This story by Patrick Bilow was first published in the Stowe Reporter on June 12.
After staggering levels of growth at the onset of the pandemic, skier visits in Vermont leveled off this season, but the industry is still booming, according to discussions and presentations from Ski Vermont’s annual meeting at Sugarbush Resort last week.
Ski industry stakeholders discussed several topics at the event, and Ski Vermont — the public face of the Vermont Ski Areas Association — released its highly anticipated skier data for last season, figures that are difficult to find anywhere else and all but impossible on a resort-by-resort basis.
Vermont saw 4.16 million alpine skiers this season, a 1.1 percent increase from last year and a 6.2 percent increase over the last ten years, according to Ski Vermont. This year’s percent increase paled in comparison to figures from 2021 and 2022, which means visitation is leveling off, but resorts felt more prepared for big crowds than three years ago, according to Molly Mahar, Ski Vermont’s president.
Vermont remains the top ski state in New England and fourth largest in the country, according to figures from Ski Vermont. Vermont led New England in increased skier visits by less than one percent but trailed the national average increase of 1.7 percent.
In a lesser sung tune, Vermont’s cross-country ski areas saw a surge in visitation that outpaced alpine resorts. Heavy snowfall and consistently cold weather benefitted cross-country ski operations, which saw a 37 percent increase in visitation, or 322,353 total skiers. Those figures are a significant improvement from last year, when visitation fell by 50 percent due to inclement weather and poor conditions.
David Rye, director of the Outdoor Center at the von Trapp Family Lodge and Resort, agreed it was a good year for cross-country skiing. The trails at von Trapp were open for 110 days this year with 100 percent of terrain open for 62 consecutive days, he said.
Rye didn’t give specific numbers on visitation, but said the number of skier rentals, visits and ski school lessons all increased significantly.
Alpine skier visitation took a hit toward the end of the season as policies and rhetoric from President Donald Trump’s administration deterred Canadians from visiting Vermont resorts, according to Mahar.
Canadians account for up to 50 percent of skier visits in northern Vermont, according to Ski Vermont. Resorts like Jay Peak shouldered a brunt of that impact, but additional areas in the northern tier, including Stowe Mountain Resort, Smugglers’ Notch and Bolton Valley, were also impacted, Mahar said.
Ski Vermont can’t do much about Trump’s rhetoric, but the organization is working harder than ever to maintain advertising in Canada, she added.
Stowe wasn’t the only town playing in powder this year either. Vermont saw an average snowfall of 218 inches, a 19-inch increase from last year, and 35 inches above the 10-year average. As a result, resorts averaged 117 operating days, although this is slightly below the 10-year average of 123 days.
Beyond the numbers, participants at last week’s event dove into a lengthy discussion about the Vermont’s ski industry workforce, which ranged from the various education programs around the state preparing workers for jobs the ski industry to the impact Trump’s immigration policies may have on international workers at ski resorts.
Mahar estimated that out of 13,000 workers in Vermont’s ski industry, around 1,000 are international, and 10 resorts, including Stowe Mountain Resort, employ international workers. She said the impact of losing those workers would be significant.
