France returns to top of global ski destinations

France recorded its third-best ski season on record in the 2025/2026 winter season, with the Alps and Pyrénées among the strongest-performing ones.

In total, the country recorded 56.1million skier-days, up 2.4% from the previous season and 6% compared with the average of the four previous seasons, according to Domaines Skiables de France (DSF), the body representing French ski-area operators.

The last time France held the top position was back in 2014/2015 with this season now being the third best on record after 2008/2009 with 58.6million skier-days and 2012/2013 with 57.6million.

France was ahead of Austria, which recorded 53.7million skier-days, and the US, with 52.6million.

Alps and Pyrénées perform the best

The Alps and Pyrénées were the areas that drove the national result, DSF said.

This was mainly due to early snowfall from the end of November, which allowed many areas to offer good early conditions for skiers.

“We had a very snowy winter, we had snow all over the chain, and as we are very weather-dependent, that gave us a very important dynamic,” Anne Marty, president of Domaines Skiables de France told The Connexion.

“Small stations, which usually struggle to open for a few weeks, have opened for almost the entire season,” Ms Marty said. 

She said this was particularly noticeable in the Pyrénées, while conditions were more difficult in the Vosges, Jura and Massif Central. 

At national level, about 70% of ski-area customers were French, while the proportion was higher in the Pyrénées. In the eastern Pyrénées, Ms Marty said, Spanish visitors accounted for a large percentage of customers as well, while few visitors were from the UK.

Strong end to the season

March brought another boost, with attendance during the period between the school holidays increasing by 20% compared with the previous year. This was the first increase recorded for this period since the Covid period.

The end of the season also performed well, with attendance during the spring holidays up 3% on the previous year, with this period including the Easter weekend.

The results helped make April a good period for ski resorts and mountain economies, as resorts were able to extend their activity while snow conditions remained favourable.

These strong winter results follow a busy summer for French tourism. France recorded 260.5million nights in hotels, campsites and other collective tourist accommodation between May and August, up 1.1% on the same period in 2025, according to national statistics body Insee.

The summer also saw demand shift towards cooler destinations during periods of extreme heat, with mountain areas benefiting from the trend, according to Alliance France Tourisme, a tourism industry think tank. 

This was also confirmed by DSF which said that the French mountains recorded an average occupancy rate of 65.8% during the core summer period from July 4 to August 22, up 2.5% on summer 2025.

The Pyrénées recorded the highest individual monthly occupancy rate among the mountain regions, peaking at 79.4% in August, and the highest overall average occupancy rate at 55.7%. 

The figures suggest that French mountain destinations also attract visitors outside the traditional winter ski season, making them a year-round destination. 

What can skiers expect this winter?

The strong 2025/2026 results come as French ski resorts prepare for the new winter season.

Ms Marty said it was too early to predict what the weather would be like this winter, despite the hot conditions seen this summer. 

“Today, no one really knows what will happen this winter,” she said. However, she said bookings were already looking strong, with reservations around 20% higher than at the same point last year.

“We very clearly have clients who want to and who will come back,” she said.

“We hope that we will have snow, plenty of snow,” she said. “If we don't have any, well, at least our teams will get to work and will work the snow that we have available so that our clients take as much pleasure as possible.”