Winter landscape in Dolomites at Cortina D’Ampezzo ski resort, Italy.

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Is this the year you’ll finally head to Europe to ski? While the Winter Olympics are being held in Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites in February, skiing will continue as usual on the rest of the continent.

A ski trip to Europe, to the Swiss resort of Zermatt or the Austrian resort of St. Anton, can be something of a rite of passage. Factor in charming ski villages, long lunches at mountain huts, and après-ski life that is beyond anything in North America, and you can see the appeal.

“Our European skiing business has continued to grow every year since it opened back up after Covid.”

It’s only September, and yet it’s already looking to be a boom year for American skiers and boarders heading to Europe, according to Ski.com, North America’s largest provider of ski vacation packages.

“Our European skiing business has continued to grow every year since it opened back up after Covid,” Dan Sherman, CMO of Ski.com, said. “This year, we are already trending 34% year over year. And last year was also big, with a similar percentage of growth the year before that.”

Italy and the Winter Olympic Games

That said, there are some outliers in the bookings this year.

“Italy is down despite Europe being up, and that’s definitely because of the Olympics being held in Cortina d’Ampezzo,” Sherman said. “I don’t think that it’s necessarily a demand thing, but it’s more of an unavailability thing. An interesting statistic I obtained from one of our salespeople yesterday is that there are hotels in Cortina that require a 20-night minimum stay during the Games. I’ve never heard of anything like that before.”

The 25th Winter Olympic Games run from February 6 – 22, 2026, and Sherman says that while Cortana may be out, nearby areas, such as “the Sella Rhonda, and resorts like Val Gardena, Alta Badia, and Val di Fassa, have availability. These are resorts that are not as well-known as Cortina, and they’re not as involved with the Olympics.”

He suggests these as alternatives that Ski.com is looking at for people who have their heart set on Italy. Yet he also cautions that once you factor in the Paralympics, from March 6 to 5, “the Games will take up a lot of the Italian winter. Even if you’re visiting some of the other resorts, expect a bit of a frenzy at the airport or on the trains. Even if you’re avoiding the Olympics, you’ll probably still feel it.”

Zermatt, Switzerland.

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The Swiss resort of Zermatt, with its car-free village, views of the Matterhorn, and a wide variety of hotels, remains Ski.com’s number one destination for its clients heading to Europe to ski. It’s the charming village and amazing skiing that keep them coming back.

“Stay in one place and ski in France, Italy, and Switzerland. That’s one of my favorite parts of Chamonix.”

But there are other alternatives. Sherman says that Ischgl in Austria, as well as Lech in the Arlberg region of that country, are becoming increasingly popular.

Chamonix Offer Skiing in Three Countries

He also singles out Chamonix, the French ski resort town at the base of Mont Blanc, which borders Italy and Switzerland, as a great alternative.

“France is way up, and I think part of it is because the price point and Chamonix continue to be one of our bestselling resorts,” Sherman said. “There are a lot of different lodging options for different types of travelers.”

Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France

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Sherman adds that lodging is also very affordable, and the hotels can easily accommodate larger families and groups of friends. The French Alps benefit from air access via Geneva, a great connector city across the border in Switzerland, with ample lift from North America.

Sherman says he’s skied there half a dozen times and points to the Mont Blanc Unlimited pass, which allows you to “stay in one place and ski in France, Italy, and Switzerland. That’s one of my favorite parts of Chamonix.”

Les 3 Vallées in France is also a popular destination for Ski.com clients, especially Courchevel. Sherman notes that “they have such great ski and ski out options. And then one last one that’s an outlier for Americans, and it’s rare these days to find an international destination that’s trending that’s not on a ski pass like Ikon or Epic, which is Val d’Isere.”

For more on European skiing, go to Ski.com.