Several small ski areas across the Alps have recently ceased operations following increasingly unreliable snowfall and rising operational costs. Many of these resorts were once vital to local communities but have struggled to compete with larger, higher-altitude destinations.

These closures highlight a growing trend across Europe, where climate change and economic pressure are reshaping the future of skiing. A number of these newly closed resorts have now been added to the map.

This week we expanded the database with fourteen newly documented abandoned ski areas from North America and Europe. Several of these resorts operated briefly during the 1970s and 1980s before disappearing from most modern records.

Many of the additions were small community ski hills that quietly closed as snow patterns changed or operating costs increased. Each entry now includes historical details, coordinates, and map placement so they can be explored visually on the map.

If you know of a lost ski area that is not listed yet, please reach out and help us preserve the history of these forgotten mountains.

Several abandoned ski resorts from Japan have now been added to the map. Japan saw a large boom in ski resort construction during the 1980s and 1990s, followed by a wave of closures after the economic downturn of the late 1990s.

Many of these resorts still have standing lifts and infrastructure slowly being reclaimed by the forest. Mapping them helps preserve a fascinating chapter of ski history.

The site now includes abandoned ski resorts across six continents. The map makes it possible to explore lost ski areas from North America, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Our goal is to eventually build the most complete archive of abandoned ski areas anywhere on the internet.

This update focused on lesser-known abandoned ski areas across Eastern Europe, particularly in Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia. Many of these small hills were developed during the mid-20th century and later abandoned after political and economic transitions.

Limited documentation exists for these locations, making them some of the most challenging — and rewarding — additions to the project so far.

A large batch of abandoned ski resorts from the United States and Canada has been added, including several former community ski hills that operated for only a few decades before closing.

Many of these sites still feature visible remnants such as lift towers, base lodges, and overgrown trails, offering a glimpse into a forgotten era of skiing.

This update introduced more detailed descriptions of infrastructure left behind at abandoned ski areas, including chairlifts, rope tows, and snowmaking systems.

Understanding what remains on-site helps paint a clearer picture of how these resorts once operated and why they ultimately disappeared.

AbandonedSkiTowns.com officially launched with an initial dataset of documented abandoned ski resorts from around the world.

The goal from the beginning has been to preserve the history of lost ski areas and make them accessible through an interactive global map.