U.S. Ski Resorts Had Second-Best Season On Record In 2024–25

Forbes

a day ago

As the ski industry faces issues ranging from corporate consolidation to increasingly unpredictable snowfall, there is some good news to end the 2024–25 season.
According to preliminary data from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), U.S. ski areas saw the second-highest visitation on record this past season, with a total of 61.5 million skier visits. That marks a a 1.7% increase over the previous season. And the number of skier visits for the 2024–25 season will continue to climb as several resorts have extended their seasons.
The highest visitation totals on record, 65.4 million in the 2022–23 season, were the result of a post-Covid surge, but this number is considered an outlier across the travel and recreation industries.
The visitation total is one data point in an overall positive trend for the industry.
Globally, ski resorts saw more than 366 million skier visits last season. The average for worldwide skier visits is higher after Covid-19 than in the years before 2020, per the International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism. In 2023–24, Italy and Chile marked their best-ever ski seasons.
Domestically, the NSAA set a goal several years ago of reaching a three-year rolling average of 60 million skier visits at U.S. resorts. The industry has surpassed that figure for four consecutive seasons. The number of ski areas operating in the U.S. also rose from 484 last season to 492 this season.
The NSAA groups U.S. ski resorts into six regions: the Pacific Northwest, Pacific Southwest, Rocky Mountain, Midwest, Northeast and Southeast.
In particular, small- and medium-sized ski areas saw increased visits, and the Pacific Northwest enjoyed a a record-setting year, with 4.7 million skier visits, a 10.9% increase over the previous year.
After a decline in visits in 2023–24 due to unseasonably warm weather, the Midwest enjoyed a 21.8% increase in skier visits in 2024–25.
Visits in the Rocky Mountain region, which accounted for 42.9% of all national visits in 2024-25, were the third-most out of 47 recorded seasons.
While snowfall averages were down slightly (6.9% year-over-year) in the Rocky Mountain, Pacific Southwest and Pacific Northwest regions, the Southeast and Midwest regions saw above-average snow totals. The Northeast met its average.
'While weather will always be unpredictable, this year was less volatile overall, and nearly every region saw solid snowfall,' said NSAA president and CEO Michael Reitzell.
Capital investment by U.S. ski areas (based on reported investment from 135 responding areas) totaled $624.4 million, the majority of which went to lift infrastructure. Nationwide, 97 new and upgraded lifts were installed.
Surveyed ski areas reported plans for 47 new lifts and 70 lift upgrades in 2025–26.
Season pass holders made up nearly half (49%) of all visits nationally this season, with 32% of visits coming from day lift tickets. The remaining visits are composed of factors such as frequency products, off-duty employees and complimentary products.
'The 2024–25 season may come to represent a new baseline for the industry. Even if 'normal' continues to evolve, this season gives us a strong point of reference for what steady, healthy growth looks like,' Reitzell added.