The Savills Ski Resilience Index ranks major global ski resorts using five metrics to measure the quality and reliability of a resort’s conditions, and its resilience against climate change. Such factors are also important for investors in ski resorts to understand. The five metrics compare snowfall, reliability, season length, altitude and temperature. For the past three years, the index has compared these metrics for more than 50 global resorts, meaning we can examine how the resilience of each resort has (or hasn’t) changed over this period.

In a league of their own

Over the past three years, the same six resorts have topped the Resilience Index, with the top six vying for the lead positions between them. In order of their ranking this year, the resorts are: Zermatt (Switzerland), Saas-Fee (Switzerland), Breuil-Cervinia (Italy), Vail (USA), Aspen (USA) and Obertauern (Austria).

The Swiss resorts of Zermatt and Saas-Fee finish in first and second place respectively, for the third year in a row. They remain the most resilient due to their location in a high-mountain glacier surrounding, allowing for low average temperatures and long seasons. Meanwhile, Breuil-Cervinia moves up three places to third for the first time, driven by a high level of snowfall in the 2018/19 season.

Andermatt continues its rise up the index, moving to seventh, from 10th in 2018 and 45th in 2017. The Swiss resort has benefitted from high snowfall over the past two seasons, in turn, improving its score for both snowfall and reliability. Similarly, Obergurgl in Austria has risen 21 places since 2017 after experiencing improved snowfall over the past few years.

Conversely, Norway’s Trysil has fallen the most places over the past three years, having dropped from 20th in 2017 to 42nd this year. Average temperatures over the last season were warmer compared with the year before, while the resort ranks in the bottom 10 for average annual snowfall. Seefeld (Rosshütte) in Austria has fallen 18 places over the same period; the resort had a good season for snowfall last year, but has scored less well for average temperature.

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