Vermont logs more than 4 million skier visits for 2008-09 season

June 21, 9:39 AMSkiing ExaminerEric Wagnon

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Killington Resort is Vermont's largest ski area with 1,001 skiable
acres and a vertical drop of 3,050 feet.
                                                      Photo: VSAA/Killington Resort

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Vermont slides 6.6 percent

The Vermont Ski Areas Association announced earlier this month that the state's ski resorts recorded 4,068,696 skier visits for the 2008-09 season. Compared to the 2007-08 total of 4,354,621 skier visits, Vermont saw a 6.6 percent decline.

This past season's mark, however, beat the 2006-07 season that drew 3,820,431 visits, the worst tally in more than a decade. A skier visit is defined as one person, either a skier or snowboarder, visiting a ski area for all or part of a day or night.

"Vermont's ski industry held up very well in spite of the enormous challenges of the current economic climate," said Parker Riehle, president of the Vermont Ski Areas Association. 

"With the tight economy, skiers and riders stayed closer to home and Vermont's winter tourism economy benefited from our day's-drive proximity to 80 million people," Riehle said.

The Vermont ski industry hit a record high during the 2000-01 season with 4.5 million skier visits, but generally the trend has been flat since the 1990s. For example, the 1995-96 season attracted a total of 4.1 million skier visits that was in line with this past season.

Mad River Glen is known for its historic single-chair and its ban
on snowboarding, placing it alongside Alta and Deer Valley in 
Utah as the remaining skiers-only U.S. resorts.
                                   Photo: VSAA/Mad River Glen Cooperative

National visits down 5.5 percent

The National Ski Areas Association estimated 57.1 million skier visits for the season, a drop of 5.5 percent. The Northeast region fell to 13.8 million from 14.1 million the previous season. Ski Utah, the marketing arm for the Utah ski industry, reported 3,972,984 skier visits, a 6.5 percent decrease from the prior season.

Colorado draws the most skier visits of any state. Colorado Ski Country USA, an association of resorts in the state, estimated 11.85 million skier visits for the season, down about 690,000 visits from the previous year. Colorado's percentage drop was exactly in line with the national trend.

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 Source: Vermont Ski Areas Assoc.