The widely fluctuating, generally weakening rouble has resulted in Russians increasingly skiing in their own country again. This emerges from the 2020 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism. According to the latest study by Laurent Vanat, the poor exchange rate of the Russian currency has prevented many Russians from spending their winter holidays in the Alps.

Surveys show that the number of Russian tourists travelling abroad declined sharply – for example by 30 percent in the 2015/16 season. At the same time, the number of foreign skiers in Russia increased, as the holiday became cheaper for them.

Although skier numbers in Russia stagnated at the level of previous years in 2016/17, the winter of 2017/18 immediately looked better with an increase of fi ve percent. The sustained growth in the Northern Caucasus and Siberia ultimately pushed up skier visits even further in 2018/19, from around 6.75 million skier visits in 2016/17 to 8.16 million in 2018/19.

Locals account for around half of these (4.2 million). Nonetheless, the proportion of Russians who ski is still only around three percent – the potential for winter sports in this vast country is therefore huge.

The number of ski resorts in Russia has grown signifi cantly since 2012 but remained static at 350 since 2018. Many destinations have only limited infrastructure, which is also in need of renovation. There are roughly 40 small ski resorts around Moscow and several around St Petersburg, although neither city lies in a mountainous region.

The principal ski resorts in the country are located in the Urals and in the Caucasus. There are other ski regions in Siberia, on the island of Sakhalin and on the Kamchatka Peninsula. At present, 75 of Russia’s 83 regions offer their population at least one ski resort.

There should be even more to come: five ski resorts are planned under the name Northern Caucasus, which are to be created through a public-private partnership. The aim is for 179 cableways, 879 kilometres of pistes and 150,000 guests per day. The instigators of the multi-billioneuro project anticipate over ten million
tourists per year.

Since then, however, parts of the project have been deferred; only three of the fi ve ski resorts will be implemented. Another major project is a year-round destination in the Nizhny Novgorod region. This ski resort should meet international requirements and be designed for 1,900 people.

The idea is in the planning phase. ts Further information about the Russian winter sports market and the complete 2020 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism can be found at www.vanat.ch.