Mountain High Resort in Wrightwood, CA reported a record-breaking holiday season with skier visits up more than 40% over last year for the two-week Christmas period. This marks a 36% increase over the resort’s 12-year average and a welcome relief for weary resort managers. Significant factors leading to the increase include strong early-season advertising, trade-down vacation scenarios due to the weakened economy, and four and a half feet of natural snow the week prior to Christmas.

“Mountain High experienced the perfect storm,” said President and CEO Karl Kapuscinski. “The four feet of snow prior to the holidays, in combination with pent-up demand due to a later than normal opening, and tendencies to ski closer to home all fell in line to deliver a record breaking holiday season.”

Mountain High’s North Pole Tubing Park also saw an increase of 50% over the same period last year operating near full capacity seven days per week. The North Pole Tubing Park is the region’s largest tubing area with up to 12 lanes serviced by two surface lifts.

Mountain High’s record breaking holiday season supports the popular belief that snowfall is the leading factor in determining skier visits, even in the face of economic uncertainty, said the resort. Mountain High has benefited from trade-down vacationers who are replacing week-long destination vacations with single day and weekend trips. Management remains optimistic that with the right conditions skier visits will remain strong throughout the season.