France has regained its position as the world's most popular skiing destination. It was the country's third busiest season on record. Yet behind the impressive national figures, smaller ski areas continue to struggle with unreliable snow cover, ageing infrastructure and rising costs. Is French skiing thriving, or is the industry becoming increasingly concentrated in its major resorts?
After more than a decade in second or third place, France has returned to the top of the international skiing rankings. According to figures published by Domaines Skiables de France (DSF) on 23 September 2026, French ski resorts recorded 56.1 million skier days during the 2025/2026 winter, an increase of 2.4% on the previous season and 6% above the average of the preceding four winters.
The figures put France ahead of Austria, with 53.7 million skier days, and the United States, with 52.6 million. France has not occupied the top position since the winter of 2014/2015. The season was surpassed only by 2008/2009, when resorts recorded 58.6 million skier days, and 2012/2013, with 57.6 million. For an industry regularly portrayed as threatened by climate change, the figures are an impressive demonstration of its continued popularity.
The season got off to a promising start, with early snowfall at the end of November allowing many resorts to open in favourable conditions. Christmas was generally good, particularly in the Alps and Pyrenees, although a temporary thaw affected the lower mountain ranges, including the Jura, Vosges and Massif Central. A return to colder weather and fresh snow in early January provided some relief. The period between the Christmas and February holidays was particularly successful, with skier numbers 3% higher than the previous winter and 9% above the average of the preceding four seasons. Visitors remarked on busy conditions in the traditional January off season.
The February holiday period was broadly in line with recent years, while March proved surprisingly strong. Skier numbers outside the school holidays increased by 20% compared with the previous winter, although this merely brought them back to the recent average. April also performed well, with Easter holiday skiing up 3%. The figures suggest that the appeal of spring skiing has by no means disappeared, at least where resorts can maintain good snow conditions.
The national figures, however, conceal some important differences between individual mountain ranges. The Alps and Pyrenees enjoyed particularly good seasons, while the Jura, Vosges and Massif Central experienced much more variable snow conditions. This is hardly surprising. Higher altitude resorts generally benefit from more reliable snow cover, larger ski areas and the resources to invest in snowmaking and modern infrastructure.
Smaller resorts, particularly those at lower altitudes, face a much more difficult economic equation. They often depend on relatively short operating seasons, with a large proportion of their income concentrated into a few weeks of school holidays. A warm Christmas or a succession of rainy weekends can make the difference between a profitable season and a substantial loss.
At the same time, maintaining and eventually replacing ski lifts is becoming increasingly expensive. A chairlift that was economically viable when it was installed thirty or forty years ago may no longer justify its replacement, particularly if the ski area can only guarantee a few weeks of operation each winter. This is not just a theoretical problem. Across France, smaller ski areas have reduced their operations, abandoned alpine skiing or dismantled their lifts altogether.
Puyvalador, in the eastern Pyrenees, is a recent example. Despite slopes reaching approximately 2,400 metres, the former ski resort has been dismantling its lift infrastructure in the autumn of 2026. The disappearance of a ski area is not necessarily explained by a lack of snow alone. Operating costs, debt, outdated equipment, the layout of the slopes and competition from neighbouring resorts can all play a part.
At the other end of the spectrum, the major Alpine operators continue to invest extraordinary sums in their infrastructure. In Chamonix, the Compagnie du Mont Blanc is spending €157 million rebuilding the Grands Montets cable car, following the fire that destroyed the Lognan intermediate station in 2018. The new installation is scheduled to open in 2027. The lift is intended to operate for around ten months of the year, rather than the five months of the former cable car. Such an investment would be inconceivable for most smaller resorts.
It also illustrates a broader change in the economics of mountain tourism. Major destinations are increasingly able to attract visitors throughout the year, developing sightseeing, mountain biking, hiking and other activities alongside skiing. Smaller resorts often lack both the financial resources and the visitor numbers needed to pursue a similar strategy. As a result, the success of French skiing at national level does not necessarily imply that every ski area is sharing in that success.
One possible explanation for the apparently contradictory trends is that skiing is becoming increasingly concentrated in the larger, more snow reliable destinations. A family that once spent its winter holiday in a small resort in the Jura or Massif Central might now prefer a higher altitude destination in the Alps, where the chances of finding good snow are assured. Similarly, visitors booking well in advance may increasingly favour resorts with extensive snowmaking facilities, access to high altitude slopes and a wide range of alternative activities. However, the national skier day figures alone cannot establish whether such a shift is taking place.
A skier day measures one person skiing for one day. Someone spending a week skiing generates six or seven skier days, depending on the length of their holiday. The figures therefore measure the volume of skiing activity, rather than the number of individual participants. To determine whether skiing is becoming more concentrated, we would need to examine the distribution of skier days between resorts and mountain ranges over a longer period.
It would also be interesting to know whether the growth reflects existing skiers spending more days on the slopes, an increase in foreign visitors or an expansion in the number of people participating in the sport. For the moment, the figures demonstrate that the French skiing market remains exceptionally strong, but they tell us rather less about how that activity is distributed.
The excellent 2025/2026 season also provides a reminder that climate change does not mean every winter will be warmer or less snowy than the last. There will continue to be cold, snowy winters, sometimes exceptionally good ones. The problem for ski operators is the longer term trend and, perhaps more importantly, the increasing uncertainty over snow conditions at lower altitudes. For a major resort with pistes reaching 3,000 metres, a poor December may represent an inconvenience. For a small ski area whose highest lift reaches 1,500 metres, it can threaten the entire season.
The consequences become particularly serious when major investment decisions are required. Replacing a lift represents a commitment measured in decades. Operators must consider not simply whether the last winter was good, but how many reliable operating days they can reasonably expect over the next twenty or thirty years. The same calculation increasingly influences decisions about snowmaking, reservoir construction and the development of alternative activities.
France's return to the top of the international skiing rankings is undoubtedly good news for the industry. The results also contradict the notion that Alpine skiing is already in terminal decline. At the national level, the business remains remarkably robust. There is strong overall demand for skiing, accompanied by a gradual reduction in the number of places where it is economically viable to offer the sport.
Sources: Domaines Skiables de France, 2025/2026 winter season report, 23 September 2026; Domaines Skiables de France, Indicateurs et Analyses 2026.