Hintertux Glacier – A Tale of 2022 vs. 2023!

Photo: Adrian Haginger

The summer of 2022 was a significant challenge for summer skiing on the European glaciers. Meager snowfall followed by hot summer temperatures made operating the summer glacier areas difficult or impossible. During the recent 2022-23 winter, the glacier areas were expected to worsen this year. The shallow snowpack and warm winter temperatures were very concerning. Fortunately, the 2023 spring in the Alps provided significant high-mountain snow and cooler temperatures. Unfortunately, the summer has been hot. However, skiing has been considerably better this summer because of the considerable spring snow.

Hintertux, Austria, has long provided summer skiing for tourists and training. Ski Racing Media thought comparing 2022 and 2023 summer photos would be interesting. To quote a skier who skied on Hintertux last summer and this year, “It is not comparable to last year; conditions are much better. The snowfall this spring, particularly late spring, was significant for the glaciers. All of the Hintertux lifts were running, with typical summer coverage. Snow was pretty good, with many ski teams training. Sometimes the nights weren’t cold enough to produce hard surfaces in the morning, but fun conditions overall!”

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