Skiing at Glacier 3000: runs, passes and the 2026/27 season

Glacier 3000 opens for skiing on 7 November 2026, after the autumn maintenance closure from 19 October to 6 November, and the ski area runs daily until 30 April 2027. That makes it the first place to ski around Gstaad, where most lifts open on 18 or 19 December 2026.

The skiing runs from about 3,000 m down to 1,300 m. In winter the first cable car leaves Col du Pillon at 09:00 and the last ascent is at 16:00. Strong wind can close the top, so check the live openings page on glacier3000.ch each morning; it is updated after the mountain has been inspected.

A one-day pass for 7 November 2026 to 30 April 2027 costs CHF 84 for adults, CHF 78 for youths and seniors and CHF 54 for children. Age bands are set by year of birth, so confirm your category and the price in the official shop when you buy.

The ski pass includes the return cable car, the Peak Walk, the Ice Express, the Fun Park, the Glacier Walk and the whole ski area. Passes go on a keycard or a SwissPass; on last winter's tariff a keycard cost CHF 5 if you had neither.

Yes, in winter. The Magic Pass 2026/27 is valid at Glacier 3000 for skiers and pedestrians from 1 November to 30 April, which in practice covers the whole ski season from 7 November 2026. It does not cover summer visits.

The pass is sold on magicpass.ch, where you will find the current prices. Multi-day Gstaad ski passes also include Glacier 3000; a single-day Gstaad ticket does not.

The long descents are what skiers come for. The Red Run is 8 km with about 1,700 m of descent, and the Combe d'Audon is 7 km with 1,137 m. The glacier slopes at the top are gentle, so mixed groups can ski together up high before the stronger skiers head down.

The Black Wall is the famous one. You reach it from Scex Rouge through a 265 m tunnel, and Glacier 3000 gives it as 6 km with 1,450 m of descent and calls its 46-degree slope one of the steepest in the world. It is for confident skiers only.

The Magic Pass lists ten lifts and 31 km of slopes for Glacier 3000.

The snowpark, run by Ravach Parks, is open from November to early January, so it is at its best in the first weeks of the season.

Cross-country skiers have two loops on the glacier, and there are freeride routes off the pistes. If you would like company on the mountain, a private ski guide can take you out for the day.

Glacier 3000 has a second way in, from Reusch (1,350 m) on the Gsteig side, with a lift to Oldenegg (1,919 m) that is part of the ski area. There is no separate pedestrian ticket for it, so think of it as a skiers' route.

There is a large paid car park at Reusch as well as at Col du Pillon. From 1 November to 30 April the bus between Reusch, Col du Pillon and Les Diablerets is free with a Glacier 3000 ski or pedestrian ticket or a Magic Pass.

There is no ski hire at the top: the souvenir shop rents mountain clothing and shoes, not skis, so hire in Les Diablerets or Gstaad before you go up. Col du Pillon is about 8 minutes by car from Les Diablerets and 20 minutes from Gstaad.

Staying in Les Diablerets puts you closest to the lift, and the free winter bus takes you to Col du Pillon. The Glacier Hotel in Les Diablerets is closed for renovation from 11 October to 19 December 2026.