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World’s most searched ski destinations (resort statistics)

Which ski resorts are the most searched? We set out to discover the most popular ski resorts in the world by analysing Google search data from the last twelve months.

Angelica Sykes
Angelica Sykes
Oct 4 · 7 min read
Most popular ski resorts in the world | Ridestore Magazine

If you’re envisioning your dream ski or snowboard holiday, you’re probably thinking about the steeps of Verbier, the endless bowls of Colorado, or maybe even that Japanese champagne powder. We know we are.

Whether you’re hitting the slopes for the very first time, or you were slashing turns before you could walk, we’ve all been guilty of spending a few too many hours scouring the internet for our next snowbound adventure.

We gathered search data from USA, Canada, and twelve European ski-obsessed countries in order to determine a global popularity leaderboard, along with creating local leaderboards for each analysed country too.

After all, if you live in the Alps or BC, Canada, why would you even want to travel to ski? But, for the rest of us who live in the UK or other snow-sparse places, we don’t really have another option but to travel.

We found lots of interesting data — some names we anticipated, others were a total surprise. But if nothing else, what this exercise did teach us, is that it’s never too early to get excited about your next ski or snowboard trip (Covid-19 permitting of course!).

Table of contents

Key takeaways

Global leaderboard

European leaderboard

Country leaderboard

Local leaderboards

Methodology

a

Essential skiing gear for your next adventure

As you anticipate carving your way down the slopes of these globally sought-after ski destinations, it's vital to remember the need for the appropriate attire. Begin with the essentials: picking out the perfect pair of ski pants for men and the top-rated women's ski bibs should be your first stop whether you're a gent or a lady. Continue to follow us, as our series progresses to explore further key items like hard-wearing ski coats.

Key takeaways

  • 8 countries are represented in the top 100; USA, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Spain, Germany, Austria & Finland.
  • US ski resorts dominate the top 100 with 74 entries
  • Zermatt in Switzerland is the highest rated European resort at 25 in the global leaderboard
  • The second most popular ski resort in Europe is Germany’s Winterberg
  • Norway is one of the most popular skiing destinations in the world with 5 entries in the top 100 global leaderboard, 1 behind European heavyweights Switzerland
  • Åre & Sälen are the most popular ski resorts in Sweden but more interesting is that 50% of the Swedish residents prefer to travel abroad to ski
  • The most popular ski resort for Dutch residents is Winterberg in Germany but Austria is the most popular country destination
  • The Finnish residents seem to be the most loyal country with the local resorts Ruka and Levi winning by a large margin
  • La Clusaz might be the most popular ski resort in France, however, it is not the most popular ski resort choice for French residents
  • Despite its popularity, Canada’s world-famous Whistler resort only comes in as third highest ranked Canadian ski resort
key take aways

Global leaderboard

Below is the list of the top 20 ski resorts in the world for 2021/2022 season based on the cumulative search volume from the 14 countries analysed.

  • 1
    US - Heavenly (2.34%)
  • 2
    US - Breckenridge (2.11%)
  • 3
    US - Sugar Mountain (1.65%)
  • 4
    US - Wolf Creek (1.57%)
  • 5
    US - Brighton (1.56%)
  • 6
    CA - Lake Louise (1.42%)
  • 7
    US - Vail (1.38%)
  • 8
    US - Arizona Snowbowl (1.37%)
  • 9
    US - Blue Mountain (1.35%)
  • 10
    US - Alta (1.31%)
  • 11
    US - Bridger Bowl (1.22%)
  • 12
    US - Keystone (1.19%)
  • 13
    US - Park City (1.15%)
  • 14
    US - Beech Mountain (1.14%)
  • 15
    US - Telluride (1.13%)
  • 16
    US - Killington (1.11%)
  • 17
    US - Jackson Hole (1.08%)
  • 18
    US - Big Sky (1.01%)
  • 19
    CA - Blue Mountain (0.91%)
  • 20
    US - Mammoth (0.88%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS
european leaderboard

European leaderboard

Below is the list of the top 20 ski resorts in Europe for 2021/2022 season based on the cumulative search volume from the 14 countries analysed.

  • 1
    CH - Zermatt (2.67%)
  • 2
    DE - Winterberg (1.91%)
  • 3
    NO - Hemsedal (1.68%)
  • 4
    CH - Verbier (1.47%)
  • 5
    CH - Grindelwald (1.46%)
  • 6
    CH - Andermatt (1.37%)
  • 7
    FI - Ruka (1.27%)
  • 8
    ES - Sierra Nevada (1.21%)
  • 9
    NO - Trysil (1.12%)
  • 10
    NO - Norefjell (1.12%)
  • 11
    ES - San Isidro (1.10%)
  • 12
    CH - Laax (1.03%)
  • 13
    AT - Flachau (1.00%)
  • 14
    CH - Adelboden (0.99%)
  • 15
    NO - Rauland Skisenter (0.93%)
  • 16
    DE - Willingen (0.93%)
  • 17
    NO - Oppdal (0.89%)
  • 18
    NO - Geilo (0.85%)
  • 19
    AT - Ischgl (0.83%)
  • 20
    CH - Lenzerheide (0.82%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS
b

Country leaderboard

Below is the list of the top 20 ski country destinations in the world for 2021/2022 season based on the cumulative search volume from the 14 countries analysed.

  • 1
    USA (61,38%)
  • 2
    Canada (9,41%)
  • 3
    Switzerland (6,74%)
  • 4
    Austria (6,59%)
  • 5
    France (4,14%)
  • 6
    Norway (3,82%)
  • 7
    Italy (2,25%)
  • 8
    Germany (1,74%)
  • 9
    Spain (1,05%)
  • 10
    Finland (0,84%)
  • 11
    Sweden (0,38%)
  • 12
    Japan (0,23%)
  • 13
    United Kingdom (0,21%)
  • 14
    Bulgaria (0,17%)
  • 15
    Andorra (0,15%)
  • 16
    Georgia (0,12%)
  • 17
    Slovenia (0,10%)
  • 18
    Poland (0,09%)
  • 19
    Australia (0,07%)
  • 20
    New Zealand (0,06%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

Local leaderboards

USA

Canada

United Kingdom

France

Italy

Austria

Germany

Switzerland

Sweden

Finland

Norway

Spain

Netherlands

Belgium

USA

USA

Key takeaways

  • No clear winner in USA; popularity of ski resorts is spread throughout the country
  • Americans tend not to like to travel abroad to ski
  • When Americans do travel to ski, they head north to Canada

Most popular local ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular ski resorts in USA according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Heavenly (3.90%)
  • 2
    Breckenridge (3.53%)
  • 3
    Sugar Mountain (2.77%)
  • 4
    Wolf Creek (2.63%)
  • 5
    Brighton (2.61%)
  • 6
    Arizona Snowbowl (2.31%)
  • 7
    Vail (2.17%)
  • 8
    Alta (2.15%)
  • 9
    Bridger Bowl (2.05%)
  • 10
    Keystone (1.98%)

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for US residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    CA - Blue Mountain (15.36%)
  • 2
    CA - Whistler (11.67%)
  • 3
    CH - Zermatt (4.50%)
  • 4
    CA - Lake Louise (3.80%)
  • 5
    CA - Mt Baldy (3.71%)
  • 6
    CA - Big White (2.89%)
  • 7
    FR - Chamonix (2.47%)
  • 8
    CA - Revelstoke (1.81%)
  • 9
    GE - Gudauri (1.31%)
  • 10
    JP - Niseko (1.25%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for US residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    USA (95.29%)
  • 2
    Canada (2.44%)
  • 3
    Switzerland (0.44%)
  • 4
    France (0.34%)
  • 5
    Austria (0.30%)
  • 6
    Japan (0.22%)
  • 7
    Italy (0.21%)
  • 8
    Finland (0.11%)
  • 9
    Georgia (0.07%)
  • 10
    Australia (0.06%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

Canada

Canada

Key takeaways

  • Canada’s most popular local resort is Lake Louise. The Canadians seem to love family-friendly resorts with other popular resorts such as Big White and Blue Mountain making it into the top 10
  • Canadians seem less interested in skiing in European resorts, within the top 25 international resorts, only 3 locations make the rank
  • Whistler is more popular with foreign tourists (3rd ranked Canadian resort on global leaderboard) than with local residents (6th ranked resort in the local leaderboard)

Most popular local ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular ski resorts in Canada according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Lake Louise (16.77%)
  • 2
    Bromont (8.27%)
  • 3
    Wentworth (7.84%)
  • 4
    Big White (6.21%)
  • 5
    Blue Mountain (5.97%)
  • 6
    Whistler (4.34%)
  • 7
    Whitewater (3.87%)
  • 8
    Panorama (3.36%)
  • 9
    Fernie (3.09%)
  • 10
    Tremblant (2.88%)

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for Canadian residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    US - Blue Mountain (36.08%)
  • 2
    US - Snow Valley (7.55%)
  • 3
    US - Silver Mountain (4.59%)
  • 4
    US - Sundance (2.13%)
  • 5
    US - Vail (1.93%)
  • 6
    US - Sugarloaf (1.54%)
  • 7
    US - Big Sky (1.20%)
  • 8
    US - Sun Valley (1.03%)
  • 9
    US - Alta (1.00%)
  • 10
    US - Jay Peak (0.93%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for Canadian residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Canada (80.28%)
  • 2
    USA (16.18%)
  • 3
    France (1.05%)
  • 4
    Switzerland (0.57%)
  • 5
    Austria (0.32%)
  • 6
    Italy (0.28%)
  • 7
    Japan (0.25%)
  • 8
    Australia (0.12%)
  • 9
    Finland (0.12%)
  • 10
    Chile (0.10%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

United Kingdom

Scotland UK Ski resort - Adobe Stoc

Key takeaways

  • Despite the travel required, the Brits don’t mind heading across the pond. The US came in at third spot and Canada in sixth spot for the most popular countries
  • 57% of the local results went to Scotland's Glencoe Mountain, the UK’s largest ski resort
  • The Brits love Verbier more than Zermatt despite it’s global popularity

Most popular local ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular ski resorts in the UK according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Glencoe Mountain (57.00%)
  • 2
    Glenshee (17.63%)
  • 3
    Cairngorm Mountain (16.91%)
  • 4
    Nevis Range (5.31%)
  • 5
    The Lecht (3.14%)

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for UK residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    CA - Whistler (3.27%)
  • 2
    CH - Verbier (2.77%)
  • 3
    CH - Zermatt (1.41%)
  • 4
    FR - Morzine (1.41%)
  • 5
    CH - Laax (1.35%)
  • 6
    FR - Chamonix (1.34%)
  • 7
    FR - Tignes (1.32%)
  • 8
    US - Vail (1.22%)
  • 9
    FI - Levi (1.01%)
  • 10
    ES - Sierra Nevada (0.98%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for residents on the United Kingdom according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    France (20.15%)
  • 2
    USA (13.07%)
  • 3
    Austria (12.95%)
  • 4
    Switzerland (11.10%)
  • 5
    Italy (10.29%)
  • 6
    Canada (8.02%)
  • 7
    United Kingdom (5.80%)
  • 8
    Spain (2.05%)
  • 9
    Bulgaria (1.96%)
  • 10
    Finland (1.92%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

France

France

Key takeaways

  • Despite its international notoriety, Val d'Isère comes in at only 16th in the local French rankings
  • There is no clear winner among the top 5 local resorts, it seems the French have no standout favourite but love to support national resorts
  • The French don’t seem to enjoy travelling far to ski, certainly not across to the US and Canada of which only 2.5% of the searches were made collectively

Most popular local ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular ski resorts in France according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    La Clusaz (5.52%)
  • 2
    Font Romeu (4.26%)
  • 3
    Chamrousse (4.07%)
  • 4
    Les Saisies (3.49%)
  • 5
    Les Orres (3.39%)
  • 6
    Alpe d'Huez (3.25%)
  • 7
    La Plagne (2.81%)
  • 8
    Valloire (2.32%)
  • 9
    Chalmazel (2.25%)
  • 10
    Tignes (2.23%)

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for French residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    CH - Zermatt (9.56%)
  • 2
    CH - Verbier (6.08%)
  • 3
    CH - Crans Montana (5.72%)
  • 4
    ES - Baqueira (3.24%)
  • 5
    CH - Lenzerheide (2.36%)
  • 6
    CH - Grindelwald (1.77%)
  • 7
    CH - Engelberg (1.42%)
  • 8
    CH - Les Diablerets (1.42%)
  • 9
    CH - Laax (1.24%)
  • 10
    AT - Brand (1.24%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for French residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    France (75.28%)
  • 2
    Switzerland (10.97%)
  • 3
    Italy (2.89%)
  • 4
    Austria (2.86%)
  • 5
    Spain (1.69%)
  • 6
    USA (1.47%)
  • 7
    Canada (0.96%)
  • 8
    Andorra (0.73%)
  • 9
    Germany (0.69%)
  • 10
    Bulgaria (0.39%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

Italy

Italy

Key takeaways

  • Livigno and Cervinia were the 2 stand out favourite resorts for Italians nationally
  • The clear winner of international ski resorts was Crans Montana in Switzerland
  • A whopping 86.09% of searches for the Italians were for Italian resorts which is huge

Most popular local ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular ski resorts in Italy according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Livigno (8.91%)
  • 2
    Cervinia (8.37%)
  • 3
    Bardonecchia (2.73%)
  • 4
    Madonna di Campiglio (2.61%)
  • 5
    Roccaraso (2.26%)
  • 6
    Sestriere (2.14%)
  • 7
    Bormio (2.14%)
  • 8
    Ponte di Legno (2.08%)
  • 9
    Tonale (2.08%)
  • 10
    Aprica (1.78%)

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for Italian residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    CH - Crans Montana (11.02%)
  • 2
    SI - Kranjska Gora (5.51%)
  • 3
    CH - St Moritz (4.72%)
  • 4
    FR - Chamonix (3.15%)
  • 5
    AT - Stubai (2.76%)
  • 6
    CH - Zermatt (2.36%)
  • 7
    CH - Adelboden (2.36%)
  • 8
    CH - Wengen (2.36%)
  • 9
    CH - San Bernardino (2.36%)
  • 10
    CH - Andermatt (1.97%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for Italian residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Italy (86.89%)
  • 2
    Switzerland (6.04%)
  • 3
    Austria (2.53%)
  • 4
    France (2.06%)
  • 5
    Slovenia (1.34%)
  • 6
    Canada (0.21%)
  • 7
    Andorra (0.15%)
  • 8
    Finland (0.15%)
  • 9
    Spain (0.15%)
  • 10
    Bulgaria (0.10%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

Austria

Austria

Key takeaways

  • None of the big-name Austrian resorts made the top 10 for local searches, the Austrians prefer the more quiet local resorts of Flachau
  • Despite the proximity, only 1.60% went to neighbouring Germany
  • France came in 5th in the Austria result, Austrians prefer skiing in Italy

Most popular local ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular ski resorts in Austria according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Flachau (6.12%)
  • 2
    Mönichkirchen (4.51%)
  • 3
    Hinterstoder (3.97%)
  • 4
    Obertauern (3.63%)
  • 5
    Schladming (2.99%)
  • 6
    Gosau (2.89%)
  • 7
    Semmering (2.84%)
  • 8
    Tauplitz (2.54%)
  • 9
    Werfenweng (2.43%)
  • 10
    Lachtal (2.31%)

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for Austrian residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    CH - Zermatt (5.97%)
  • 2
    IT - Kronplatz (4.69%)
  • 3
    CH - Lenzerheide (2.84%)
  • 4
    BG - Bansko (2.27%)
  • 5
    PL - Zakopane (1.99%)
  • 6
    DE - Garmisch Partenkirchen (1.85%)
  • 7
    CH - Samnaun (1.85%)
  • 8
    IT - Helm (1.85%)
  • 9
    FI - Levi (1.42%)
  • 10
    CH - St Moritz (1.42%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for Austrian residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Austria (89.84%)
  • 2
    Italy (3.15%)
  • 3
    Switzerland (2.44%)
  • 4
    Germany (1.50%)
  • 5
    France (0.52%)
  • 6
    Slovenia (0.40%)
  • 7
    USA (0.35%)
  • 8
    Bulgaria (0.29%)
  • 9
    Poland (0.23%)
  • 10
    Finland (0.16%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

Germany

Garmisch

Key takeaways

  • 32.67% of the local German results went to the resort of Winterberg
  • However, the Germans much prefer skiing in neighbouring Austria with 38.40% of the results
  • All top 10 of the most popular international ski resorts are in Austria and Switzerland

Most popular local ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular ski resorts in Germany according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Winterberg (33.62%)
  • 2
    Willingen (17.45%)
  • 3
    Oberstdorf (7.77%)
  • 4
    Feldberg (5.71%)
  • 5
    Zugspitze (3.51%)
  • 6
    Garmisch Partenkirchen (2.66%)
  • 7
    Balderschwang (2.66%)
  • 8
    Fichtelberg (2.23%)
  • 9
    Sudelfeld (2.13%)
  • 10
    Lenggries (1.90%)

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for German residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    AT - Sölden (3.78%)
  • 2
    CH - Zermatt (3.66%)
  • 3
    CH - Laax (3.25%)
  • 4
    AT - Ischgl (2.98%)
  • 5
    CH - Lenzerheide (2.49%)
  • 6
    CH - Engelberg (2.02%)
  • 7
    AT - Mayrhofen (1.55%)
  • 8
    CH - St Moritz (1.55%)
  • 9
    CH - Verbier (1.36%)
  • 10
    AT - Flachau (1.31%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for German residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Austria (38.30%)
  • 2
    Germany (27.44%)
  • 3
    Switzerland (19.20%)
  • 4
    Italy (7.06%)
  • 5
    France (2.17%)
  • 6
    Bulgaria (0.73%)
  • 7
    USA (0.66%)
  • 8
    Poland (0.59%)
  • 9
    Georgia (0.58%)
  • 10
    Norway (0.54%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

Switzerland

Switzerland

Key takeaways

  • Although Zermatt holds a higher spot in the global rankings, Swiss locals prefer Andermatt
  • When the swiss head abroad, they certainly don’t venture too far from their borders. Morgins comes in first with shares an open skiable border and neighbouring Malbun of Liechtenstein
  • Coming in 5th place, the Swiss also head further North to Bansko in Bulgaria

Most popular local ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular ski resorts in Switzerland according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Andermatt (7.95%)
  • 2
    Grindelwald (7.64%)
  • 3
    Zermatt (6.74%)
  • 4
    Adelboden (5.02%)
  • 5
    Verbier (4.57%)
  • 6
    Leysin (4.09%)
  • 7
    Saas Fee (3.53%)
  • 8
    Crans Montana (3.42%)
  • 9
    Gstaad (2.42%)
  • 10
    Lenzerheide (2.39%)

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for Swiss residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    LI - Malbun (5.41%)
  • 2
    AT - Ischgl (3.54%)
  • 3
    IT - Livigno (2.85%)
  • 4
    BG - Bansko (2.85%)
  • 5
    FR - Chamonix (2.46%)
  • 6
    FR - Avoriaz (1.77%)
  • 7
    IT - San Domenico (1.67%)
  • 8
    AT - Montafon (1.57%)
  • 9
    FR - Courchevel (1.57%)
  • 10
    FR - Châtel (1.31%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for Swiss residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Switzerland (90.39%)
  • 2
    France (2.69%)
  • 3
    Austria (2.38%)
  • 4
    Italy (2.16%)
  • 5
    Liechtenstein (0.52%)
  • 6
    Germany (0.51%)
  • 7
    Bulgaria (0.30%)
  • 8
    USA (0.19%)
  • 9
    Canada (0.16%)
  • 10
    Finland (0.09%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

Sweden

Sälen Sweden

Key takeaways

  • The winner locally in Sweden is apres hot spot Åre which draws in an increasing number of international riders too
  • Interestingly, neighbouring Norway only enters the list at number 10 with Hemsedal for the Swedes favourite ski resort vote
  • Italy takes pride of place in second for the favourite destination for Swedish- skiers internationally

Most popular local ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular ski resorts in Sweden according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Åre (33.02%)
  • 2
    Sälen (30.95%)
  • 3
    Hassela (13.97%)
  • 4
    Branäs (3.02%)
  • 5
    Stöten (1.75%)
  • 6
    Riksgränsen (1.43%)
  • 7
    Tänndalen (1.11%)
  • 8
    Säfsen (1.11%)
  • 9
    Hemavan (0.95%)
  • 10
    Storlien (0.95%)

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for Swedish residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    CH - Zermatt (4.30%)
  • 2
    IT - Livigno (3.98%)
  • 3
    AT - Sölden (3.18%)
  • 4
    FI - Levi (2.87%)
  • 5
    IT - Canazei (2.71%)
  • 6
    IT - Champoluc (2.71%)
  • 7
    IT - Cervinia (2.39%)
  • 8
    FR - Val Thorens (1.91%)
  • 9
    IT - Courmayeur (1.91%)
  • 10
    NO - Hemsedal (1.75%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for Swedish residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Sweden (50.08%)
  • 2
    Italy (13.83%)
  • 3
    Austria (10.73%)
  • 4
    Switzerland (6.28%)
  • 5
    Norway (4.61%)
  • 6
    France (3.90%)
  • 7
    Finland (1.99%)
  • 8
    USA (1.59%)
  • 9
    Germany (1.03%)
  • 10
    Canada (0.95%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

Finland

Finland

Key takeaways

  • The runaway winner for the Finns favourite local ski resort is Ruka
  • Internationally the winner is Cervinia in Italy
  • Yet across the board, the Finns prefer Austria

Most popular local ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular ski resorts in Finland according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Ruka (46.25%)
  • 2
    Ylläs (20.68%)
  • 3
    Levi (18.06%)
  • 4
    Himos (5.81%)
  • 5
    Tahko (2.90%)
  • 6
    Pyhä (2.48%)
  • 7
    Vuokatti (1.49%)
  • 8
    Salla (0.85%)
  • 9
    Iso Syöte (0.42%)
  • 10
    Pallas (0.35%)

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for Finnish residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    IT - Cervinia (6.96%)
  • 2
    SE - Åre (6.09%)
  • 3
    ES - Sierra Nevada (4.35%)
  • 4
    AT - Sölden (3.04%)
  • 5
    FR - Chamonix (3.04%)
  • 6
    AT - Ischgl (2.61%)
  • 7
    AT - Saalbach (2.61%)
  • 8
    CH - Laax (2.17%)
  • 9
    CH - St Moritz (2.17%)
  • 10
    AT - Zell am See (2.17%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for Finnish residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Finland (85.99%)
  • 2
    Austria (3.35%)
  • 3
    Italy (2.50%)
  • 4
    Switzerland (1.71%)
  • 5
    Sweden (1.64%)
  • 6
    France (0.97%)
  • 7
    Norway (0.73%)
  • 8
    Spain (0.61%)
  • 9
    Germany (0.49%)
  • 10
    Bulgaria (0.43%)
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Norway

Norway

Key takeaways

  • The top 3 most popular international ski resorts for the Norwegians are in neighbouring Sweden
  • A whopping 95.26% of the vote for the favourite destination for the Norwegians is in fact in Norway
  • The up and coming resort of Hemsedal takes first place

Most popular local ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular ski resorts in Norway according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Hemsedal (12.35%)
  • 3
    Norefjell (8.57%)
  • 2
    Trysil (7.54%)
  • 4
    Rauland Skisenter (7.24%)
  • 5
    Oppdal (6.83%)
  • 6
    Geilo (6.05%)
  • 7
    Røldal (5.45%)
  • 8
    Sirdal Skisenter (4.39%)
  • 9
    Sauda Skisenter (3.52%)
  • 10
    Bjorli (3.43%)

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for Norwegian residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    SE - Åre (9.02%)
  • 2
    SE - Storlien (3.01%)
  • 3
    SE - Sälen (2.76%)
  • 4
    CH - Zermatt (2.51%)
  • 5
    AT - Ischgl (2.26%)
  • 6
    IT - Cervinia (2.01%)
  • 7
    PL - Zakopane (2.01%)
  • 8
    IT - Courmayeur (2.01%)
  • 9
    FI - Levi (1.75%)
  • 10
    SE - Branäs (1.50%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for Norwegian residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Norway (95.30%)
  • 2
    Austria (0.92%)
  • 3
    Sweden (0.88%)
  • 4
    Italy (0.59%)
  • 5
    USA (0.59%)
  • 6
    Switzerland (0.47%)
  • 7
    France (0.34%)
  • 8
    Canada (0.15%)
  • 9
    Poland (0.15%)
  • 10
    Germany (0.13%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

Spain

Sierra Nevada Spain

Key takeaways

  • The most popular destination among locals goes to the lesser-known destination of San Isidro, ahead of the ever-popular Sierra Nevada
  • Up and coming resort of Baqueira takes 5th position
  • Internationally the Spanish prefer hopping across the border to Frane and Andorra

Most popular local ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular ski resorts in Spain according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    San Isidro (37.22%)
  • 2
    Sierra Nevada (29.83%)
  • 3
    La Molina (10.79%)
  • 4
    La Pinilla (5.34%)
  • 5
    Baqueira (3.24%)
  • 6
    Formigal (1.73%)
  • 7
    Alto Campoo (1.73%)
  • 8
    Masella (1.46%)
  • 9
    La Covatilla (1.40%)
  • 10
    Valdelinares (1.29%)

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for Spanish residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    AD - Grandvalira (13.17%)
  • 2
    FR - Chamonix (4.20%)
  • 3
    AD - Vallnord (3.64%)
  • 4
    FR - Tignes (3.36%)
  • 5
    AD - Arinsal (3.08%)
  • 6
    FR - Piau Engaly (3.08%)
  • 7
    FR - Luz Ardiden (2.80%)
  • 8
    AD - Pas de la Casa (2.80%)
  • 9
    CH - Zermatt (2.52%)
  • 10
    FR - Font Romeu (2.52%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for Spanish residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Spain (83.85%)
  • 2
    France (7.28%)
  • 3
    Andorra (5.52%)
  • 4
    Switzerland (1.18%)
  • 5
    Italy (0.81%)
  • 6
    Austria (0.36%)
  • 7
    Chile (0.23%)
  • 8
    Bulgaria (0.14%)
  • 9
    Canada (0.14%)
  • 10
    Poland (0.14%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

Netherlands

Ischgl

Key takeaways

  • The Dutch prefer to ski in Europe in general with all top 100 results being on the continent
  • The US takes 8th position and Canada takes 12th
  • Iran takes 18th position, ahead of the increasingly popular destination of Japan

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for Dutch residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    DE - Winterberg (3.81%)
  • 2
    AT - Flachau (3.30%)
  • 3
    AT - Mayrhofen (2.76%)
  • 4
    AT - Zell am See (2.65%)
  • 5
    FR - Val Thorens (2.25%)
  • 6
    AT - Ellmau (1.89%)
  • 7
    AT - Gerlos (1.82%)
  • 8
    AT - Montafon (1.71%)
  • 9
    AT - Ischgl (1.49%)
  • 10
    FR - Tignes (1.34%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for Dutch residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    Austria (52.47%)
  • 2
    France (14.45%)
  • 3
    Italy (9.84%)
  • 4
    Germany (9.11%)
  • 5
    Switzerland (7.73%)
  • 6
    Spain (1.34%)
  • 7
    Norway (0.98%)
  • 8
    USA (0.62%)
  • 9
    Bulgaria (0.47%)
  • 10
    Finland (0.47%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

Belgium

La Plagne

Key takeaways

  • The top spot for the Belge votes for most popular international ski resort goes to Livigno in Italy
  • Yet the favourite destination in general with 34.47% of the results going to France

Most popular foreign ski resorts

Here is the list of the most popular foreign ski resorts for Belgian residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    IT - Livigno (2.85%)
  • 2
    DE - Winterberg (2.63%)
  • 3
    CH - Zermatt (2.23%)
  • 4
    FR - Alpe d'Huez (2.05%)
  • 5
    FR - Tignes (1.60%)
  • 6
    ES - Sierra Nevada (1.20%)
  • 7
    FR - La Plagne (1.20%)
  • 8
    FR - La Bresse (1.20%)
  • 9
    AT - Flachau (1.14%)
  • 10
    AT - Sölden (1.14%)

Most popular ski country destination

Here is the list of the most popular countries for skiing, both local and international, for Belgian residents according to Google search data results.

  • 1
    France (34.53%)
  • 2
    Austria (26.77%)
  • 3
    Switzerland (13.93%)
  • 4
    Italy (12.61%)
  • 5
    Germany (5.19%)
  • 6
    Spain (1.71%)
  • 7
    Bulgaria (0.86%)
  • 8
    Andorra (0.57%)
  • 9
    Poland (0.57%)
  • 10
    Slovenia (0.46%)
SEE FULL RANKINGS

Data collection methodology

Popularity percentage explained

Beside each entry in brackets is a popularity percentage. This is the number of Google search queries for an entry divided by the total number of search queries for all entries and then expressed as a percentage.

How we collected the data

We used the Keyword Explorer Tool at ahrefs.com to find the average monthly Google search volume for 1903 of the world’s most popular ski resorts across 14 ski and snowboard obsessed countries. To qualify to be included, the resort must have at least 10km of prepared ski slopes.

How does Ahrefs.com search data work

Ahrefs.com’s search volume data that has been collected from clickstream is paired with existing search volume data (from Google Keyword Planner) on a model that gives a very accurate search volume for almost any keyword.

What search terms did we use

We analysed 3 highly relevant google search terms and summed up the total search volume for these terms. These terms were localised into the high volume variant in the languages of the respective countries analysed to ensure a fair and accurate global comparison.

The search terms used were as follows;

1) Name + ski resort , 2) Name + ski, 3) Name + ski pass (UK) or lift tickets (US/CA)

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Angelica Sykes
Angelica Sykes
Hey, I’m Angelica. An Ex Pro Freerider and content producer. I love to write about adventures, inspire people to get outside and discover. Lover of big mountain snowboarding, wine and dogs!
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