25 July 2026
By Julia Schneemann – Snow Brains
One season after France introduced one of the world’s most sweeping anti-smoking policies for ski resorts, Spain is preparing to follow with a nationwide ban of its own. Spain’s Council of Ministers has approved draft legislation that would prohibit smoking and vaping at ski resorts as part of a major overhaul of the country’s tobacco laws. The proposal, which now heads to Parliament, would classify ski resorts as outdoor sports facilities where smoking is no longer permitted, alongside beaches, restaurant terraces, swimming pools, university campuses, concerts, and other shared public spaces. If approved, Spain would become only the second major European ski nation to introduce nationwide smoking restrictions covering ski resorts.
The proposal is part of a broader public health strategy unveiled by Health Minister Mónica García Gómez, who described the legislation as another milestone in Spain’s efforts to reduce tobacco use after years of prohibiting smoking inside public buildings. “Through this law, we want to mark another turning point in the protection of public health,” García Gómez said, noting that smoking is responsible for approximately 50,000 deaths annually in Spain and is a contributing factor in roughly 30% of cancer cases. She said the government’s long-term objective is to move toward “a tobacco-free generation” while making clean air the standard in shared public spaces.
France broke new ground ahead of the 2025-26 winter season when it confirmed that smoking would be prohibited across every ski resort in the country — not only on chairlifts and gondolas, but also in lift queues and on ski slopes themselves. Under France’s decree, ski areas were classified as sports facilities, placing them under the same legal framework as stadiums and swimming pools. Anyone caught smoking on the slopes now faces a minimum €135 ($154) fine.
The French government said public health was only one motivation. Environmental concerns also played a major role after environmental organization Mountain Riders collected more than 60,000 cigarette butts during mountain clean-up campaigns. According to the organization, a single cigarette butt can contaminate up to 500 liters of water. France Montagnes, which represents the country’s mountain tourism industry, launched a nationwide awareness campaign ahead of last winter with posters carrying slogans such as “The view is already breathtaking enough,” encouraging skiers to leave cigarettes behind before stepping onto the slopes.
Spain’s proposal is broader than France’s ski-specific legislation, incorporating ski resorts into a nationwide expansion of smoke-free outdoor spaces. The draft law would also tighten restrictions on vaping by regulating e-cigarettes similarly to conventional tobacco, introduce stronger protections for minors, restrict the sale of nicotine products, and implement a comprehensive ban on advertising tobacco products and e-cigarettes.
Elsewhere in the ski world, smoke-free policies have largely been introduced resort by resort rather than through national legislation. Resorts including Aspen Snowmass, Vail, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Park City, and Whistler Blackcomb all prohibit smoking in lift lines, gondolas, mountain restaurants, and many public gathering areas, although designated smoking areas typically remain available elsewhere on resort property.
Spain’s legislation still faces a lengthy political process before becoming law. Approval by the Council of Ministers marks only the first stage, with Parliament now set to debate the proposal. The government does not currently hold a guaranteed majority, and opposition is expected from Spain’s hospitality industry, which has criticized extending smoking bans to outdoor terraces and other public spaces.
Smoking on chairlifts has already disappeared across much of North America, and France has gone a step further by banning it throughout its ski areas altogether. If Spain’s Parliament approves the proposal, another of Europe’s premier ski destinations could soon offer visitors the same experience: mountain air without cigarette smoke.