Tourism related to skiing and ski resorts generates approximately $6 billion annually in the United States.
According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (www.sfia.org), 11.5 million people in the U.S. (age 6 and older) participate at least once per year in downhill skiing and 8.2 million snowboard.
The two biggest ski resort operators are Intrawest (www.intrawest.com) and Vail Resorts (www.vailresorts.com). Intrawest operates Steamboat and Winter Park in Colorado and other resorts in the U.S. and Canada. Vail Resorts operates Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone in Colorado and several resorts in California, Nevada, Minnesota, and Utah.
According to the 2015-2016 Kottke End-of-Season Survey, published by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA, www.nsaa.org), the U.S. ski industry recorded 53.9 million visits for the 2015-2016 season, an increase from 53.6 million visits the previous year.
Skier visits nationally during the 2015-2016 season were up 6% from a recent low of 51 million visits in 2011-2012, and down 11% from a record high of 60.5 million visits during the 2010-2011 season. The 2015-2016 season was down 4.6% from the 10-year industry average of 56.5 million.
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Skier Demographics
According to a study by International Demographics (www.themediaaudit.com), 60% of skiers are male, 40% are female. More than two-thirds of skiers and snowboarders are between the ages of 18 and 44.
The following metropolitan areas have the highest percentage of adults who have participated in snow skiing or snowboarding within the past year:
Southern New Hampshire: 20.9%
Salt Lake City, UT: 20.0%
Denver, CO: 19.6%
Spokane, WA: 19.1%
Colorado Springs, CO: 17.6%
Boise, ID: 16.8%
Madison, WI: 15.5%
Boston, MA: Syracuse, NY: Buffalo, NY:
The average household income for those who ski or snowboard is $91,976, compared with $64,316 for the general population.
57.3 Ski Resorts: State-by-State
The number of ski resorts operating across the U.S. has declined steadily throughout the past two decades, from 727 in the 1984-1985 season, to 524 during the 1994-1995 season, to 470 in 2015-2016. The following is a current state-by-state count
(source: NSAA): • Alabama: 1 • New Jersey: 2
• Alaska: 9 • New Mexico: 8
• Arizona: 4 • New York: 51
• California: 29 • North Carolina: 6
• Colorado: 30 • North Dakota: 3
• Connecticut: 5 • Ohio: 6
• Idaho: 17 • Oregon: 11
• Iowa: 4 • Pennsylvania: 27
• Illinois: 6 • Rhode Island: 1
• Indiana: 2 • South Dakota: 3
• Maine: 18 • Tennessee: 1
• Maryland: 1 • Utah: 14
• Massachusetts: 13 • Vermont: 24
• Michigan: 44 • Virginia: 5
• Minnesota: 18 • Washington: 14
• Missouri: 2 • West Virginia: 5
• Montana: 15 • Wisconsin: 31
• Nevada: 4 • Wyoming: 10
• New Hampshire: 26
Alaska is increasing in popularity as a ski destination, in part, because of reduced snowfalls elsewhere. Alyeska, the state’s major ski resort, recently completed a multi-million dollar overhaul, bringing new amenities to the resort. While Alaska is known for its harsh winters, Alyeska is located only two miles from the coast and generally isn’t much colder than mountain towns in the Rockies.
Top Ski Resorts
The 2016 Readers Choice Awards poll by 10Best (www.10best.com), a USA Today travel site, ranked the Best Ski Resorts as follows:
Ski Resort
1. Squaw Valley Resort (Olympic Valley, CA)
2. Deer Valley Resort (Park City, UT)
3. Big Sky Resort (Big Sky, MT)
4. Taos Ski Valley (Taos, NM)
5. Stowe Mountain Resort (Stowe, VT)
6. Whistler Blackcomb (Whistler, BC)
7. Grand Targhee Ski Resort (Alta, Wy)
8. Aspen Snowmass (Aspen, CO)
9. Alta Ski Resort (Alta, UT)
10. Mt. Bachelor (Bend, OR)
Cross Country Ski Resort
1. Trapp Family Lodge (Stowe, VT)
2. American Birkebeiner Trail (Hayward, WI)
3. Tahoe Donner (Truckee, CA)
4. Devil’s Thumb Ranch (Tabernash, CO)
5. SilverStar Mountain Resort (Vernon, BC)
6. Lone Mountain Ranch (Big Sky, MT)
7. Craftsbury Outdoor Center (Craftsbury Common, VT)
8. Royal Gorge Cross Country Resort (Soda Springs, CA)
9. Jackson Ski Touring Center (Jackson, NH)
10. Mount Bachelor Nordic Center (Bend, OR)
Best Ski Town
1. Crested Butte, CO
2. North Conway, NH
3. Truckee, CA
4. Lake Placid, NY
5. Steamboat Springs, CO
6. Taos, NM
7. Bozeman, MT
8. Whistler, BC, Canada
9. Stowe, VT
10. Bend, OR
57.5 Market Resources
National Ski Areas Association, 133 S. Van Gordon Street, Suite 300, Lakewood, CO 80228. (303) 987-1111. (www.nsaa.org)
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