The bottom line: Alcohol free-ski retreats show that removing drinking from leisure settings can strengthen recovery, performance, and social connection without reducing enjoyment or motivation. For mental health and well being, combining physical challenge with routine, reflection, and shared discussion appears to support better sleep, clearer thinking, and faster trust building than nightlife focused holidays. For healthcare practice and public policy, this model points towards preventative, alcohol free leisure programmes as a credible way to promote resilience, reduce burnout, and support healthier social norms.
Alcohol-free ski retreats are beginning to appear in parts of the French Alps, reflecting changing attitudes towards how some people use leisure time for recovery, performance, and social connection. Rather than centring ski holidays on drinking and nightlife, these programmes combine physical activity with structured routines and shared discussion, while removing alcohol from the setting.
One recent example took place in Méribel at the end of January, where nine participants attended a seven-night retreat in the Three Valleys ski area. The region spans more than 600 kilometres of pistes across Méribel, Courchevel, and Val Thorens.
The retreat was organised by Soberski, an initiative developed by founder Ben Coombes. “When I first sketched out the idea for Soberski, I wasn’t trying to create just another ski holiday. I wanted to build something different. A week in the mountains that combined adventure, performance, reflection and community, without alcohol being at the centre of it all,” he said. “At the end of January, that idea finally became reality.”
Participants skied in ability-matched groups during the day before returning to shared chalet accommodation in the evening. Meals were prepared by a private chef, followed by long dinners and informal fireside discussions. Ben described the atmosphere across the week as “ambitious, curious, open minded and quietly electric.”
Across the seven nights, more than 20 guided wellness sessions were delivered alongside full days on the slopes. These included daily yoga, breathwork, cold water immersion, mobility work, and mindset workshops designed to support recovery and complement physical performance.
Ben said the speed at which relationships formed stood out. “What struck me most was how quickly strangers became a team. By midweek, people were pushing each other on steeper runs, plunging into ice baths together before dinner, and staying up late swapping stories about careers, challenges and what they wanted more of from life. That blend of physical exertion and honest conversation is exactly what Soberski is about.”
Following the retreat, participants shared feedback describing renewed confidence, new friendships, better sleep, and clearer thinking. Several have since reserved places on future trips, while others have shared the experience within their personal and professional networks.
A second retreat is scheduled to take place in Méribel from 21st–28th March 2026, following feedback from participants in the January programme.
Reflecting on the January retreat, he added, “Launching Soberski has been one of the most intense and rewarding things I’ve ever done. Seeing nine people arrive as individuals and leave as a tight knit group, energised and inspired, confirmed that this concept has real momentum behind it.”
January marked the first test of the format, with the March retreat set to follow the same structure in the same alcohol-free setting.
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Image credit: Harry Anderson