Skiing in the peak of summer: destinations where you can swap the sea for snow
While the heat in Israel is at its peak, there are places in the world where the ski season is still in full swing. From the glaciers of the Alps to the resorts of the Southern Hemisphere and indoor snow halls, here is how you can enjoy skiing even in July and August.
Who said that skiing is only for winter? While temperatures in Israel are rising and the beaches are filling up, in various places around the world it is still possible to get on skis.
Whether it's glaciers in the European Alps, ski resorts in Chile and Australia, or indoor snow halls that operate all year round, the options for summer skiing are more diverse than ever.
Relatively close: The glaciers of the Alps
While the valleys of Austria and Italy are already enjoying summer weather, the snow still remains on the high peaks. Although glacier resorts operate fewer slopes than in the winter months, they allow you to combine a day or two of skiing as part of a summer vacation in Europe.
In Austria, the Hintertux glacier stands out, one of the few places in the world where you can ski all year round. The glacier, which reaches a height of more than 3,200 meters, offers dozens of kilometers of slopes even in the middle of July and August and serves as a permanent training site for international ski teams.
But the experience does not end on the slopes. Near the cable car station is a natural ice cave, where there are frozen corridors, icicles, and an underground lake that you can sail on in a rubber boat between walls of blue ice.
Also in Italy, you can enjoy summer skiing on the Passo Stelvio glacier. Surprisingly, the site is active precisely in the summer months, because in winter the road leading to it is closed due to snow loads. When the road reopens at the end of spring, the site becomes one of the most sought-after summer ski centers in Europe, with slopes reaching a height of about 3,450 meters.
The road itself is an integral part of the experience: the famous Stelvio road, which includes 48 sharp turns, is considered one of the most beautiful mountain roads in Europe and attracts drivers, cyclists, and motorcyclists even without any connection to skiing.
When winter is just beginning
If you are ready for a longer flight, you can enjoy a real winter right now. In the Southern Hemisphere, July and August are the peak of the ski season.
In Chile, the Valle Nevado resort is considered one of the leading ski resorts in South America. At an altitude of more than 3,000 meters, dozens of slopes for all levels await, with the landscapes of the Andes spreading out all around.
One of the great advantages of the resort is its proximity to the capital city of Santiago — a drive of only about an hour and a half, so you can easily combine a city vacation, visits to wineries, culinary experiences, and nature trips with days of skiing.
Australia is also enjoying winter now, and between June and September, the Perisher resort operates, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The resort spans four interconnected ski areas, so you can ski for a whole day almost without repeating the same slope.
One of the unique attractions of the place is the Skitube — a dedicated mountain train for skiers, part of whose route passes inside a tunnel carved into the mountain.
Not necessarily mountains: skiing even inside a mall
In recent years, indoor ski halls have become a tourist attraction in their own right, and allow you to enjoy real snow all year round — regardless of the temperature outside.
The most well-known example is Ski Dubai, which is located inside the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. While outside there are sometimes temperatures of more than 40 degrees, inside the hall a temperature of minus 4 degrees is maintained. Ski slopes, a snow park, play areas, and even meetings with penguins several times a day operate at the site.
In Europe, there is also no shortage of options. SnowWorld Landgraaf in the Netherlands, which operates 365 days a year, is considered one of the largest ski halls in the world and offers slopes of different difficulty levels, ski lifts, and learning areas for beginners and children.
In Germany, among others, Alpincenter Bottrop and SnowWorld Bispingen operate, where you can enjoy indoor slopes, ski schools, and training for skiers of all levels.
Already thinking about the next winter
Those who are already planning the upcoming ski season may find that summer is actually the most cost-effective time to book. Tourism companies have already opened pre-season sales for the upcoming winter and are offering discounts that can reach tens of percent compared to late booking.
In the industry, they say that this year there is a particularly high demand, among other things after the previous ski season was cut short for many Israelis following the war with Iran, which led to the cancellation of many vacations.
At the same time, tourism companies have also expanded the cancellation and refund conditions in case of security changes. At Issta Sport, for example, they offer an 80% refund of the ski package price in case of flight cancellation.
Sharon Cohen, manager of the ski department at the Issta Sport group, explains:
"Every year we see more Israelis joining for the first time for ski vacations, alongside customers who have already turned the ski vacation into an annual tradition. This year, too, the demand in the pre-season is high, and those who book early enjoy a larger selection and prices that can be hundreds of euros lower compared to booking close to the winter months."
