France once again becomes the world's leading destination for skiing

France returns to the summits. For the first time since the winter of 2014-2015, it returns to the top of the world ranking of the most popular ski destinations. With 56.1 million skier days recorded during the 2025-2026 season, an increase of 2.4% over one year, French ski areas are ahead of Austria (53.7 million) and the United States, according to the report published Wednesday September 23 by Domaines skiables de France (DSF).

A performance which places this season in third place among the best winters ever recorded in France, behind those of 2008-2009 (58.6 million skier days) and 2012-2013 (57.6 million). The result also exceeds the average of the last four seasons by 6%.

Important clarification: a skier day corresponds to a day of practice in a ski area. A vacationer who skis six days is therefore counted six times.

The Alps and the Pyrenees are doing well

This return to first place in the world is explained in particular by favorable weather conditions in the major French massifs. The first snowfalls, at the end of November, allowed many resorts to open in good conditions before the Christmas holidays. The Alps and the Pyrenees particularly benefited from this early snowfall, while the resorts of the Massif Central, Jura and Vosges had to deal with more irregular snow cover.

Attendance was not limited to the long school holidays. According to DSF, the month of January recorded an increase of 3% compared to the previous year, while the period between the March holidays saw a rebound of 20%. The end of the season also had a pleasant surprise in store for operators, with attendance up 3% during the spring holidays, in particular thanks to snow conditions allowing the opening of the areas to be extended.

A success that does not make the climate threat disappear

This particularly favorable season should not, however, mask the growing disparities between high-altitude resorts and mid-mountain areas, which are more exposed to the vagaries of snow.

In a report published in February 2024, the Court of Auditors already warned of the running out of steam in the French ski economic model in the face of climate change. It particularly highlighted the financial difficulties of small and medium-sized resorts as well as the limits of an adaptation based essentially on the production of artificial snow.

The return of France to the top step of the world podium is therefore good news for mountain professionals. It remains to be seen to what extent the next seasons will allow this dynamic to continue, in a context where natural snowfall is becoming less and less predictable.