Ski Sector 2025/26 - A round-up of news, trends and forecasts
- Chris Thompson
- Nov 5
- 9 min read
What’s happening in the ski sector right now? Firebird director Chris Thompson presents a bumper instalment of updates and specialist insights, shared by his contacts in the industry and beyond.
It’s almost five years since I wrote my first round-up of observations and predictions for the ski sector, in a post that went out between the second and third lockdowns. This year, the pandemic seems relatively small in the rear-view mirror as other issues loom. Rising input costs, climate risk and near-term operational challenges make up the background conditions of the ski market today, influenced by multiple factors including weather volatility, a weaker pound and even – another post-Brexit issue – the potential for EES (EU Entry/Exit System)-related bottlenecks.
So what does the sector say about the twelve months past – and the year ahead? I reached out to some of my contacts in the industry, and took an in-depth look at the latest news and figures. Here’s what I found.
Consumer choices – “value is dominating decision-making”
To the casual observer, the European ski market may look like “business as usual” – but 2024/25 was flattered by good early snow and bookings made before current cost-of-living pressures really took hold.
A 2025 survey by Iglu Ski revealed that value for money is dominating decision-making: 68% of customers say value is more important than convenience or choice, while 60% are choosing resorts based on lift-pass cost. (On this point about value, the current relative weakness of sterling may not be helpful as a new winter approaches.)
Elsewhere, Club Med reported that 40% of skiers picked all-inclusive packages in 2024/25, wanting to ensure predictability around costs. Since Club Med and their clients are all about all-inclusive, there’s an element of “They would say that” here. But although this figure seems inflated to me, the trend towards all-inclusive is almost certainly present among the wider skiing public.
In terms of UK skiers more generally, the market appears to be more or less static at 1.8m active skiers, as per a survey by the Ski Club and MTN – a volume which pretty much matches pre-pandemic levels. The same research found that 16% of bookers stayed in a catered chalet in 2024/25 vs 38% pre-Covid; a slight recovery on figures a year earlier.
According to Iglu, just over a third of UK skiers plan two or more ski trips per season, reflecting a committed core despite the cost pressures. Ski Club/MTN also learned that 41% of all UK skiers now book more than 6 months ahead, up from 26% pre-pandemic. Again, early deals and price fears are driving this. At the same time, a sizable segment still waits for late deals or snow conditions, with a third delaying booking until they see snowfall – a figure that seems about right to me based on numbers I have seen from individual operators.
Booking habits – “snow certainty is important”
If you go by Ski Club/MTN’s statistics, tour operators re-gained their share to 51% of bookings last year, while Iglu reported that more than two-thirds of skiers are now booking online. (Some small niche operators will be missing out here, however, since they simply don’t have the tech to provide online bookings.)
My gut feeling tells me DIY traveller numbers are likely to be underestimated, since they’re less easily tracked and also less likely to respond to surveys. Regardless, every corner of the market will echo that most skiers now conduct their research online. The independent site J2Ski is reporting around 5 million visits per year, with 1 million visits per month in peak season – giving them traffic that would be the envy of any tour operator. This stat underscores the importance of online snow forecasts – for example, Snow-Forecast and OnTheSnow, as well as J2Ski – during trip planning. Today, 87% of skiers cite snow certainty as important when choosing their resorts (Iglu).
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that many customers are shifting to higher altitudes. Resorts like Val Thorens, Tignes and higher Swiss areas are benefitting. Conversely, low-altitude resorts – including some German and Scottish areas – face declining bookings. However, it is possible to buck the trend. OVO Network, where I’m an executive director, has seen a significant increase in forward bookings for next winter despite their range being at mid and lower altitudes. Demand there is supported by a quality product that offers great value – in large part because the chalets are not in highly competitive big-name resorts.
Destination decisions – “profiles are being raised”
Destination-wise, skier numbers vary as ever. Some surveys put France as having nearly 60% of the UK market at the latest count. This seems high to me (historically the percentage has tended to sit at around 40%) though the country will definitely still rate as the No. 1 destination for UK skiers, and may well have crept up in terms of market share.
Elsewhere on the map, Scandinavia seems to be seeing the fastest growth, continuing a trend I first reported on in December. According to reports from Crystal Ski, passenger numbers to Norway rose 140% year-on-year, with Finland up 10%. At Ski Solutions, meanwhile, bookings to Norway for 2024/25 were up by as much as 57%. New charter flights to the region (for example, Gatwick to Bergen, from December to March 2026) are expected to unlock further growth. It’s worth nothing, however, that despite this surge, Scandinavia’s absolute volumes remain small compared with the Alps.
Further afield, long-haul niches are generating interest. About 14% of Brits planned to ski in Canada and 9% in the USA when asked by Club Med in 2024. Japan is also a bucket-list destination: international ski visitors to the country saw a jump of 40% year-on-year according to VISA, with foreigners now accounting for around 4 out of 5 of those on the slopes.
Closer to home, the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo and Bormio will no doubt raise Italy’s profile. Iglu expects interest in the country to “soar,” and is adding capacity.
Seasonality and demand – “confidence buoyed by decent snow last year”
Last year’s trends saw early-season demand rise sharply after good early snow. Conversely, since Easter came so late, there was a significant dent in most businesses' March and April bookings. This season, an earlier Easter for 2026 is already boosting takings for late March.
In my recent conversations with the sector, operators have reported similarly strong early bookings for winter 2025/26, particularly for the peak dates of Christmas, February half-term and January. In fact, many Brits booked before the last season’s end to secure value deals, with confidence buoyed by decent snow last year. Chris Burton, MD of Ski Solutions, confirmed their own “super-early” bookings were strong for this season, a trend that he described as “pretty well entrenched now.” A number of tour operators are expecting another good winter as a result, with growth in short breaks, flexible durations and tailor-made itineraries.
That said, although forward sales for this winter are encouraging, for many in the sector profitability still lives in the final 5 to 10% of sales – and there’s a long way to go before the season is made. Craig Burton referred to some of the hard work behind that push, revealing “We’ve had a strong run since mid-August, highest ever grossing trading month in September and we’re where we wanted to be at this juncture, but the sales and marketing teams have had to be absolutely on it… [The] massive change in digital marketing, changes to the SERP [search engine page results], AI, etc, [are] keeping everyone on their toes.”
Market overview – “some glimmers of hope”
Across the board, the market continues to polarise. Big platforms and well-funded digital players are growing at one end (though not all are reaching scale or profitability), while niche, lifestyle-led specialists endure at the other. Mid-size chalet operators remain squeezed, with issues of staffing, compliance, etc, still not easing, as per my previous update from the sector.
While trust in a brand is important to the majority of consumers (77% said this in Iglu’s survey), the sector’s overall customer base is ageing. It seems most firms are growing only by stealing share from others; not by expanding the pie.
Indeed, across the sector there’s little sign of organic growth. Ski Olympic ceased operations in April after 38 years of trading. Mountain Heaven also closed in April after 21 years, due in large part to founder health issues. These closures – or more accurately the fact that the businesses didn’t seem able to find buyers – illustrate how smaller chalet operators remain vulnerable to rising costs and staffing complexities; lessons that resonate with my own experience of running a traditional chalet operator.
There are some glimmers of hope in terms of new entrants, however. Travel consultant Rebecca Maffeis drew my attention to the Afro-Caribbean Ski Festival Soft Life Ski, which sold out in just seven minutes and “brought over 1,000 guests to the resort of LAAX this March… 82% were first-time skiers or snowboarders”. Similarly, “the explorers club brought a group of 60 to the French Alps who had never been skiing [and] further afield in the Himalayas, Secret Ski Party is bringing newcomers to skiing with highly curated, immersive experiences, partnering with tastemakers and luxury brands.”
For Kimberley Kay and Carol Porter, authors of a recent study about the impact of fear as a deterrent in skiing – an issue that disproportionately deters females – there is much more that the sector could do to expand participation. Among their recommendations is that tour operators ask questions to understand new clients’ abilities, before “[directing] them to local instructors and group lessons”.
For Rebecca Maffeis, “the future of the outbound ski market is about innovation, diversity, experiences, community, collaboration, partnerships and using social media in a truly engaging way. That is how you make skiing exciting and accessible for a new generation.”
Transactions and developments – “the influence of a new generation”
Overall, however, it seems the sector is consolidating. In February, Germany’s DERTOUR acquired Hotelplan UK, operator of Inghams and Santa’s Lapland. The deal led to the closure of family-chalet brand Esprit Ski. Observers suggest the new owner will integrate Inghams onto its digital platform and retain the brand – but its net contributions might end up looking like a very small line on a very big spreadsheet!
After digital-first agency Heidi secured £5.6 million funding back in summer 2024, it now ranks as the UK’s third-largest ski operator. The brand’s USP is flexible, tailor-made packages built through a sophisticated online platform, and reflects a broader pivot to dynamic packaging without the typical commitments to flight seats, beds or staff that are carried by traditional operators.
The influence of a new generation on the sector can also be seen by Alex and George Dyer, sons of industry stalwart Peter Dyer, who now hold senior roles at my former company Ski Famille (which launched an adult-focused sister brand, Ski Vertigo a couple of seasons ago).
In other news, Peak Retreats became the UK’s first employee-owned ski company this year, transferring ownership to an employee trust (EOT). MD Alison Willis noted that this would motivate staff and support sustainable decisions. EOTs present an interesting exit route for founders (see other examples in travel, such as McKinlay Kidd). I do question limitations on the ability of new owners to release value from these set-ups in the future, though – Stewart Lambert’s Firebird piece about EOTs opens up a nuanced discussion of the subject.
Sustainability and AI – “opportunities and challenges”
On the subject of alternative models, tour operators may want to take a close look at their sustainability offering if they aren’t doing so already. Though still representing a relatively small slice of the market, more Brits opted for low-carbon options last year as a direct result of the 2024/25 revival of the Eurostar Snow Train, which has introduced new routes and is selling well. Peak Retreats has reportedly seen a growing customer interest in rail packages, as have a number of other operators, including Inghams, which has reported a 90% increase year on year for the upcoming winter season.
Looking ahead, I remain convinced that climate change will be a dominant theme for the industry. Today more resorts are investing in renewable energy, snowmaking efficiency and year-round tourism. At the same time, consumers will increasingly choose high-altitude or northern destinations, and consider the carbon footprint of their journey.
Another persistent trend that looks set to continue? The use of AI by ski resorts worldwide – such as Aspen Snowmass – to drive dynamic pricing for lift tickets; maximising revenue and smoothing the demand. The model encourages early booking and may appear in Europe soon, where I suspect it’s likely to present both opportunities and challenges for tour operators and travel agents.
In the meantime, savvy operators are already using booking data to adjust capacity, add destinations – for example, new routes to Norway – and refine their marketing and pricing strategies. Ovo Network, as just one example, now has well over half of its properties on a bespoke dynamic pricing system.
Across business, data is informing decisions more than ever before, meaning data awareness is becoming increasingly essential. And as customers increasingly use AI-powered searches to plan their getaways, the rise of this technology presents another challenge for hard working marketers in the travel sector.
Summary – “ski is still a great sector”
Summarising all this with one simple analysis is almost impossible: there’s almost too much to think about! What I would say, however, is that ski is still a great sector, with innovation and change supported by some great brands with strong teams.
Building long term value in a ski business – the key focus for us at Firebird – is far from easy in the current climate. But with general travel M&A trends showing both renewed private-equity interest and pent-up activity, the next twelve months could be both fruitful and fascinating.
Chris Thompson is a Director of the Firebird Partnership, with over 20 years’ experience of leading and growing businesses in the travel and tech sectors. His focus is on creating strategy, building teams, and devising processes that are both efficient and value-building.
Learn all about Firebird at www.firebirdpartnership.com
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