The Global Ski Industry: Skier Visits

ChrisC

ChrisC

Well-known member
I saw this story in my SnowBrain's feed. I had to check sources because, frankly, they make things up, especially while the leader is off skiing or guiding.

I was especially surprised by Switzerland's skier day numbers compared to its neighbors; they are 50% less than those of France or Austria.

snowbrains.com

The Global Ski Industry Leaders: Top 9 Countries by Skier Visits - SnowBrains

Each winter, millions of skiers and snowboarders flock to mountains across the globe in search of powder, adventure, and alpine charm—but some countries draw significantly larger crowds than others. The global ski industry is powered by less than a handful of nations that consistently dominate...
snowbrains.com snowbrains.com


According to Laurent Vanat’s 2025 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism, which covers the 2023–24 ski season, the top European countries by skier visits are:

🥇 France – 51.9 million skier visits​

France officially takes the lead in Europe, with nearly 52 million skier visits, narrowly surpassing Austria.

🥈 Austria – 50.1 million skier visits​

Austria follows closely, with approximately 50.1 million skier visits during the same season.

🥉 Italy – 32.0 million skier visits​

Italy ranks third among European countries, with around 32 million skier visits, marking significant growth.

🇨🇭 Switzerland – 23.14 million skier visits​

Switzerland logs about 23.14 million skier visits—just barely more than China—placing it fourth in Europe, according to snowbrains.com.

🇸🇪 Sweden – 10.5 million skier visits​

Sweden is the fifth-largest European country and ninth worldwide, with 10.5 million skier visits in 2023–24.


🏔️ Top 5 in Europe (by skier visits, 2023–24 season):​

RankCountrySkier Visits (million)
1France51.9
2Austria50.1
3Italy32.0
4Switzerland23.14
5Sweden10.5


✅ Summary at a Glance​

Region/CountryPerformance in 2023–24
🌐 Global366 M skier visits (stable, post-COVID)
🟢 China, Italy, ChileRecord-high seasons
🟢 USA, Scandinavia, RussiaStrong growth
🔴 France, AustriaStill recovering
🔴 Japan, GermanyHistoric lows in skier visits





Just 12% of ski resorts globally account for 73% of all skier visits, indicating a highly skewed distribution.
 
The number for France boggles my mind. So many Huge ski circus resorts but way less visits than the US? That makes no sense to me. Not to mention the enormous infrastructure in Europe compared to North America...

Top 9 countries in the world

In case you wonder where some other top countries place. eg anyone over 10M visits.
 
EMSC said:
The number for France boggles my mind. So many Huge ski circus resorts but way less visits than the US? That makes no sense to me. Not to mention the enormous infrastructure in Europe compared to North America...
Click to expand...

The resorts of the French Alps are so highly clustered in the Alps. Maybe the total size of the Colorado Rockies? And to fit almost 5x the skier days into the same area? (Of course, there are French ski areas in the Pyrenees and Central Massif, but these pale in comparison to the Alps resorts.)

It's impressive that the French RN90 does not resemble Colorado's I-70 most of the time, as it serves the 3 Vallées, Paradiski, and Val/Tignes areas - - busier than Summit County, Vail/Beaver Creek, and Winter Park. A lot more buses in France, and skiers on multi-day holidays.

The main access road into the Les 3 Vallées ski area, which includes resorts such as Courchevel, Méribel, and Val Thorens, is the RN90, a dual-carriageway that leads towards Moûtiers.
 
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I was able to find a list of Ski Areas with more than 1 million skier days. The Laurent Vanat "International Report on Snow and Mountain Tourism" studies are pay-walled, especially recent versions.

Therefore, I needed to find one that was a few years older and not impacted by the COVID-19 closure data, as all French and Italian resorts had closures or restrictions for extended periods.

Example of a Closure Report published in 2022 for the ski season 2020-21: 2022 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism
Therefore, I reviewed this report prior to the COVID-19 pandemic for ski season 2019-20: 2020 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism

Skier visits do not fluctuate significantly year-to-year, unless a drought or a global pandemic occurs.

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What strikes me is the number of Austrian resorts on this list. Many are relative 'no names' in global ski marketing. Specifically, the ones that stand out are:
  • SkiWelt - Known, but assume Munich/Salzburg day trips/resort pushed it up.
  • Flachau - A Day Trip or Resort for Salzburg?
  • Zillertal resorts (Zillertal/Arena, Mayrhofen, and Hochzillertal). The piste maps make them look huge, but unheard of in the US.
  • Silverretta-Montafon.
  • Sarfaus - just surprised.
  • Schladming
  • Stubai - Year-round skiing and Innsbruck ski days add up.
Others:
  • Grandvilira - Andora's mega resort.
  • Salen - Sweden's mega resort of small mountains.

The French mega-resorts are not consolidated and reported by major lift company components, but reported collectively, and are huge:
  • 3 Vallees (Val Thorens/Orelle + Courchevel-Meribel + Les Menuires) = 2m+1.5m+1.5m = 6M. I am surprised, Courchevel-Meribel is not a bigger number?
  • Paradiski (La Plagne + Les Arcs) = 2.5m + 2m = 4.5m. So, La Plagne is the largest single ski area by skier days? I believe it with the size and massive lodging villages.
  • Val d'ISere + Tignes = 1.5 + 1.5m = 3m.
Chamonix, Alpe d'Huez, Les 2 Alpes, and Serre Chevalier are all 1m to 1.5+m - as well as Flaine and Avoriaz.
 
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