Is the Ski Industry Thriving or Dying?
January 27, 2025
I was heartened this fall to see the final numbers on skier visits and related statistics for the winter 2024-25. The numbers reported by the industry sources seemed encouraging. These statistics indicated robust skier visits in the United States and major investments and projects taken on by large international companies. All good, right?
Of course I couldn’t resist taking a deeper dive. And of course, (yes, I suppose I am a cynic by nature) a more intensive examination even using all statistics from a key industry source – the National Ski Areas Association – reveals a possibly different story. (The statistics cited in this article are from the the NSAA 2024/25 State of the Industry Report.)
Skier Visits are Essentially Flat. Average US skier visits for the the last 25 years are 56.7 million, and the average for the last 5 years is 57.7 million. Skier visits for winter 2024-25 were 61.5 million. While that number seems impressive, there have been past years when similar numbers were reached. The winters of 2007-08 and 2010-11 had skier visits of 60 and 60.5 million respectively. The winters of 07/08 and 10/11 were big snow years for major resorts. If it snows, people ski. Finally, the US population growth is far outpacing skier participation levels, leading to a gradual decline in the percentage of Americans who ski. (3.1% for 24-25) (Note that the industry essentially ignores the increased numbers for the two Covid winters.)
Skiing is a Rich, Older, White Man’s Sport. The industry statistics on this sensitive subject are startling:
- 84% of skiers are white.
- 62% of skiers are men.
- Households earning above $100,ooo/year constitute 75% of skier visits. Skiing is expensive!
- 55 and older skiers make up 25% of skiers.
- Skiers 25 years and younger are down from 43% to 33% over the last 15 years. This is particularly alarming since over 70% of skier visits in 2024/25 came from individuals who first started skiing before the age of 18 and only 7% of skier visits were by skiers who started skiing after the age of 35.
- Lesson numbers are trending precipitously down, particularly for younger skiers.
Dominance by the Big Boys and Big Money. As I have written about before, the industry is dominated by large conglomerates – particularly Vail and Aspen controlled companies who have a stranglehold on the sport. By our rough estimate, over 50% of skier visits in North America were at resorts controlled by Vail and Aspen, and 55% of skier visits in the United States in 2024-25 were at what the NSAA classifies as “Extra-Large.” Their dominance results in a vicious cycle. These are the companies that can afford to spend large dollars on improvements and to prop up the industry. The more they do that, the more they control the direction of the industry.
Global Warming. Science has spoken – global warming is a reality and the effects are evident in the ski world. Lower elevation resorts are getting more rain and less snow. The average snowfall for ski areas last year in North America was 150 inches; a 7% decline from the prior year which is consistent with the last 10/15 year trend. There is an increased dependence on snowmaking even at higher elevation resorts. As an example, Alta and Snowbird used to make fun of eastern resorts for their reliance on snowmaking. Both resorts rely heavily on it now in high traffic areas and for early season starts.
Low morale for Locals and Employees. While morale is always hard to quantify, clearly the mood of many locals and employees in ski towns isn’t chipper. Ski town locals are caught in a bind. They realize that tourists and the rich “out of towners” sustain their livelihood, but the marriage isn’t a happy one. Increased prices for everything from homes to avocados have forced even long time locals out of their home towns. Jackson is now the purview of New Yorkers and “locals” now live in Victor and Driggs, Idaho, a 45 minute treacherous drive over the Teton Pass.
Employees in the ski industry consistently express being underappreciated and are constantly fighting for affordable housing. The prime examples of increased tensions between resort owners and employees are the major disputes involving ski patrols. Who can forget the fight between Vail and the Park City patrol last holiday season which severely limited what terrain was open and resulted in gargantuan lift lines at one of the largest resorts in North America? Telluride ski patrol went on strike over the holidays this year. It completely closed the mountain for two weeks. And amazingly, Telluride is not the only ski area which closed as a result of a labor dispute. The union representing 300 plus workers at the Quebec ski area Le Massif went on strike, essentially closing the resort for three weeks in January.
Lower Skier Satisfaction. Satisfaction ratings in polls conducted by the NSAA show increasing dissatisfaction with the skiing experience. While the downward trend isn’t steep at this point, the trend is unmistakable. No surprise that the lowest scores and the steepest drop is in the quality of the food. Apparently the cold cardboard cheeseburgers being served at every ski area are universally hated. (BTW – the best ski food we have found is at Whitewater in British Columbia. And, oh, the skiing is even better.)
Statistics can be manipulated and selective analysis of statistics can shape conclusions. I am probably a little guilty of this in the analysis above. But the negative trends in the industry are clear and need our collective attention. More on that in a coming article.
Be Well; Ski Well.
Kevin Dennis is a life long ski bum with a 34 year legal career on the side. Now retired, he skis 80+ days a year. While he lives in Alta UT in the winters, he has traveled extensively through skiing and has skied almost every major resort in North America (and many you have never heard of). He continues to hit the road often throughout the western United States and Canada and trips over the last several years have included ventures in British Columbia, Montana and Colorado. Whether you want to know about the behemoths like Aspen or Squaw or are interested in the road less travelled (Lost Trail Powder Mountain in Montana or Whitewater in BC anyone?), Kevin has been there, has an opinion and you will most likely have to tell him to shut up after a half hour!
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