The Winter Olympics are underway, but EU ski and snowboard production is slowing: Austria leads the sector

Brussels – In 2024, 4.4 million skis and snowboards were produced in the European Union, a 19 per cent reduction compared to the previous year. With the Olympic torch arriving in Milan and attention focused on winter sports, Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, is getting to the heart of the matter by releasing data on the production, imports, and exports of skis and snowboards in 2024. These figures tell the story of a shrinking sector and of a well-defined industrial geography dominated by Austria. 

According to data, in 2024, the European Union produced  4.4 million skis and related products. Of these, 40 per cent were manufactured in Austria, which remains the leading producer among the 27 EU countries. However, Vienna is not only at the top of the production rankings: it is also the leading European player in both the export and import of ski equipment.

 Exports to non-EU countries reached 2 million units, marking a 19 per cent decline from 2023, when they stood at 2.4 million. Austria was first, accounting for 48 per cent of the total (0.9 million). It is followed by France, with 15 per cent (0.3 million), and Germany, which completes the podium with 12 per cent (0.2 million). Looking at destinations, the United States is the main market for European skis, accounting for 38 per cent of extra-EU exports, equal to approximately 0.7 million products. Switzerland ranks second with 14 per cent (0.3 million), followed by Canada, which purchases just over a tenth of total exports, 11 per cent, equal to 0.1 million skis and snowboards. 

The same players are also involved in imports from non-EU countries, which in 2024 totaled 1.2 million units, down 35 per cent from the previous year (when they stood at 1.9 million). Austria again leads the ranking, with 52 per cent of imports, followed by Germany (17 per cent) and France (8 per cent). As for the origin of imported products, the main non-EU supplier is Ukraine, accounting for 38 per cent of skis and snowboards purchased, equal to 0.4 million units. China follows closely, accounting for almost 38 per cent and 0.4 million units, followed by Taiwan with 82,000 products, equal to 8 per cent, and finally Switzerland with 5 per cent, equivalent to 56,000 ski products.