The Mountain Trade Network, organisers of the London Snow Show, has launched its latest research in partnership with the Ski Club of Great Britain and retailer Snow + Rock.
The State of the Snowsports Market survey is sent to consumers subscribed to Snow + Rock, members and subscribers of the Ski Club of Great Britain and subscribers of the London Snow Show as well as MTN’s own consumer database built since 2010.
Data suggests overall numbers are slightly down, with rising cost identified as the main cost. However, more skiers are taking multiple holidays – likely meaning more trips were taken overall. 34% are believed to be taking two trips (up from 25% in 2023) and 9% taking four or more trips (compared with 5% in 2023).
Earlier booking has grown in popularity as accommodation options became more limited and prices hold up. 41% of respondents saying they have booked their skiing holiday more than 6 months before travel (up from 32% in 2023). 25% of respondents have said they have already booked at least one trip for next season, consistent with the data over the past three years.
Catered chalets are back on the rise following a decline partly due to factors including Brexit and Covid. 16% of respondents said they chose catered chalets, run by tour operators, have seen somewhat of a recovery with that form of holiday in the 2025 season, compared to only 9% in 2023.
Three star hotels are the most popular accommodation choice (32%), but four and five star hotels have lost ground. Tour operators have also re-gained some of the market over the past year, seeing 51% of overall bookings compared to those who book independently – only 43% of skiers booked with a tour operator during the season before.
France remains the number one choice for British skiers, with 59% choosing its slopes, with Austria, Italy and Switzerland remaining in second, third and fourth respectively. There has been little significant change in those results over the past three years. Separated data shows the 18-35 market chooses France first, 58% of them get inspiration from Instagram. Japan is everyone’s dream skiing destination with 37% of skiers saying it’s the place they would love to travel to (it’s 57% in the 18-35 age category).
18% have said they chose to go skiing alone (compared to 13% in 2023), and this number has been steadily rising, possibly due to the impact of rising costs making it difficult for families to commit to a skiing holiday, although it is still the largest cohort at 60% of the market (but down from 68% in 2023).
Resort websites are still the number one place where skiers look for inspiration, information and advice (66%) but magazines have seen the largest growth (34% compared to 24% in 2023). Instagram is now the largest social media platform for skiers, with 25% of respondents saying they use it, although in the 18 to 35 age bracket, that goes up to 58%, the second largest source of information for them after resort websites (75%).
There’s a rise in AI search too, with 4% of respondents saying they use it for research (compared to 0% in 2023), and in the 18-35 age group, that goes up to 17%, although it’s worth referencing the fact it’s likely people don’t consider Google as AI in this case.
Image top credit Are Skistar