Skier visits for Utah resorts drop by 6.5 percent during 2008-09 season

June 17, 1:03 PMSkiing ExaminerEric Wagnon

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The Canyons Resort in Park City has expanded in recent years.
                      Photo: The Canyons Resort/Dan Campbell-Lloyd

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Utah visits total almost 4 million

Ski Utah, the promotional arm of the Utah ski and snowboard industry, released figures Wednesday showing a 6.5 percent decline in skier visits for the 2008-09 season. The total of 3,972,984 skier visits fell short of the prior season's fifth consecutive record-breaking year at 4,249,190. A skier visit is defined as one person visiting a ski area for any part of a day or night for the purpose of skiing or snowboarding.

The 2008-09 total was actually slightly above the average of 3,943,638 skier visits, calculated from the previous five years. The Utah ski industry has grown by 34 percent, or about 1 million skier visits, in the past 10 years. The 1999-2000 season drew 2,959,778 skier visits.

During the past decade, The Canyons Resort and Snowbasin expanded significantly. The 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah also brought worldwide attention to the area.

“Despite the global economy, Utah’s ski industry is pleased with its performance during the 2008-09 winter season,” said Nathan Rafferty, president of Ski Utah. “Skiers and snowboarders possess an incredible fervor for the sport and are committed to annual participation. Our industry is optimistic about the future and looks forward to many great years to come.”

National visits down 5.5 percent

Eleven of Utah's 13 major ski resorts are located within 55 miles
of Salt Lake City.                                                            Photo: Ski Utah

The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) published estimates in May that showed skier visits across the country totalled 57.1 million, down 5.5 percent from the previous year. The Rocky Mountain region, consisting of Colo., Idaho, Mont., N.M., Utah and Wyo., experienced a 7.2 percent decline, going from 21.3 million visits during the 2007-08 season down to 19.8 million visits.

While the 2008-09 season national skier-visit figure did drop significantly from the previous year, the season's estimate was actually a 0.8 percent increase from the 10-year average. The skier-visit totals have stayed in a rather narrow range during that time. In fact, the most recent number of 57.1 million was almost identical to the 2000-01 figure of 57.2 million.

Vermont surpasses Utah total

Vermont and Utah have drawn similar numbers of skiers in recent years. For the second consecutive year, Vermont's skier visits slightly exceeded Utah's total. The Vermont Ski Areas Association announced on June 11 that the state's ski resorts recorded 4,068,696 skier visits for the 2008-09 season. The total showed a 7.5 percent decrease from 2007-08, but was in line with the five-year average. The record number of skier and snowboarder visits for Vermont came in 2000-01, when 4.5 million skier visits were counted.

Colorado records almost 12 million visits

With about twice as many major ski resorts as Utah, the state of Colorado recorded about three times as many skier visits. Colorado Ski Country USA released estimates on June 11 that the state saw 11.85 million 2008-09 skier visits, a 5.5 percent decline from the previous year.

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 Source: Ski Utah

2009 Video from Snowbird, Utah