A skier visit is recorded every time a person uses a lift ticket or pass at a ski area.

The NSAA plans to collect updated numbers as ski areas that have not yet shut down—such as Arapahoe Basin in Colorado and Palisades Tahoe in California—close for the season.

Sun Valley Resort, which closed in mid-April, does not release its skier numbers to the public.

Skier visits are considered a key performance indicator for the ski industry.

“Two consecutive seasons of record visitation signals that the U.S. ski industry is healthy, and that the demand for outdoor recreation is strong,” the NSAA stated.

Factors contributing to the record season, the NSAA stated, include: a robust snow year in the Sierra Nevada, Rockies and Pacific Southwest regions; growing options of season and short-term passes; and “an increased desire to get outside, especially among lapsed skiers who have returned to the slopes since the pandemic.”

In addition, the number of operating ski areas jumped from 473 last season to 481 this season, the NSAA reported, contributing “marginally” to the overall increase in visits.

The Rocky Mountain region reported a record high number of skier visits for the second consecutive season, totaling 27.9 million. The Pacific Northwest region also finished with its best year on record, tallying 4.5 million skier visits.

Other regions with increases in season-over-season skier visits were the Northeast and Pacific Southwest, which had its third best year on record. Only two regions—the Southeast and Midwest—reported small decreases in skier visits compared to 2021-22.

Historically, fluctuations in skier visit numbers correlate with snowfall, with more snow generally meaning more skier visits, the NSAA stated.

“This season was no different, with record snow totals at Western ski areas contributing to increased visitation frequency, despite weather-related travel challenges,” the organization stated.

Average snowfall at ski areas nationally totaled 224 inches, a 30% increase over the 10-year average of 173 inches, the NSAA stated. As a result, the average length of season was 116 days, an increase of six days over the 2021-22 season.

Capital investment by ski areas was also up, the NSAA reported, totaling $812.4 million in the 2022-23 season, a record high for the industry. The majority of capital expenditures was invested into lift infrastructure, with 63 new and 86 upgraded lifts installed at ski areas across the country, the NSAA stated.

For the fourth season in a row, people using season passes accounted for more skier visits than those using day tickets, the NSAA reported. Season-pass holders made up 50% of visits nationally, with standard day lift tickets accounting for 33% of visits. Other categories, including multi-day and complimentary lift tickets, accounted for the balance.

The ski industry is “gradually recovering” from staffing challenges encountered last season, the NSAA stated, with 60% of ski areas reporting being understaffed, down from 81% last season. The average number of positions left unfilled also decreased, from last year’s high of 72 to an average of 39 positions this season.

Average ski area wages increased 18% from the 2021-22 season, the NSAA stated, outpacing the national average of 4.6%. Approximately half of all ski area operators reported that they are planning to increase their workforce-housing capacity.