A tale of Two Regions - Bumper Season For Vermont, Disaster for colorado

It's a tale of two regions for colorado and vermont. Where Vermont reported a bumper season, Colorado's season was nothing short of a disaster. 

Ski Vermont capped the 2025-26 ski season at its 57th Annual Meeting at Jay Peak Resort, highlighting a winter of favorable weather, strong visitation, and continued improvements at Vermont ski areas. Partners, supporters, and friends of the industry joined Ski Vermont’s alpine and cross-country members to reflect on a successful season.

Vermont’s ski industry performed well, with alpine ski areas reporting a total of 4.36M skier visits for the 2025–26 season, an increase of 4.7% over the previous year and an 11% increase over the 10-year average. This also marks the best visitation since the 2014-15 season. These totals put Vermont 1.5% ahead of the Northeast region’s 3.2% growth, and 13.8% ahead of the national average, which fell by 9.1%.

Vermont remains the top ski state in the east and fourth largest in the nation by skier visits. The state’s ski areas averaged 118 operating days this season, slightly higher than the 10-year average of 111 days. Average snowfall totaled 194 inches, down 11% from last year but 6% above the 10-year average.

“Vermont is known for exceptional snow and its authentic community,” said Ski Vermont President Molly Mahar. “Ski areas are committed to providing an unforgettable experience for visitors, and worldclass snowmaking and ski programming are an important part of that. Ultimately it comes down to showcasing all that Vermont ski areas provide visitors. It’s an experience that brings people back and these numbers bear that out.”

With early season snowfall and consistent snowmaking temperatures jump-starting the season, ski areas experienced steady visitation through the core winter months of December, January and February. Favorable weather and sold-out hotel bookings over the peak holidays of New Years, Martin Luther King Jr., and President’s Day helped mitigate a handful of frigid weekends in late January. Similarly, the season’s steady visitation made up for the early-March warm-up that shortened the spring ski season.

The cold winter also favored Ski Vermont’s cross-country members areas, which reported a total of 339,046 skier visits, up 5% from last season. A total of seven Vermont cross-country ski areas have installed supplemental snowmaking systems on portions of their trail networks.

Highlights of this year’s Annual Meeting program included Building Mental Resilience on the Mountain by Dr. Chrissy Semler of Fortitude Sport Psychology & Mental Health, a presentation of Vermont’s new Destination Management Plan by Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing Commissioner Heather Pelham, and a workforce development roundtable The Pipeline Project’s Tiffany Whitcomb and members of Ski Vermont’s Workforce Development Committee. Kevin Chu of the Vermont Futures Project delivered the keynote Myths & Misconceptions: Data on Vermont’s Economic Competitiveness.

Bill Stritzler, owner of Smugglers’ Notch Ski Area and former Ski Vermont Board member accepted an Industry Achievement Award for his contributions to Vermont’s ski industry. David Kaufman, a professor for more than 40 years in UVM’s Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Program was honored with a Friend of the Industry Award for his decades-long service to Vermont’s tourism and outdoor recreation industries. Career Industry Awards were also announced for Callie McAllister (52 years of service) of Mad River Glen where she was director of the Cricket Club, and Kevin McKegney (42 years of service) who served as a ski patroller at Bolton Valley. Career awards are given to retiring employees with 25 or more years of service at a ski area.

Skiing is an important economic driver and employer in the state, particularly in rural areas where many ski areas are located. Ski Vermont’s Fifth Grade Passport helps to get thousands of children on the slopes annually and partial proceeds from the program support Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports.

On the other side of the country things were not as golden. Visits to Colorado’s ski slopes plunged off a cliff this past winter, plummeting to their lowest levels in more than three decades following one of the warmest and driest seasons on record.

Statewide skier visitation numbers published on Thursday, June 4, 2026, by the industry trade group Colorado Ski Country USA, estimate that 10.5 million skiers and riders turned out to the state’s roughly 28 ski resorts during the 2025–26 season. This represents a staggering drop of 3.3 million skier visits from the previous year and marks the lowest turnout the state has seen since the 1991–92 season.

The dramatic drop-off pushed Colorado's visitation more than 20% below its 10-year average, impacting in-state, out-of-state, and international tourism alike.

A Historic March Meltdown

The primary culprit behind the dismal turnout was an unprecedented winter weather pattern. Vast swaths of the western United States battled historically high temperatures and minimal precipitation, culminating in a severe March heatwave. The summer-like temperatures rapidly melted away the mountain snowpack, with Colorado and the wider Rocky Mountain region bearing the brunt of the harsh conditions.

According to Colorado Ski Country USA, average monthly snowfall fell well below the state's 20-year normal average during every single month of the winter.

Because of the lack of snow, resorts were forced to operate on a heavily compressed timeline. While Colorado ski areas have averaged 144 operational days over the last 20 years, this past season saw that average shrink to just 129 days.

A Nationwide Slump

As the undisputed ski capital of the United States, Colorado typically accounts for 20% to 25% of all domestic ski visits. This season, the state held onto roughly 20% of the market share, but it did so within a sharply declining national landscape.

"This year revealed the experience, dedication and grit of Colorado’s resorts and the teams behind them. Skier visits are an important metric, but they are far from the only measure of the health of our industry." said Melanie Mills, President and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA

Preliminary data published last month by the National Ski Area Association reveals that nationwide skier turnout fell by roughly 9 million visits compared to the previous winter. The Rocky Mountain West was the epicenter of this decline, accounting for more than two-thirds of the entire country's losses. Across the nation's 300+ ski areas, the final tally of 52.6 million skiers and riders marked a 9% drop against the 10-year national average.

Finding a Silver Lining

To cope with the record low snowfall, resort operators relied heavily on intensive snowmaking, grooming crews, and strategic operational shifts to salvage the guest experience.

Though total numbers were sparse, Colorado Ski Country USA noted that the unique season did offer an upside for the tourists who did make the trip. Visitors were treated to virtually nonexistent lift lines, incredibly mild mountain temperatures, and approachable, heavily groomed terrain that provided an ideal environment for beginners to build confidence on the slopes.

The finalized metrics encompass all of Colorado's major ski areas. This includes the 21 independent and Ikon Pass-affiliated members of Colorado Ski Country USA—such as Steamboat, Winter Park, Aspen-Snowmass, and Copper Mountain—as well as estimates for non-member Epic Pass properties owned by Vail Resorts, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone