Industry News
France’s competition watchdog has fined the Syndicat National des Moniteurs du Ski Français €3.4 million ($3.9 million) for enforcing rules that prevented ski instructors from working outside the country’s dominant ski school network.
In a decision published March 17, the Autorité de la Concurrence found that the union imposed an exclusivity obligationon its members, effectively barring them from offering lessons independently or through competing ski schools. The ruling focuses on a clause introduced in 2006 into the standard agreement governing instructors working with École du Ski Français (ESF). Under that agreement, instructors—most of whom are self-employed—were prohibited from teaching for competing ski schools and/or offering private lessons outside the ESF system. Regulators said the clause had a “particularly broad scope” and amounted to a restriction on instructors’ ability to operate freely in the market.
In France, ski instructors typically operate as independent, self-employed professionals, even when affiliated with large ski schools such as ESF. This structure, in principle, allows instructors to move between schools or offer private lessons, creating potential competition within resorts. That model contrasts sharply with the United States, where ski instruction is almost entirely controlled by resort operators. There, instructors are employed directly by the resort, and independent teaching is generally prohibited, leaving no meaningful competition between ski schools within a given mountain.
The authority concluded that the rule limited both worker mobility, by tying instructors to a single system as well as market competition, by restricting alternatives to ESF. Such practices, it said, risked locking up the national ski instruction market, reducing choice for consumers and opportunities for independent operators. The decision classifies the conduct as an anti-competitive practice “by object”, meaning it is inherently harmful to competition under both EU and French law. The ruling reinforces a broader trend in European competition law, which increasingly scrutinises restrictions within sports organisations.
The authority pointed to recent judgments by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which confirmed that sporting bodies are not exempt from competition rules, particularly when their decisions affect economic activity.
In determining the fine, regulators applied updated rules allowing penalties to be calculated based on the combined global turnover of all affected members, rather than just the organisation itself. The authority also ordered the union to call for financial contributions from its members if necessary to ensure payment of the fine—marking a first use of this mechanism.
The decision could have significant implications for France’s ski instruction system, where ESF has long held a dominant position in many resorts. By challenging exclusivity rules, regulators are signalling greater openness to independent instructors, competing ski schools, and increased labour mobility within the sector. The ruling may also prompt similar scrutiny of employment practices in other areas of the ski and outdoor sports industries.
ESF has not yet publicly announced whether it will appeal the decision.
