Survey Names Top 10 European Ski Resorts

The results of what claims to be the biggest ski satisfaction survey in the Alps have been announced.

The extensive survey was carried out by Austrian tourism consultancy Mountain Management Consulting. Interviewers spent the 2025/26 winter season visiting mountain restaurants, cafés and alpine huts across some of Europe’s best-known ski resorts.

Instead of asking people to rate their holidays online from the comfort of their sofa weeks after returning home, researchers spoke directly to more than 41,000 skiers and snowboarders while they were actually enjoying their holidays on the slopes.

Over 248 days, the team of 24 trained interviewers travelled through Austria, France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany, randomly selecting guests and asking them to complete guided questionnaires about their holiday experience. On average, more than 800 visitors were interviewed in each resort.

The study, now in its seventh season, aims to be the Alpine ski industry’s most respected benchmarks because every response comes from a skier or snowboarder who has actually been on the mountain that day rather than someone posting anonymously online.

Guests were asked to score more than 20 different aspects of their holiday, from the quality of the pistes and snow conditions, to lift systems, friendliness, safety, value for money and whether the resort exceeded their expectations.

French resorts make a breakthrough

Overall satisfaction across the Alps reached 7.95 out of 10, showing that guest confidence is recovering after setbacks such as Covid, although the highest ratings recorded in 2018 have yet to be matched.

One of the biggest surprises was the strong performance of French ski resorts with several among the Alps’ highest-rated destinations for customer satisfaction.

Zermatt remains number one

Swiss favourite Zermatt retained its crown as the Alps’ top-rated ski resort for the fifth time and has now finished first in three consecutive surveys (2020, 2023 and 2026).

The overall top 10 were:

• Zermatt (Switzerland) – 8.46
• Val d’Isère (France) – 8.40
• Les Arcs (France) – 8.31
• Tignes (France) – 8.31
• Alta Badia (Italy) – 8.28
• Aletsch Arena (Switzerland)– 8.24
• Kronplatz (Italy) – 8.22
• Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis (Austria) – 8.22
• Val Gardena/Seiser Alm (Italy) – 8.18
• Mayrhofen (Austria) – 8.16

Special category winners included Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis for family facilities, Laax for freestyle and snowboarding, and Ischgl for après-ski.

What matters most to skiers?

When asked what influences their choice of ski destination, six factors consistently came out on top:

• Piste quality
• Snow reliability
• Safety on the slopes
• Size and variety of the ski area
• Friendly service
• Comfortable lifts and transport

Looking ahead, skiers and snowboarders said resorts should focus on delivering better value for money, reducing overcrowding, improving slope safety, upgrading lifts and providing better real-time information about conditions around the mountain.

The researchers also highlighted another emerging trend. The average skier is getting older, with growing numbers of over-50s taking to the slopes, raising concerns about attracting the next generation into the sport.

There was also a warning that while recent price increases have not yet significantly altered holidaymakers’ behaviour, resorts should be careful not to push prices too far, particularly for families, or they risk reaching a ‘tipping point’ where people will begin cutting back on ski trips.

Ski Line has accommodation in most of the top 10 resorts named in the survey. For more information, click on the names above or speak to the experts at Ski Line by using the contact details listed on the website.