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Global Skier Visits Hit Record 399 Million in 2024-25 - Here's Who's Leading
The 2024-25 ski season set a new global record with 399 million skier visits worldwide - more people on snow than ever before. Nine countries account for nearly 80% of that total, with the US, France, and Austria holding the top three spots. Japan posted the biggest jump of any major market, driven largely by Australian and North American visitors chasing powder.
Chairlift Rollback Sends Skiers Jumping at Chinese Ski Resort
Video circulating online shows a chairlift at the Gongchangling Hot Spring and Ski Resort in Liaoning, China, suddenly reversing direction and running rapidly downhill, forcing riders to jump from their seats. Resort staff say no injuries were reported following the incident.
Ikon Pass Expands Asia Offering: Analysing the Implications
Ikon Pass adds 9 new Asian destinations for 2025-26, significantly increasing its presence in Japan, China and South Korea. But what does this expansion really mean for pass holders and the wider ski industry?
Global Ski Industry Rankings: Nine Countries Control 366 Million Annual Visits
The latest international ski tourism data reveals stark industry concentration, with just nine countries dominating global skiing. The USA leads with 60.5 million visits, whilst China shows explosive growth and traditional Alpine destinations face different challenges from climate change to currency strength.
Changbai Mountain Resort: China's Growing Winter Sports Hub
Changbai Mountain Wanda International Resort in China's Jilin Province is rapidly developing into a major winter sports destination, offering extensive ski trails, year-round attractions, and high-end accommodations.
Global Ski Industry Shows Resilience in Post-Pandemic Season
The 2023/24 ski season demonstrated the industry's recovery with over 366 million skier visits worldwide, marking the third consecutive year of robust performance according to the latest International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism.
Cardrona Alpine Resort Partners with Chinese Ski Region to Boost Global Snow Sports
New Zealand's largest ski resort, Cardrona Alpine Resort, has signed a collaboration agreement with China's Chongli District Ice and Snow Association, aiming to enhance ski tourism and winter sports participation worldwide.
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More from the SnowStash desk
Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola
The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.
Two Confirmed Dead as Search Continues After Swiss Alps Fire
The death toll from Thursday night's fire at Restaurant Beverin in Thusis, Switzerland, has begun to firm up. One Swiss outlet, citing Graubünden Cantonal Police, reports that two of the five people initially reported missing have now been confirmed dead, leaving three unaccounted for. The building's collapsed stairwell and structural instability have slowed recovery efforts throughout. Here's what's changed since the fire broke out, and what's still unconfirmed.
Selwyn Snow Resort Closes Early as Rain Ends Its 2026 Season
Selwyn Snow Resort has called an early end to its 2026 season, a day after Victoria's Mount Baw Baw did the same. Rain on Thursday stripped what was left of the snowpack, and the cold nights needed to rebuild it through snowmaking never arrived. It's a rough result for a resort that only just found its footing again after being burned to the ground in the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires and a multi-year rebuild. Here's how the season fell apart, and where Selwyn's been since the fire.
Mt Baw Baw Becomes First Australian Resort to Close for 2026
Mt Baw Baw is calling time on its 2026 season this Sunday at 5pm, becoming the first Australian resort to close for the year after warm spells and rain wore through its snowpack. Lifts stop, but the resort stays open, entry fees get waived, and there's one last Bollywood Weekend before the lights go out. Fifty-seven days after opening, here's how the season ended and what it means for the rest of Australia's struggling snowpack.
Arosa to Replace 40-Year-Old Hörnli Lifts With New Gondola and Chair
Arosa's Hörnli sector is getting its biggest overhaul in decades. The 1986 gondola and 1994 chairlift linking toward Lenzerheide are both being replaced, with capacity up, tower count down and a new base station lower on the hill. At roughly CHF 67 million, it is the largest single investment Arosa Bergbahnen has ever made - and the target opening has already slipped a year, to December 2028. Here is what is changing, and why the timeline moved.
Sundance Mountain Resort Is Getting a New High-Speed Quad and More Back Mountain Terrain This Winter
Sundance Mountain Resort's back mountain is finally getting a proper lift. The Electric Horseman Express opens for 2026-27, unlocking a new bowl next to Bishop's Bowl and three expert gladed chutes across roughly 105 fresh acres - on top of the Storyteller ridge run that debuted in preview form last season. It's Sundance's biggest expansion since 1985, and it turns a three-lift slog into a single six-minute ride to Bearclaw Summit.
Levi and Ruka Confirm October 2 Opening on Farmed Summer Snow
Finland's Levi and Ruka open for the 2026-27 season on October 2, more than seven weeks before most of Europe sees a lift turn. Neither resort is waiting on autumn snowfall - both are skiing on snow buried since last spring, insulated through the Finnish summer and dug back out for opening day. It is not a shortcut. It is a decades-old system now spreading from the Arctic Circle to Idaho, Utah, Vermont and Colorado. Here is how snow farming actually works, and why it is catching on.
Sölden's Old Einzeiger Chairlift Gets a Second Life in Montafon
Silvretta Montafon is replacing its ageing Freda chairlift - but not with something new. The resort is having a 1999 four-seater chairlift, retired from Sölden, dismantled, shipped to Vorarlberg and rebuilt with new electronics, cable and clamps. It has to be running before March 2027, when Silvretta Montafon hosts the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships - the biggest winter sports event Vorarlberg has staged. Here's how a reused lift ends up cheaper.