Infrastructure Investment

For the top ski resorts globally, consistent investment in their core infrastructure is crucial to allowing visitors to get the most out of the mountain. These investments can extend the lifespan of resort amenities and create new experiences for new and regular guests alike. This can take the form of upgrading existing amenities and building new attractions to enhance alpine lifestyle offerings.

Lifts are critical infrastructure for any mountain resort, one that both enables and symbolises the high-altitude opportunities at any alpine destination. As such, constant investment in improvements and development of new lifts is crucial to expanding the variety of pistes and experiences available. Since the pandemic, each subsequent season has seen an increase in the deliveries of new lifts in our tracked resorts, starting at 21 in the 2020–2021 season to 35 planned and recently completed lifts for the 2024–2025 season.

This continued growth in lifts underscores broader confidence in the industry. Austria, France, Italy, and Switzerland all saw significant lift per resort deliveries between 2020 and 2024.

France leads in this metric, with almost four completed lifts per resort over that period. Italy comes in first for planned lifts, with three planned per resort, as the 2026 Winter Olympics will be hosted in Cortina D’Ampezzo, presenting the perfect opportunity to expand the region’s infrastructure.

The global ski industry is becoming increasingly intertwined across borders and resorts, a key example of this being the recent investments of Vail Resorts (based in Colorado) in the Swiss resorts of Andermatt and Crans-Montana. These investments not only aim to improve the infrastructure and offerings of these resorts, but also extend the company’s Epic Pass programme to Europe, which may incentivise more international tourism to these destinations.

For individual resorts, there are opportunities to collaborate on infrastructure where it makes sense. An example of this is the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing, which recently opened and represents the highest border crossing in the Alps that directly connects the Zermatt and Breuil-Cervinia resorts in Switzerland and Italy, respectively. It makes several stops between its destinations where visitors can take part in a variety of activities, such as viewing platforms and Europe’s highest museum. This infrastructure elevates these resorts with new experiences but also benefits both resorts with increased foot traffic from their respective neighbour.

The need for climate resilience provides more opportunities for infrastructure investment. Many top ski destinations are investing in making their operations more environmentally friendly. These investments can include energy efficiency measures such as installing solar panels on the roofs of lifts and structures and purchasing energy-optimised and efficient snow machines to extend the ski season sustainably and responsibly. Upgrading and maintenance of high-quality insulation can also reduce the amount of energy needed to heat indoor spaces and reduce costs.

In the face of a changing climate, ski resorts are increasingly expected to be environmentally conscious. Investing in these measures can not only improve public perception but also improve the guest experience and running of the resort.

If you’re considering a move, whether buying, selling or renting, our team would be delighted to assist with your ski property enquiries.

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