About this Report
The Slope Report uses WeSki's booking and survey data as a window into how British skiers actually plan, book and take ski holidays. The 2026 edition analyses two full ski seasons (2024/25 and 2025/26). Drawing on data from over 100,000 skiers across more than 300 ski resorts, 4.2m holiday searches, and supported by more than 2,400 customer survey responses, the data offers one of the most detailed views available of how British ski holidays are planned and taken.
4.2M+
resort searches
2,400+
survey responses
300+
resorts covered worldwide
100K+
skiers
“We started WeSki because booking a ski holiday was harder than it should be. What this data tells us is that the demand was always there - it just needed unlocking. More families, more cities, more destinations, more of the year. Skiing isn't a niche pursuit anymore. It's becoming something much more interesting.”
The Story so Far
British skiing is in the middle of a quiet but measurable shift. Italy is having its best season in years. Families are at their highest share of bookings ever. The festive ski weekend has arrived. And for the first time, the data shows skiing spreading beyond London - to Newcastle, Birmingham, Belfast and beyond.
Chapter 01
The New Map
Where British skiers are going
The Alps remain the beating heart of British ski travel, but the map within them is being redrawn. Italy has had its best season and Austria is having a quiet renaissance. And beyond the Alps, a new cohort of destinations is building genuine share.
The Alps: Reshaping Within
The Alps are tightening their grip - but the map within them is changing
More than eight in ten British WeSki customers go to the Alps - a share that has grown by 0.4pp year-on-year. The story is not one of departure from the Alps but of redistribution within them. France remains the dominant force, but Italy, Austria and Switzerland are all growing.
Beyond the Alps
A new set of destinations is breaking through. The standout: Zakopane, Poland - up 0.8%, one of the biggest single-resort gains in the data. Affordable, well-connected and increasingly well-regarded.
3 in 4
British skiers try a different resort each season
78%
say they are likely to return to the same resort
When surveyed, 78% of British skiers say they're likely to return to the same resort next season - up from 55% the year before. Yet booking data shows three in four bookings go to a resort not visited the previous year. British skiers are becoming more loyal in what they say, and more adventurous in what they do.
Resort Loyalty 25/26
Repeat visit rates by resort, year-on-year
“Italy has been the story of this season. When search and bookings move together in the same direction for two seasons running, that's not a blip, it's a permanent shift. Austria is also quietly having one of its best years. The map of British skiing is being redrawn, and it's more interesting than it's ever been.”
Chapter 02
The New Ski Crowd
Who's hitting the slopes
The family ski holiday is at its highest share ever. Solo travel is growing. Northern cities are closing in on London. And hotels are now the dominant format of the British ski holiday.
British skiing is broadening
The traveller mix in British skiing is shifting in ways the data captures clearly. Families have recorded their biggest share of bookings ever, up 2.7% year-on-year - the largest gain of any segment. Solo travel is growing steadily. The British ski market isn't just getting bigger. It's getting broader - reaching more types of people, in more places, than ever before.
-2.8pp
groups
+2.7pp
families
-0.5pp
couples
+0.4pp
solo
The Solo Skier:
British skiing's most distinctive traveller
More spontaneous:
books 45 days before departure vs 61 day average
More adventurous:
most likely to try a new resort each season
More exploratory:
the widest spread of destinations of any segment
The one destination everyone agrees on
Italy gained share across every type of British skier this season - the only destination to do so. Beyond that, the differences are striking. Groups concentrate in France more than any other segment. Solo skiers spread the most widely, shifting away from France faster than any other group. Families gravitate toward accessible, well-connected resorts. The data shows a market diversifying not just in who goes, but in where they end up.
| Traveller | France | Italy | Austria | Switzerland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Families | -1.2pp | Stable | +0.4pp | Stable |
| Groups | -2.4pp | +1.9pp | +1.5pp | Stable |
| Couples | -1.9pp | +1.4pp | +0.8pp | +0.6pp |
| Solo | -6.8pp | ↑ Growing | Stable | ↑ Growing |
Skiing is spreading across Britain
Who you travel with shapes where you go - and the gaps are widening
Ski bookings are growing across the North and Midlands faster than anywhere else in the UK. Manchester is now the UK's second biggest ski departure airport. New direct routes are a significant part of the explanation. The growth in North East bookings coincides with a new Newcastle to Chambery service opening access to the Tarentaise Valley for the first time - no London connection needed. The growth in Midlands bookings coincides with new Birmingham to Grenoble services linking the region directly to the French Alps.
North West & Yorkshire:+0.8pp
North East:+0.3pp
Midlands:+0.3pp
Hotel bookings are surging
Hotel bookings have surged - up 15.7pp in a single season, the biggest accommodation shift in the data. The growth is consistent with who's skiing: families favour the simplicity of hotel stays, solo travellers overwhelmingly book hotels. But it also reflects how ski hotels have evolved.
Accommodation Type
<1%
Chalets
Stable
Apartments
+15.7pp
Hotels
“The ski hotel has changed enormously. The best ones now compete with the mountain itself for your attention - spa, dining, ski concierge, kids' clubs. It's not surprising that more British skiers are choosing hotels. The product has genuinely got better, and it suits the way more people want to travel.”
David Benzimra • Co-Founder & CFO/COO, WeSki
Chapter 03
The Booking Revolution
British skiers are booking earlier than ever before, and the season is shifting earlier at the front end. The booking revolution is quiet but measurable, and the festive ski weekend has arrived.
The ski season is shifting earlier
January is the fastest-growing travel month, up 3.3%. December is growing too, up 1.9%. Together they now account for nearly 40% of the ski year - as more British skiers head to the slopes earlier in the season than ever before.
Year-on-year change in share of ski trips by travel month
The British ski trip is diversifying
The traditional 7-day ski week is holding steady. But the formats growing fastest are at both ends - short breaks are up, extended trips are up. The British ski trip is diversifying around the 7-day week, not away from it.
Trip Length
+0.9pp
Short Breaks
Stable
7 Day Trips
+0.3pp
Extended Trips
What skiers say vs what they do
Nearly eight in ten British skiers say they are already planning their next season before the current one has ended.
Most intend to book in September or October - yet less than half actually follow through. The enthusiasm is genuine. The follow-through just takes a little longer than planned.
28.8%
intend to book in September or October
17.4%
actually book in September or October
79.7%
are already planning their next season
British skiers are booking earlier
The typical British skier now books 61 days in advance — three days earlier than last season. The skiers who plan furthest ahead are getting even further ahead.
“British skiing used to follow a pretty predictable pattern - book in January, go in February, repeat. What we're seeing now is something much more interesting.
“People are going earlier, going more flexibly, planning further ahead. The sport is fitting around people's lives in a way it never used to. And once people start skiing differently, they don't go back.”
Chapter 04
What Comes Next
The most interesting findings are not always the biggest ones. They're the signals that point clearly to where things are heading. British skiers are going more often, planning further ahead and spreading further across the country than ever before. And in the data, the next chapter of British skiing is already visible.
British skiers are going more often
The proportion skiing twice a year or more jumped by 11.7% in a single season - from roughly one in five to more than one in three. The direction is consistent: skiing is becoming part of how people live, not just an occasional treat.
Frequency of skiing
- Once a year
- Twice a year or more
- Not every year
Once a year: 52.3% in 2025, 50.8% in 2026. Twice a year or more: 22.4% in 2025, 34.1% in 2026. Not every year: 12.1% in 2025, 10.2% in 2026.
The Japan moment is building
The ski industry has talked about Japan for years. What's changed is that the data is now reflecting it. Japanese resorts are appearing in WeSki's platform data at meaningful volume for the first time - a signal that British skiers are moving from curiosity to consideration. Japan offers some of the world's most distinctive skiing: legendary powder, a completely different mountain culture and resorts unlike anything in the Alps. Other markets have already made the move. The British data suggests the same journey is beginning.
The Slope Report 2026:
At A Glance
The New Map
- 8 in 10 British ski bookings go to the Alps - and growing
- Italy +1.4% - the biggest country-level gain in the data
- Austria +0.9% · Switzerland +0.6%
- Zakopane, Poland - one of the biggest single-resort gains, up 0.8%
- 3 in 4 British skiers try a different resort each season
- 78% say they plan to return to the same resort - up from 55%
The New Ski Crowd
- Families at their highest ever share of ski bookings - up 2.7%
- Solo skiers: the most spontaneous, adventurous and exploratory segment
- Hotels now nearly 6 in 10 British ski bookings
- North West and Yorkshire the fastest-growing region - up 0.8%
- Manchester is now the UK's second biggest ski departure airport
The Booking Revolution
- Median booking lead time: 61 days - up 3 days year-on-year
- January the fastest-growing travel month - up 3.3%
- December short trip share up 3.1% - the festive ski weekend is arriving
- 28.8% intend to book in September or October · 17.4% actually do
What Comes Next
- Skiers going twice a year or more: up 11.7% in a single season
- 79.7% already planning their next trip before the previous one has ended
- New routes from Newcastle, Birmingham and regional airports creating demand that didn't exist before
- Japan: interest building before the bookings arrive
4.2M+
resort searches
2,400+
survey responses
300+
resorts covered worldwide
100K+
skiers
About WeSki
WeSki is the ski holiday platform that makes it simple to book the perfect ski trip - flights, transfers, accommodation, passes, equipment and more, all in one place. Founded in 2016, WeSki has taken more than 200,000 skiers to 300+ resorts across 20+ countries. In March 2026, WeSki launched WeSki.ai, an AI trip planner that builds personalised ski itineraries from first conversation to final booking.
Press Enquiries: press@weski.com (Katie Flynn, PR and Creator Partnerships Lead)
