After two years of record-setting numbers, skier visits at U.S. resorts fell 7% this past season to 60.4 million, fifth most since the National Ski Areas Association began tracking them in 1978-79.
Nationwide, numbers declined by 5 million skiers and riders. Numbers in the Rocky Mountain Region, which includes Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Arizona and New Mexico in addition to Colorado, declined 5%.
The numbers were released Wednesday at the NSAA’s national convention in Frisco, Texas. NSAA, which has its headquarters in Lakewood, does not break out numbers by state. Colorado’s numbers will be released by Colorado Ski Country USA at its annual meeting on June 6.
In a news release, NSAA noted that unseasonably warm temperatures delayed the start of the ski season in much of the country.
“Some ski area operators described the season as a roller coaster, and I applaud those same operators for being flexible, reopening to take advantage of a late-season storm or making snow in late March to squeeze in one more week,” NSAA president Kelly Pawlak said in a news release. “Skiers are a hardy bunch, and responded enthusiastically.”
While snowfall was excellent across much of Colorado, that was not the case in many regions of the country. The average snowfall for U.S. ski areas was 158 inches, a 30% decline from last season. Thirteen Colorado ski areas received in excess of 300 inches, led by Steamboat (425) and Winter Park (398).
