Salt Lake City, UT – The Utah ski and snowboard industry on Thursday announced a preliminary estimate of 4.2 million skier day visits during the 2010-11 winter season. Thirteen of fourteen Utah ski and snowboard resorts have concluded their seasons with Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort’s closing date still pending at press time and projected to last until July 4th. This estimate suggests the 2010-11 winter season was up four percent from the previous year making 2010-11 the industry’s second best season on record.
Because of Snowbird’s continuing season the final number of skier days this season in Utah has yet to be tallied. The National Ski Areas Association defines ‘skier days’ as one person visiting a ski area for all or any part of a day or night for the purpose of skiing or snowboarding. Abundant early season and record snowfall, and a boost in consumer confidence are credited with contributing to the increase.
“We are thrilled to see such significant growth from this season,” remarked Ski Utah President Nathan Rafferty. “Although Utah is famous for the quality and quantity of its snow, this season may have actually delivered too much of a good thing.” Rafferty noted that heavy snowfall and other weather related issues adversely affected resort operations and transportation around key holiday periods, deterring many skier visits.
According to Ski Utah, the Utah ski and snowboard industry contributes over $1 billion dollars to Utah’s economy each year and creates more than 20,000 jobs. The 2011-12 winter season will mark the ten year anniversary of the Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games. Utah has seen a 41 percent increase in skier day visits since hosting the Winter Games.
Total Utah statewide skier days for the past six years are as follows:
Season Skier Days Rank
2010-11 *4,200,000 2
2009-10 4,048,153 5
2008-09 3,972,984 6
2007-08 4,249,190 1
2006-07 4,082,094 3
2005-06 4,062,188 4
*Estimated total; exact number to be released upon completion of Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort’s 2010-11 winter season.