Travel association Abta estimates that 1.7 million Britons have already booked or are planning to book a winter sports holiday during the 2022-23 season.

“For many people it will be the first time in three years that they’ve had the opportunity to hit the slopes after the Covid-19 pandemic severely restricted winter sports seasons,” said Abta.

The association added that its members were reporting “very strong demand” for ski breaks, especially for the key holiday weeks at Christmas and New Year, February half-term and Easter.

France remains “by far” the most popular winter sports destination for Brits, although Abta members are also seeing “strong interest” for ski resorts in countries such as Canada and Norway.

Abta reiterated the need for winter sports travellers to take out “appropriate” travel insurance, which was “especially important” for ski holidays where potential expenses such as air ambulances or being airlifted from the slopes can “quickly run into tens of thousands of pounds”.

Susan Deer, Abta’s director of industry relations at Abta, said: “Winter sports lovers have been deprived of their much-loved snow and slopes for almost three full seasons due to pandemic travel restrictions and many will be so happy to be able to head off once again. 

“The season has already started with many resorts reporting good snow conditions. A little bit of advance preparation, especially taking out appropriate travel insurance and getting yourself fit for the slopes, can really help you avoid some serious pitfalls and unnecessary expense.”

Abta has also created a list of top tips aimed at helping ski customers to get “winter sports ready”.

Simon McIntyre, general manager of Iglu Ski, added: “We can confirm that we have had a consistently strong demand from skiers and boarders all over the UK.

“Last season ended well and repeat bookings are positive. October and November sales were notably pleasing. We are definitely seeing the bounce back we wanted for winter sports.”