Here’s how many visitors skied in the Rocky Mountains this season
DENVER (KDVR) — The National Ski Areas Association is reporting 26.7 million ski visitors to the Rocky Mountain region this season.
While that is the largest preliminary number of skiers reported in any of the association’s regions, that number is a 5% decrease from the 2022-23 ski season. Last season, 28.2 million skiers visited the Rocky Mountain region’s numerous ski areas.
Winter Park wants to expand with a new restaurant, trails and a gondola
The association breaks down the nation into six regions, such as the Rocky Mountain region, which includes Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. The Rocky Mountain region typically has the highest visitorship, which was again the case in the 2023-24 ski season.
The ski season isn’t quite over yet, either: Winter Park announced earlier this week that it would finally cease ski operations on Memorial Day, and Arapahoe Basin plans to be open into June.
US ski season numbers
Around 60.4 million people visited U.S. ski areas in the 2023-24 ski season, according to the association. That would make this past season the fifth-best on record since 1978-79 when the association first began tracking ski visits.
“Skiers are a hardy bunch and responded enthusiastically. The strong skier visits speak volumes to their passion for sliding on snow,” said Kelly Pawlak, NSAA president and CEO, in the season visitorship announcement.
The U.S. saw almost 65.4 million ski visits the previous season. It was the highest number of ski visits the NSAA has recorded, topping the 2021-22 season that previously had the highest number of ski visits.
Colorado ski area closing dates for the 2023-24 season
The Midwest region was the fourth-most-visited, but saw the biggest year-over-year decrease of about 26.7%, according to the NSAA. That’s on top of a slightly below-average snowfall season, according to the NSAA, which shortened the average season length by about a week from last year.
“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,” said Pawlak.
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