Editing Alpine skiing (section)

==Participants and venues==
[[File: Rastkogel ski slope.jpg |right|thumb|Alpine ski slope in the [[Zillertal]] valley, Austria]]
[[File:Base del Cerro Catedral en Bariloche. (Patagonia Argentina) 01.JPG|right|thumb|225px|Alpine ski slopes in [[San Carlos de Bariloche]] (Argentina)]]
As of 2023, there were estimated to be 55 million people worldwide who engaged in alpine skiing. The estimated number of skiers, who practiced alpine, [[cross-country skiing]], and related snow sports, amounted to 30 million in Europe, 20 million in North America, and 14 million in Japan. As of 1996, there were reportedly 4,500 ski areas, operating 26,000 ski lifts and enjoying skier visits. The predominant region for downhill skiing was Europe, followed by Japan and the US.<ref>
{{cite book |last=Hudson |first=Simon |title=Snow Business: A Study of the International Ski Industry |publisher=Cengage Learning EMEA |series=Tourism (Cassell) |date=2000 |page=26 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tGRLt8tG-kMC&q=Snow+Business%3A+A+Study+of+the+International+Ski+Industry |access-date=May 15, 2018 |isbn=9780304704712}}</ref>