Ski season used to start with dreaming. Now it starts with speed. New booking data from Heidi, the UK’s second largest ski holiday operator, shows skiers snapping up winter 2026/27 trips faster and further ahead than ever before – locking in the best snow, the best price and the best dates before anyone else gets there first.
Here’s what the data reveals about where – and when – the UK is heading back to the mountains:
- Overall bookings are up 63% year-on-year – Heidi’s strongest season-start yet
- More Brits are locking in peak-week ski trips earlier than ever
- Earlier Easter shifts demand forward – bookings up 139%
- Italy bookings have more than doubled year-on-year
- Classic Alpine resorts and ‘hidden gems’ both booming
- Heidi adds 6 Canadian resorts for the 26/27 season
Marcus Blunt, Co-Founder of Heidi, comments: “We built Heidi for people who want ski holiday freedom without the faff. This year, we’re seeing more customers than ever booking their peak-week trips early. They know the most in-demand dates and accommodation get snapped up first, but our flexible payment plans mean you can lock in the exact ski holiday you want now and spread the cost – which avoids ‘availability anxiety’ or climbing prices later on.”
Strongest season-start yet, with short breaks and peak weeks booked earlier than ever
Comparing this year’s bookings against last year’s at the same point in the booking cycle, significantly more skiers have already locked in their peak-week trips with Heidi this year.
Peak season bookings (early January to mid-February) are up 110%, February half term is up 51%, and New Year up 57%.
Easter arrives earlier again, and late-season demand is climbing fast
With Easter Sunday falling even earlier on 28th March 2027 (compared to 5th April this year), Heidi’s Easter bookings are up a whopping 139% year-on-year. Late season bookings as a whole (late February-late March) are also up strongly (+72%) as an earlier Easter leaves more of the season’s best-value, good-snow weeks open for booking before the traditional spring wind-down.
Big-name Alpine resorts and ‘hidden gems’ are both booming
Classic Alpine resorts seeing big year-on-year growth include Val Thorens (pictured top) (+118%), Tignes (+83%), and family-favourite, Flaine (+93%).
Meanwhile, last year’s break-out hidden gem, Montgenevre (above), keeps climbing – up a further 134% this season, with two new gondolas replacing the resort’s 40-year-old Chalvet chairlift for winter 26/27. Located on the French-Italian border, this charming alpine village has easy access to the vast Milky Way Circuit, which spans the Italian resorts of Sestriere, San Sicario, and Sauze d’Oulx.
Les Menuires is up 195% year-on-year too, with a new 4-star hotel, Fahrenheit Seven, opening in the resort in December.
Italy bookings have more than doubled
On a country level, bookings to Italy have more than doubled year-on-year (+107.5%), with 26/27 growth spread broadly across Piedmont and the Dolomites, and Sauze d’Oulx proving especially popular.
Six Canadian resorts added for the 26/27 season
Heidi is heading west this season, expanding its huge choice of 350+ resorts by putting six top Canadian resorts on sale for 26/27 – Banff, Lake Louise (below), Whistler, Fernie, Kicking Horse and Tremblant.
Heidi has grown rapidly to become the UK’s second largest ski holiday operator, taking 66,300 passengers to the mountains over the 2025/2026 season. It was founded in 2018 (initially as Ski Zoom) by brothers Marcus and Alexander Blunt to address a lack of flexibility in the legacy ski holiday market – and enable more people to easily access and enjoy the mountains. It can now provide packages to over 350 resorts from top end to budget options (and everything in-between).
FAQ: Booking your 2026/27 ski holiday
When should I book my 2026/27 ski holiday?
As early as possible. Booking data shows the most in-demand peak weeks – Christmas, New Year and February half term – are already filling up faster than in previous years, so booking early gives you the best choice of dates, resorts and accommodation before prices climb.
Which ski resorts are trending for winter 2026/27?
Val Thorens, Tignes and Flaine are leading growth among the classic Alpine resorts, while Montgenevre and Les Menuires are this season’s fastest-growing “hidden gem” destinations. Italy is also booming, with bookings to Piedmont and the Dolomites more than doubling year-on-year.
Is Easter earlier in 2027?
Yes. Easter Sunday falls on 28th March 2027, more than a week earlier than in 2026. That’s pulling late-season ski bookings forward, with many skiers taking advantage of good snow and lower prices before the traditional spring wind-down.
Can I book a Canadian ski holiday with Heidi for 2026/27?
Yes. Heidi has added six new Canadian resorts for winter 26/27: Banff, Lake Louise, Whistler, Fernie, Kicking Horse and Tremblant.