Colorado resorts racked up a record 14.8 million skier visits this past season, a million more than the previous record set last year, according to Colorado Ski Country USA.
That represents approximately 23% of U.S. skier visits, according to a Ski Country news release posted during the trade association’s annual meeting on Thursday.
Ski Country reported that its 21 member resorts recorded an increase of nearly 8% over the 2021-22 season. Ski Country uses those numbers and “publicly available information” from non-member resorts to come up with the overall Colorado number, which it calls a “projected” total. Non-member resorts include the five owned by Vail Resorts — Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte — and Wolf Creek.
“The 2022-2023 ski season was buoyed by cold temperatures and consistent, abundant snowfall across the state, from the first days of the season in October to closing day on June 4,” said Colorado Ski Country USA president and chief executive Melanie Mills. Arapahoe Basin was the last ski area to close when it shut down on Sunday.
Ski Country members averaged 286 inches of snowfall during the season, which was 8% above normal, and resorts were open an average of 21 days longer than the long-term average.