when the snow conditions are in your favour!
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