Positive January Results For Swiss Ski Areas

The 2023/24 winter season is still going well. Compared to winter 2022/23, the Swiss lift co's recorded a total increase of 20% in first-time entries. In the month of January alone the increase is 14%. The excellent weather conditions, especially on the weekends, and the snow conditions certainly helped a lot. Small and medium-sized regions are also reporting positive changes, which can be attributed to the good snow conditions this winter.

Since the beginning of the season, the ski areas in Switzerland have benefited from favorable snow conditions and optimal weather conditions, which has led to a pleasing increase in the number of guests. The destinations are currently enjoying strong demand for snow sports fun. Both local and international guests thoroughly enjoyed the well-groomed slopes and the beautiful mountain panorama.

With the current trend and the continued promising prospects for the coming ski holiday weeks, Switzerland remains a first-class destination for all winter sports enthusiasts.

Regional differences

There are major regional differences: the smaller and medium-sized regions performed particularly well, such as the Arc Jurassic (+79%) and Ticino (+67%), but also Eastern Switzerland (+61%) and the Vaud Alps (+ 43%, see Fig. 1). In addition to the good current winter, the last warm winter, which made snow sports particularly difficult or even impossible at lower altitudes, also had a negative impact on the result back then.

But the larger ski areas at higher altitudes were also able to report positive figures. The Bernese Oberland and Central Switzerland also recorded very significant increases, both with an increase of 26% each

Comparison with the 5-year average

If you look at a longer-term period using the 5-year average, 12% more guests have been traveling to the ski areas across Switzerland this season. The Vaud Alps were able to increase significantly, while some regions also reported negative figures, such as the Arc Jurassic (see Fig. 2).

“Our members – the cable car companies and their employees – show the highest level of professionalism and passion every day when it comes to offering guests beautiful experiences on and off the slopes,” says Berno Stoffel, Director of Cable Cars Switzerland. “We are looking forward to a new batch of snow and the winter sports holidays, which have already begun in some cantons.”