Going Solo. Single Ski Holidays On The Rise

You just have to search 'singles ski holiday' online to see how popular going solo on a ski or snowboard trip has become. From small indie ski holiday organisers to the big tour ops, there is no shortage of choice offering solo ski holidays to meet new friends. And, significantly, all are attracting solo skiers with none of the usual price supplements to penalise being single.

This is a growing sector of the ski holiday, in contrast to family ski trips which have started to drop as costs have escalated. The market is highlighted by the latest research from the Mountain Trade Network in partnership with the Ski Club of Great Britain and retailer, Snow + Rock, featuring data for UK skiers and snowboarders across the ski destination travel industry and making comparisons over the past three years.

The Adventure Travel Conference recently reported a 23 percent year-on-year increase in solo bookings from the 35–44 age group, with 16 percent of all new travellers now going solo.

When it comes to ski holidays, 18 percent chose to go skiing alone, last winter (compared to 13 percent in 2023), in contrast to family ski holiday figures, which have taken a hit, although they still make up 60 percent of the market (but down from 68 percent in 2023).

Savvy ski operators are starting to recognise and accommodate this growing market. Luxury chalet operator VIP SKI, reporting a remarkable 45 percent increase in solo ski bookings over the past three seasons, offers catered chalets ideal for individual bookings with no-single-supplement deals and complimentary transfers from Geneva. 

Gareth Crump, Sales Director at VIP SKI comments: 'People aren’t waiting around for someone to say yes to a trip anymore. They’re realising that skiing solo doesn’t mean skiing alone. Our chalets are friendly, our guides are welcoming, and we’ve made it easier and more affordable to go for it.'

Other take-away trends from the latest research for ski holidays include:

• A slight drop in ski holidays numbers overall
• A rise in Brits taking more than one ski holiday per season -  34 percent take two trips (up from 25 percent in 2023) and 9 percent splurge on four or more trips (compared with 5 percent in 2023)
• Earlier bookings have increased -  41 percent last winter booked their skiing holiday more than six months before travel (up from 32 percent in 2023)
• Catered chalets are back following a decline after Brexit and Covid
• France is still the most popular ski destination favoured by 59 percent of Brits followed by Austria, Italy and Switzerland
• Size of the ski area, price and resort altitude are the main criteria for UK skiers choosing their ski holiday, but off-piste skiing options is a growing factor as well as being able to avoid more crowded slopes
• Resort websites are still the number one place for inspiration, information and advice (66 percent) but magazines have seen the largest growth (34 percent compared to 24 percent in 2023)
• Instagram is now the largest social media platform for skiers, with 25 percent saying they use it, although in the 18 to 35 age bracket, this goes up to 58 percent.
• There's an increase in AI use for research (4 percent compared to 0 percent in 2023), increasing to 17 percent in the 18-35 (NB not everyone considers Google as AI)