Visitation to Colorado’s ski resorts was down this past winter, according to Colorado Ski Country USA.
The state’s ski areas had roughly 14 million skier visits for the season, which is 5 percent less than last year, the trade group, which represents 21 Colorado resorts, said in a statement. That’s still a lot of skiers, since last year set a record, according to the statement.
A ‘skier visit’ is defined as one person participating in skiing or snowboarding for any part of one day at a mountain resort.
The winter sports season started off to a slow start this year because of poor snow conditions across the U.S., including in Colorado. But the state’s mountain towns made up some lost ground with a series of big storms in the spring.
“This season was a rollercoaster ride, starting off on the warm and dry side and ending with a notably snowy extended season that stretched deep into spring,” Melanie Mills, president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA, said in the statement. “Our hats are off to the resorts who managed everything the season held.”
Even with the late-season bump, hotels and vacation rentals took a hit to the bottom line this winter. Lodging revenues in Colorado were down from last year, according to data provider DestiMetrics. The slide is due to a combination of lower occupancy and lower room rates.
