Last winter's snow: Bessans, Riale and Adelboden open their tracks in October
A snow depot at the Blomberg toboggan run in the Bavarian Prealps in March 2026: snow piled up at the end of winter, before it is covered for the summer. Photo: Wikitarisch via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Three Alpine areas open in October 2026 on snow that they kept under covers all summer. Bessans in France and Riale in Italy open cross-country loops on Saturday 31 October. On the Tschentenalp above Adelboden, a training piste has been open since Saturday 24 October, on more than 20,000 m³ of stored snow. Not everyone likes it.
In short
- Bessans (Savoie) opens a loop of about 3 km on Saturday 31 October 2026.
- Riale (Piedmont) opens at least 1.3 km on 31 October, after a summer loss of 41 %.
- The Tschentenalp in Adelboden kept more than 20,000 m³ of about 30,000 m³ stored.
- Online critics called an October piste nonsense; the operators say it is for young racers.
- The Tschentenalp piste needs no water and no electricity for snow guns.
What snowfarming is
At the end of winter, an area pushes snow into a large pile. A thick layer of sawdust, or insulating tarps and fleece, covers it through the summer. In autumn the cover comes off, and machines spread the snow into a track or a short piste.
Part of the snow melts in summer, so each pile shrinks. How much depends on the summer heat and on the cover. The three areas below give their own figures.
| Area | Country | Open from | Track | Stored snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bessans | France | Saturday 31 October | about 3 km, cross-country | about 28,000 m³ |
| Riale (Formazza) | Italy | Saturday 31 October | at least 1.3 km, cross-country | nearly 10,000 m³, over 5,500 m³ left |
| Tschentenalp (Adelboden) | Switzerland | Saturday 24 October | training piste, alpine | about 30,000 m³, over 20,000 m³ left |
Bessans: France's first cross-country loop
Bessans, at about 1,750 m in the Haute-Maurienne, calls Saturday 31 October 2026 its opening day "thanks to snowfarming" on its official website. The first loop is about 3 km long, for skating and classic, the specialist site Nordic Mag reported. French national team skiers will be there for the start.
About 28,000 m³ of snow was stored at the end of last winter under about 50 cm of sawdust, according to Sports Infos. On Sunday 1 November, the S.N.O.W. opening festival offers free cross-country skiing for everyone from 13:00 to 17:00, according to the programme on guide-ski.fr. The Nordic Pass Savoie is not valid on the snowfarming loop. The nordic season runs until Sunday 4 April 2027.
Riale: 41 % of the snow lost
In Riale, at 1,760 m in the Formazza valley, the operator piled up almost 10,000 m³ at the end of last winter and covered it with several layers of thermal sheets. More than 5,500 m³ survived the summer, a loss of 41 %, against 33 % in 2025. A day ticket costs €11, and in the first week the track is mainly for race teams and clubs that book by phone.
"With this, winter officially opens for us, the 2026-2027 season," Gianluca Barp, who runs the cross-country track, told Ossolanews on Thursday 29 October. The track opens on Saturday 31 October with at least 1.3 km, and possibly on Friday 30 October. All Riale figures come from the operator.
Adelboden: an October piste and a storm of comments
The Tschentenalp above Adelboden opened its training piste on Saturday 24 October 2026, for the sixth autumn, according to the Adelboden-Lenk-Kandersteg tourism board. A volunteer association runs it, mainly for young racers who cannot train on a glacier.
About 30,000 m³ of snow was stored under tarps and special fleece, and more than 20,000 m³ was left this autumn, the operators told 20 Minuten. The public can ski on Saturday afternoons from 13:30 to 16:30, and a ticket costs CHF 50. About ten private skiers came on the first Saturday.
On Facebook, many commenters called a ski piste in October nonsense, and some said that the resort only wants ticket money. Others defended the idea. The operators replied to 20 Minuten: "We understand that a ski piste in October raises questions at first sight. Some comments, however, are based on wrong assumptions." The piste needs no water and no electricity for snow guns, Nau.ch wrote.
What stored snow means for your skis
Snowfarming snow is old, dense and often hard after it is spread and groomed. On a short alpine training piste like the Tschentenalp, sharp edges and a ski that holds a carved turn matter more than width.
For hard early-season snow, compare the Stöckli Laser MX with the Elan Wildcat 83 Ti on the makers' figures, or let Pick-a-Ski rank the catalog for your level and terrain.
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