Skier visits to Colorado Ski Country USA's (CSCUSA) 21 member resorts increased by 3.7 percent in January and February, compared to the same period in 2014.
“At the start of the season we set a strong pace in visitation, and that pace continued through the second period, exceeding expectations given some bouts of unseasonable weather in January,” explained Melanie Mills, president and CEO, Colorado Ski Country USA.
Second period visitation pushed the industry slightly ahead in season-to-date skier visit totals compared to the same point in time last year. For the 2014/15 season to date, defined as opening day through February 28, 2015, visitation at CSCUSA resorts was up by 1.9 percent compared to the same time last season, which was the best season on record.
“One of the benefits of skiing and snowboarding in Colorado is taking advantage of beautiful sunshine, which visitors saw a lot of in January, until snowy, wintery weather returned in February. In February, consistent snowstorms swept across the state raising spirits and snowpack,” continued Mills.
With great spring skiing conditions all around the state, resorts are welcoming spring break visitors and guests from all over the world. “Looking ahead we’re cautiously optimistic; especially since we still have a lot of ski season left. March and April are typically very snowy months in Colorado and we’d be thrilled to see this pace continue,” said Mills.
Final season visitation numbers will be announced at CSCUSA’s 52nd Annual Meeting in June. 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.
