Back to snow: Teams return to the slopes for summer training

While most people are still soaking up the summer sun, the world’s top alpine skiers are already back in their element, on snow.

From classic European glaciers to Alice Robinson’s home hills in the Southern Hemisphere, national teams are resuming training with focus, energy, and a shared goal: laying the foundation for a strong 2025–26 World Cup season with the Olympic Games already in sight.

Les Deux Alpes sets the pace in early June

As in previous years, Les Deux Alpes proved to be the go-to destination in late May and early June for teams looking to reconnect with snow. The French glacier welcomed a steady stream of elite racers eager to kick off their summer training.

The French national team returned to home snow with both men’s and women’s squads. Athletes like Clément Noël (Dynastar) and Romane Miradoli (Dynastar) enjoyed productive sessions during the early window.

They weren’t alone. The Italian women’s team launched their first snow block here in early June, followed closely by Zrinka Ljutić (CRO/Atomic) and Lara Colturi (ALB/Blizzard), who also made use of the glacier’s reliable conditions.

Among the Italian squad, Marta Bassino drew extra attention as she began her first sessions on Head skis, following her off-season switch from Salomon. All eyes will be on how the former World Champion adapts to the new setup ahead of a crucial Olympic season.

On the women’s side of Alpine Canada, Les Deux Alpes was also the glacier of choice providing the North Americans with essential early volume on European snow.

Swiss settle in Zermatt & Saas-Fee

Zermatt remains a cornerstone of Swiss summer training. Both the Swiss men’s and women’s teams have returned to their home glacier, splitting time between Zermatt and Saas-Fee.

The Austrian men’s team also decided to head to the Swiss glaciers of Zermatt and Saas-Fee for some days of their summer training.

Canadian Men head east

While the Canadian women trained in France, the Canadian men’s team set up camp in Switzerland, choosing Zermatt as the base for their early-season work.

Home advantage for Robinson and Ushuaia for the Brits

In the Southern Hemisphere, Alice Robinson (Salomon) is enjoying her home winter in New Zealand. Taking advantage of solid conditions, the Kiwi star is already putting in quality work on familiar terrain.

Further south, British skiers Billie Major (Head) and Laurie Taylor (Head) have kicked off their training in Ushuaia, Argentina, making the most of the early South American winter to get back into gate work and snow feeling.

Other national teams are expected to travel south in the coming weeks, seeking both colder temps and fresh snow as summer heats up in Europe.

German athletes return from injury

There’s good news out of Germany, as several key athletes have made their long-awaited returns to snow following injuries:

• Sebastian Holzmann (Völkl) and Alexander Schmid (Head) are back after recovering from ACL tears.

• Speed specialist Simon Jocher (Head), who suffered a herniated disc, is also back on his skis.