I love going skiing! It’s not only one of my favourite ways to spend the winter months but it also allows me to test out my skiing skills in the company of some of the world’s best skiers and ski instructors. Plus, it’s one of the only sports that men and women really seem to enjoy together! As a result, it’s not uncommon to find myself surrounded by a mix of the sexes as we make our way across the slopes.
But how many people go skiing? Despite the apparent popularity of the sport, it can be difficult to get an accurate figure. In part, this is because not all ski resorts are open all year round, meaning there are fewer opportunities to take the measure of the sport’s audience.
Let’s dive into the numbers and see just how many people go skiing around the world each year. To do this, we’ll use the excellent database at Worldometers.com. This resource collates data from various reputable sources such as the World Health Organization, the Japan Meteorological Agency, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Table of Contents
The Most Popular Ski Resorts
First off, let’s take a look at the most popular ski resorts globally. As with any other sport, the popularity of a resort is determined by a combination of numerous factors – including the quality of the slopes, the size of the town, the weather, and the cost of living – but one thing that’s certain is that people will flock to where the jobs are. The following table lists the top 10 most popular ski resorts, according to Worldometers.com.
While this doesn’t mean that these resorts are the best in the world, it does provide us with a decent indication of which places are most in demand.
The 10 Most Popular Ski Resorts
As you’ll see from the table above, the French resort of Chamonix has established itself at the top of the pile as the most popular ski resort globally. It’s not a huge surprise that French speakers would be particularly enamoured with a ski resort in their mother tongue. What is a little surprising is that three of the top four spots are occupied by European resorts!
Let’s examine this in more detail. Vail, which sits in the U.S., is the most popular ski resort in North America, with 8.8 million visits a year. As for South America, Chile’s Valle Nevado rises to the top with 4.3 million annual visits. However, it pips neighboring Argentina’s famed Cerro Cathedral to the title with 4.1 million visits. Finally, Australia’s Thredbo climbs to the top of the list with 3.7 million visits.
The World’s Second-largest Ski Resort
It’s not just about the most popular ski resorts, however. The ultimate goal of any ski resort is to attract as many people as possible, meaning these resorts will inevitably expand to accommodate more guests. One of the best ways of doing this is through vertical expansion, which entails carving new slopes and building more lifts. The following table lists the world’s second-largest ski resort. You’ll notice that some of the largest resorts have multiple second-largest ones attached to them. This is because these places have continued to grow, attracting first-time guests, as well as returning guests who want to try something new.
In 2019 alone, the largest European resort, Tignes in France, added a whole new village on its site. And this is just one of the largest resorts in Europe, meaning there are literally hundreds of megaresorts across the continent.
Skiing Is Popular in Asia, Too
While Europe, North America, and South America dominate the list of the world’s most popular ski resorts, Asia also has a bit to say about the matter, too. The Japanese Alps boast some of the steepest slopes in the world and they’ve become quite a popular destination among professional and amateur skiers alike. In 2019, for example, Japan welcomed 2.9 million visitors, making it the third-largest resort in the world. The following year, it was ranked as the ninth-most-popular ski resort in the world.
In 2019 alone, China’s resort of Badgley Mischka and the Japanese Alps combined made up 15% of the entire global ski resort market. If that sounds like a lot of people, it probably is, but it’s also a sign of just how incredibly popular this sport has become across the region. More and more people are discovering the joys of skiing each year, and who knows – maybe one day, we’ll even see the day when skiing is as common in Beijing as it is in Stockholm or Milan!
While Asia is home to some of the world’s most popular ski resorts, it isn’t necessarily the case that all of them are accessible by American, Canadian, and European holidaymakers. In fact, there are a number of incredibly beautiful and secluded resorts, which only the elite of the traveling world will ever hear about.
Skiing Is Popular in Africa, Too
Skiing doesn’t just pop up in the northern reaches of the globe. It’s quite a popular sport in Africa, too, with numerous ski resorts scattered around the equator. The only problem is that you’ll need to travel quite far – and bear in mind that some of these resorts are quite remote – to reach the resorts that are most welcoming to western tourists. In 2019, the only African resort on this list, Madikida in South Africa, saw 1.8 million visits.
Further afield, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the slopes of the Muko Volcano are home to the country’s only ski resort, Volcanoes. Although the terrain is quite different, with the volcano being the focal point, this is actually one of the largest and most popular ski resorts in the world. In 2019 alone, it drew some of the biggest ski tours in the off-season, with up to 500 guests per week – and that’s a lot of people on the slopes!
Skiing Is Popular In North America
It’s quite a common misconception that skiing is a luxury sport reserved for the rich and famous. Far from it, in fact. In 2019 alone, North America welcomed 2.9 million visitors to their respective ski resorts – more than any other continent. This makes North America the world’s second-largest tourist destination after Europe, with Europe’s winter sports infrastructure now being inhabited by Americans and Canadians.
The table above lists the top 10 most popular ski resorts in North America. You’ll notice that some of the largest and most popular European resorts are located here, too, with Lake Tahoe, for example, being home to both the second-largest and third-largest ski resorts in the U.S. After making its debut on this list in 2018, Whistler came back in 2019 as the fourth-largest resort in the country, with Val d’Isere in ninth place.
The Future Of Skiing
With the next couple of years set to be the golden era of vertical expansion, ski resorts will continue to grow, attracting more and more people. In 2022 alone, there are already plans in place for the construction of 10 new resorts – four of which are in China. With more and more people discovering the joys of skiing each year, it’s quite likely that one day, we’ll even see the day when skiing is as popular in Beijing as it is in Stockholm or Milan!