Salt Lake City, UT – Utah closed its 202-day 2010-11 ski and snowboard season this past Monday, July 4 at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort. Utah’s 14 ski and snowboard resorts recorded 4,223,064 skier day visits during the season, previously estimated at 4.2 million by the Utah Ski & Snowboard Association. This marks a 4.23 percent increase over the last year’s 4,048,153 and is less than a percentage point (0.6 percent) below Utah’s all time record set in 2007-08.  In terms of skier visits, Utah’s past six ski seasons have been the state’s six best on record.

In addition to skier day growth, Utah received record snowfall with Snowbird receiving 783 inches of “The Greatest Snow on Earth,” exceeding the old mark of 688 inches set in 1983-84. Snow totals were not the only thing climbing in Utah this season, as spending generated by skiers/riders was an estimated $1.173 billion according to a research study conducted by RRC Associates for the state industry marketing group, Ski Utah. This number surpasses the previous estimate from Utah’s 2007-08 record season of $1.06 billion.

“It is safe to say that Utah ended the 2010-11 ski season with a bang,” noted Ski Utah President Nathan Rafferty. “These results solidly reinforce the strength of the Utah ski product and the opportunities existing for future growth. As we finally close the 2010-11 season, we are busily preparing for next year, which is only a little more than four months away.”

The National Ski Areas Association defines a “skier day” as one person visiting a ski area for all or any part of a day or night for the purpose of skiing or snowboarding.