In November the question "is there snow in the Dolomites?" has two answers, and they are not the same. One belongs to the ski slopes, which open on dates fixed months in advance because they make their own snow. The other belongs to the mountains, where natural snow comes when it comes and, in autumn, often does not stay.
On the evening of 11 November 2026 the mountains said this: no continuous cover. The automatic stations in the Dolomites measured between 0 and 9 centimetres, and the highest reading, 9, was on the Alpe di Siusi at 2,055 metres and on the Dos del Sabion above Pinzolo at 1,899. The day before, at the Tre Cime at 2,375 metres, there had been 15 centimetres; thirty-six hours later there were 5.
Fresh numbers are on our measured snow page, which we record every day from the Province of Bolzano's stations. This guide explains how to read them, what has happened since late October, when the lifts open and what changes for drivers from 15 November.
How much snow there is now, station by station
The stations that measure snow depth in the Dolomites belong to three networks: the Province of Bolzano's, published through the Open Data Hub, the Euregio network used for the avalanche bulletin, and ARPAV's for the Veneto. They are automatic sensors, and a reading tells you how much snow lies at that spot and that altitude, not on the pistes nearby.
In the readings taken between 5pm and 7pm on 11 November, no station in the Dolomites showed more than 9 centimetres.
- Alpe di Siusi, Zallinger, 2,055 m: 9 cm
- Dos del Sabion, above Pinzolo, 1,899 m: 9 cm
- Ra Valles, Tofane, 2,592 m: 8 cm
- Monti Alti di Ornella, above Arabba, 2,227 m: 8 cm
- Obereggen, below the Latemar, 2,125 m: 7 cm
- Piz La Ila, Alta Badia, 2,050 m: 4 cm
- Passo Poma, Odle, 2,297 m: 3 cm
- Passo di Costalunga, 1,715 m: 3 cm
The first snowfalls of autumn 2026
The first real snow came on 21 and 22 October, with a weather system from the south followed by a cold front from the north. The Bolzano avalanche service wrote that the snow line dropped to 1,500 to 1,800 metres and that South Tyrol got between 10 and 30 centimetres, far more on the Ortler; the Dolomites, though, only got "a little fresh snow", on ground that was still bare.
One station shows how briefly autumn snow lasts. At the Passo Poma, at 2,297 metres, the sensor climbed to 26 centimetres at dawn on 22 October and was down to 8 by midday: fresh snow settles, the wind blows it away, and the October sun melts it.
The second snowfall came on 7 November, with the snow line around 1,200 metres in eastern South Tyrol, above 1,700 in Trentino and between 1,500 and 1,600 in the Veneto. It dusted the passes for a few days and left the 15 centimetres measured at the Tre Cime on 10 November.
Why the slopes open anyway
Ski areas do not set their opening dates by the snowfall: they set them by the cold. Snow cannons work when the temperature stays below freezing for long enough, and the first cold nights of autumn are used to build a base on the pistes. According to the local press, the snowmaking at Madonna di Campiglio was already running on 25 October, and over the weekend of 31 October and 1 November it started in several areas, the Alpe di Siusi and Val Gardena among them. Nobody publishes an official list of who is making snow and where.
That is why the dates have been known for months. The first lift of the season is the Kreuzberg, at the Passo Monte Croce, from 18 November. Madonna di Campiglio opens for good on 27 November, with a pre-opening at the Grostè on the 21st and 22nd if the weather allows, and Obereggen opens on the 27th as well. On 28 November it is the turn of Cortina, Plan de Corones, the Alpe Cermis, Pampeago, the 3 Cime area and the Passo San Pellegrino. The Sellaronda, Val Gardena, Alta Badia and Val di Fassa start on 4 December.
Every date, area by area, is in our guide to lift opening dates for 2026/27; prices are in the one on the Dolomiti Superski ski pass.
No avalanche bulletin yet, and that is deliberate
On 11 November neither of the two services covering the Dolomites was publishing a daily bulletin. The Euregio service, for South Tyrol and Trentino, posts updates on its blog until the situation changes: last year its first bulletin came out on 28 November 2025. ARPAV, for the Veneto Dolomites, says a bulletin is not needed while there is no continuous snow cover and will restart when the snow creates a real hazard; in 2025 it restarted on 17 November.
On the pistes this changes nothing. For anyone going up on snowshoes or skins it does: fresh snow on ground that is still bare, plus wind at altitude, forms slabs even with a few centimetres, and with no bulletin the judgement is yours. Where to go once the snow is there, and with what gear, is in our guide to snowshoeing in the Dolomites.
Winter tyres and passes: what changes from 15 November
From 15 November 2026 to 15 April 2027, on roads where the operator has issued an order and put up the signs, you need winter tyres fitted or snow chains on board, even with no snow on the ground. This applies to the regional and provincial roads around Belluno (a Veneto Strade order of 5 November), to the Anas state roads, including those climbing to the passes, and to the Brenner motorway. In South Tyrol the requirement applies in snow or ice and where signs are posted, and for mountain roads and passes the Province asks for winter equipment.
Some roads have already closed for the season. The road from Misurina to the Rifugio Auronzo below the Tre Cime has been closed since 9 November, and the road from Luson up to the Passo delle Erbe has been closed since 2 September because of storm damage. Which passes stay open in winter and which do not is in our guide to the passes in winter.
How to read snow numbers
A single number tells you little. The same snowfall can leave plenty at altitude on a north-facing slope and nothing lower down in the sun, and the wind can move snow from one sensor to another overnight. That is why on our measured snow page every station comes with its altitude, its area and how much it has changed in seven days: comparing stations at different heights leads you astray.
The second trap is assuming that a station's centimetres are the pistes' centimetres. Early-season pistes are made of machine-made snow, groomed and packed, and can be open and in good shape with only a few centimetres of natural snow around them. To see what a piste is like, look at the webcams and at Dolomiti Superski's page of open lifts; to see what the mountains are like, look at the stations.
Frequently asked questions
Is there snow in the Dolomites right now?
On the evening of 11 November 2026 there was no continuous snow cover: the automatic stations measured between 0 and 9 centimetres, the highest on the Alpe di Siusi at 2,055 metres and on the Dos del Sabion at 1,899. Updated readings, day by day, are on the measured snow page of ledolomiti.it.
When does the ski season start in the Dolomites in 2026?
The first lift is the Kreuzberg, at the Passo Monte Croce, from 18 November. Madonna di Campiglio and Obereggen open on 27 November, and Cortina, Plan de Corones, the Alpe Cermis, Pampeago, the 3 Cime area and San Pellegrino on the 28th. The Sellaronda, Val Gardena, Alta Badia and Val di Fassa start on 4 December.
Can you ski in the Dolomites in November?
Yes, at the end of the month, on machine-made snow. The Kreuzberg opens on 18 November, Madonna di Campiglio has a pre-opening at the Grostè on the 21st and 22nd if the weather allows and opens for good from the 27th, and several ski areas open on 28 November. The full season, with the Sellaronda, starts on 4 December.
When did it snow in the Dolomites this autumn?
The first snowfall came on 21 and 22 October 2026, with the snow line down to 1,500 to 1,800 metres and only a few centimetres in the Dolomites; the second on 7 November, with the snow line around 1,200 metres in eastern South Tyrol. Neither left a continuous cover.
When does the avalanche bulletin start?
When the snow creates a real hazard. On 11 November 2026 neither Euregio nor ARPAV was publishing a daily bulletin. Last year Euregio's started on 28 November and ARPAV's on 17 November.
Do you need winter tyres to drive to the Dolomites?
From 15 November to 15 April, on roads with an order and signs, you need winter tyres fitted or chains on board, even without snow: this covers the roads around Belluno, the Anas state roads and the Brenner motorway. In South Tyrol the rule applies in snow or ice and where signs are posted, and you need winter equipment for passes and mountain roads anyway.