The Nationwide Ski Areas Affiliation (NSAA) has launched their U.S. Ski Business reporting information from the 2024/25 season. Typically, the 2024/25 ski season noticed extra skier visits, regardless of beneath common snowfall, in lots of locations throughout the nation. Wholesome capital investments in ski space infrastructure had been additionally made with a rise within the greenback quantity per skier reinvested in stated infrastructure. The 2024/25 ski season is ranked because the second finest on file, because it pertains to ski space visitation, with a whopping 61.5 million guests. This quantity is a 1.7% enhance over the earlier season’s data. Solely the 2022/23 season tops 2024/25 in skier visitation numbers with 3.9 million extra visits that yr. 49% of those skier visits had been made by season go holders compared to the 32% made by carry ticket holders. Based on the NSAA report, this visitation quantity is essential with regards to figuring out the well being of the ski business. Skier visits are counted as each time a person makes use of a carry ticket or ski go at a ski space. This yr’s numbers counsel that whereas it doesn’t fairly measure as much as the post-COVID growth that impacted the 2022/23 season, demand for outside recreation remains to be robust and the U.S. ski business is comparatively wholesome.Need to sustain with the perfect tales and pictures in snowboarding? Subscribe to the brand new Powder To The Folks e-newsletter for weekly updates.
Photograph: Izzy Lidsky
The expansion in skier visits over the 2024/25 season may be attributed to a number of key components that differ from area to area, however collectively point out a brand new baseline of wholesome business progress. The Pacific Northwest, which incorporates Oregon and Washington because the NSAA defines it, recorded its finest season on file when it comes to skier visits throughout Winter 2024/25. Your entire area, which incorporates fifteen ski resorts in Oregon and twenty resorts in Washington, recorded 4.7 million skier visits, which made for a ten.7% enhance over the earlier season. Though snow totals had been beneath the 10-year common within the Pacific Northwest area, a number of PNW resorts had a powerful begin to the season and above common yearly totals, however throughout the board totals had been barely decrease than common. Ski areas within the Pacific Northwest that surpassed their common annual snowfall included Mt. Bachelor (448” YTD, 410” common), Mt. Hood Meadows (461” YTD, 430” common), and Mt. Ashland (318” YTD, 223”). Timberline Lodge, Steven’s Cross, and Mt. Baker had been all comparatively inside their averages, albeit a bit beneath. Willamette Cross, Hoodoo, Summit at Snoqualmie/Alpental, and Crystal Mountain had been all nicely beneath their averages. Equally to the Pacific Northwest, regardless of comparatively beneath common precipitation, the Rocky Mountain area skilled a wholesome share of skier visits. The area, which incorporates Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico’s 120 ski areas, accounted for 42.9% of all nationwide skier visits, and had its third busiest season out of the 47 on file. Jackson Gap (445” YTD, 465” common), Vail (324” YTD, 354” common), and Alta (537” YTD, 545” common) all had complete seasonal snowfalls inside their common ranges. Aspen Mountain (240” YTD, 300” common) and Tamarack (250” YTD, 300” common) had been inside 100” of their seasonal common, whereas Taos (91” YTD, 200” common) and Park Metropolis (237” YTD/ 355” common) had been nicely beneath. Huge Sky ended the season with 48” greater than its common 400” and at 115% of their regular snowpack.
Photograph: Boyne Mountain
The Midwest Area’s 124 ski resorts noticed a big enhance in skier visits, particularly compared to the earlier yr’s 26.7% decline in skier visits. Typically above common precipitation seemingly helped to account for the 21.8% enhance in skier visits through the 2024/25 season. Regardless of a comparatively beneath common snow season, many ski areas proceed to place giant portions of funding in the direction of capital investments for resorts. Through the 2024/25 season, the 135 ski areas that reported capital investments spent a complete of $624.4 million. The best share of those investments was put in the direction of carry infrastructure and the 97 new or upgraded lifts put in throughout or forward of the season. The identical ski areas reported that tasks for the 2025/26 season are underway and presently have funding totaled at $560.7 million. These plans embrace one other 47 new lifts and 70 lifts to see upgrades. Over the past 5 seasons, the common ski space has invested $20.37 per skier go to again into operations. Through the 2024/25 season, this quantity rose to $21.11 per skier go to, or roughly 28% of each carry ticker or go sale.
Associated: 2025 Was the Second Busiest Ski Season in American Historical past
