How Many People Go Skiing Each Year?

📏01 / Measurement

Why there is no exact annual skier headcount

There is no worldwide register that identifies every person who skis in a given winter. Resorts can count lift access much more reliably, but the same person may ski on several days, visit more than one resort or travel between countries.

Industry reporting therefore relies heavily on skier visits, sometimes called skier-days. One person using a ski area for all or part of a day or night counts as one visit, so a six-day ski holiday can create six visits. It measures activity at ski areas rather than unique people.

👥02 / People

Best estimate: around 135 million people are part of the global skier population

A 2023 paper by Laurent Vanat and Li Yu estimated the worldwide skier population at around 135 million people, up from an estimated 110 million in 2009.

Their definition covers people who participate in skiing, snowboarding or another downhill sliding activity regardless of how often they visit a resort. The figure is therefore a population estimate, not a count of different people who necessarily skied during one particular winter.

📈03 / Annual activity

Worldwide ski areas recorded 399 million skier visits in 2024/25

Laurent Vanat's 2026 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism describes the 2024/25 winter as the strongest season of the first quarter of the century, with 399 million skier visits worldwide. That exceeded the previous record of 392 million visits in 2018/19.

The result shows the scale of lift-served skiing activity in a strong winter, but it should not be converted into a unique-person total because repeat ski days are counted separately.

🗺️04 / Coverage

What the statistics include — and what they miss

Global ski-industry numbers are strongest for organised, lift-served downhill skiing because resorts have ticketing and access systems that can count visits. They are much less complete for activities that happen away from conventional ski areas.

• Well covered: lift-served downhill skiing and snowboarding at resorts, where access systems can track visits consistently.
• Less complete: touring, backcountry skiing and informal participation away from conventional ski areas.
• Important distinction: a skier-visit measures activity, while a skier-population estimate tries to describe how many people take part overall.

❄️05 / Variability

Why annual skiing numbers change from year to year

Ski participation and skier visits move around because winter conditions, travel demand and the wider economy do not stay the same every season. A snowy winter with strong destination demand usually lifts resort visits, while poor snow or a weak travel market can drag totals down.

• Snow and weather: good snowpack and reliable cold weather help resorts stay open and attract more skiers.
• Travel costs: exchange rates, flight prices and household budgets influence how many people book ski trips.
• Calendar effects: holiday timing and school breaks can make a season look busier or quieter.

❓06 / FAQ

Frequently asked questions about global skiing numbers

Are skier visits the same as the number of skiers?

No. A skier visit counts one person using a ski area for all or part of a day or night. The same person can therefore create several skier visits during a single trip.

What counts as a skier visit?

In industry reporting, one person using a ski area for all or part of one day or night counts as one skier visit. A six-day ski holiday can therefore produce six visits from one person.

Does the global skier estimate include snowboarders?

The 135 million population estimate uses a broad definition that includes people participating in skiing, snowboarding or another downhill sliding activity, regardless of how often they visit a resort.

Why is there no exact worldwide annual skier count?

There is no global register of unique skiers. Resorts can count lift access and ski-area visits much more reliably, but those systems do not provide a single worldwide count of different people who skied in a particular winter.