One skier visit is counted every time a skiing or snowboarding guest visits a ski area or resort; these numbers are compiled annually as part of NSAA’s (National Ski Areas Association) Kottke End-of-Season and Demographic Report.

NSAA began surveying visitor numbers in the 1978/79 season. Additional data show that the average U.S. ski resort was open for 112 days during this last season, up from 99 days in the pandemic-shortened 2019/20 season.

Although forced closures had an impact on many ski resorts in the previous season, that was not the case this year; most ski resorts remained open for their planned season duration.

Best performers

Small and medium-sized ski resorts (defined by lift capacity) performed well this winter, as more guests chose to stay close to home for ski trips and there was a general increase in local demand for outdoor recreation.

In previous seasons, guests skied mostly at weekends and on holidays, so it was a consistent challenge to fill the slopes midweek. In the last season, weekday visits accounted for 48% of all visits – a 27% increase on the previous season.

Capacity restrictions, remote working and school flexibility allowed more skiers and riders to visit ski resorts midweek.

Digitalisation as a must-have

The pandemic affected ski resort operations and guest behaviour alike. Among ski resorts that responded, the most common COVID-19 adjustments were
in skier capacity limits (both indoors and on the mountain), in advance purchase or booking requirements for lift access and rental equipment, and in changes to or removal of group lessons.

Despite these challenges, 78% of ski resort operators said this season exceeded their expectations. “People had to change their habits during the pandemic, and ski areas were no different,” NSAA President and CEO Kelly Pawlak said.

“We tried new things and quickly learned not only that they worked as planned but that many of these ‘workarounds’ improved the experience for our guests and staff members. Ski resort operators will use this experience to continue trying new techniques and technologies.”

These new technologies have included online booking systems and updated e-commerce solutions, as many ski resorts required advance purchase of lift tickets, in order to ensure compliance with local capacity restrictions.

This resulted in a decline of window ticket sales from 46% in 2019/20 to 17% in 2020/21. As expected, the percentage of visits from season pass holders rose to 51%, up from 45% in the previous season.