Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) said that its 22 member resorts reported a 10% increase in skier visitation between opening day and Dec. 31, 2010, compared to the same period of the prior year.
“Consistent snow and reliable conditions contributed to a very positive start to the season,” commented Melanie Mills, president & CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA. “There is a lot of ski season left but we’ve set a good pace, have great snow conditions and hope the momentum continues.”
Abundant early season snow across much of the state allowed many resorts to open with more terrain and lifts than is typically offered on an opening day or even in the early season. The variety of terrain available by November, along with heavy November snow, helped get the word out and drive visitation to resorts around the Thanksgiving holiday. However, in few parts of the state, drier conditions brought challenges to some resorts which saw later opening dates than normal.
Guests enjoyed generous snow conditions over the Christmas holiday. “Skiers and riders turned out in strong numbers to enjoy the slopes during the holidays, until the cold temperatures of the New Year’s weekend sent them in search of hot chocolate,” continues Mills.
Skier visits are the metric used to track participation in skiing and snowboarding. A skier visit represents a person participating in the sport of skiing or snowboarding for any part of one day at a mountain resort.
