DENVER — Ski areas throughout the US skilled a strong rebound this winter regardless of public health restrictions put in place amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Skier visits to U.S. resorts totaled 59 million for the season, the fifth-best on the report, according to the Colorado-based National Ski Areas Association.
Resorts throughout the nation were pressured to shut in spring 2020, and plenty of mountain communities were disproportionately affected by COVID-19 early within the pandemic.
The U.S. ski business lost at least $2 billion that winter and skier visits fell 14% compared with the 2018-2019 season. U.S. ski areas tallied about 51.1 million visits within the shortened season. A visit is considered the use of a lift ticket for any part of the day.
However about seven months later, chairlifts began turning again, and guests embraced a new normal while skiing and snowboarding.
They wore masks, rode lifts only with their groups, and stood 6 ft (1.8 meters) apart in lines, or about the size of a typical ski. There was no dine-in service and no large gatherings for apres-ski drinks.
The ski area near the Continental Divide restricted the number of skiers and snowboarders allowed on the mountain each day based on terrain, the number of lifts running, and public health orders at the time. It closed out its winter season Sunday.
The average U.S. ski area was open for 112 days this past season, up from 99 days within the shortened 2019-20 season, according to the association. Most ski areas remained open as long as they had initially planned.
Meanwhile, small and medium-sized ski areas, which are defined by lift capacity, performed effectively because more guests selected to stay near home for ski trips. Capacity restrictions, remote work opportunities, and school flexibility also meant more skiers and riders hit the slopes on weekdays, easing some of the congestion typical of weekends and holidays.
The National Ski Areas Affiliation is a trade group for ski area owners and operators and represents more than 300 alpine resorts that account for more than 90% of skier and snowboarder visits nationwide. The organization has been tracking ski area visitation since 1978.
