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year (down 23 percent). Last season the two Pacific regions in percentage terms, up 15 percent to 111 days). Rocky
witnessed high volumes of snowfall but decreased amounts Mountain region ski areas averaged 129 days of operation,
this season. The Pacific Southwest saw 224 inches, down up only one day from a year ago. The longest seasons, though
from 547 last season (down 59 percent), while the Pacific shorter than the 2016–17 winter, were recorded in the Pacific
Northwest received 334 inches from 449 last season (down Northwest (146 days open, down 4 percent) and Pacific
26 percent). In the Northeast, 174 inches were reported Southwest (133 days of operation, down 10 percent).
compared to last season’s four-year high of 200 inches (down Compared to 27-year historical averages of days open, all
13 percent). regions experienced more operating days. Overall resorts were
Compared to the long-term average (27 seasons of Kottke open 10 more days than historical records (125 days vs. 115
records from 1991–92 to 2017–18), and based on the maxi- days). The Northeast region was up 13 days, the Southeast
mum resort sample each season, snowfall across the US up 8 days, the Midwest up 18 days, the Rocky Mountains
overall was down 9 percent in 2017–18. Snowfall was above up 1 day, the Pacific Southwest up 1 day, and the Pacific
average in the Northeast (up 16 percent) and Midwest (up Northwest up 24 days.
5 percent), and below average in the Southeast (-6 percent),
Pacific Northwest (-7 percent), Rocky Mountains (-14 Number of Operating Ski Areas
percent), and Pacific Southwest (-29 percent). The number of open and operating US ski resorts declined
Despite the decline in snowfall, ski areas were open to 472 in the 2017–18 season, down by nine from the 481
more days this season than last. On an overall national basis, operating ski areas last season. The net number of operat-
resorts responding to the survey were open an average of 125 ing ski areas this season decreased by three in the Pacific
days this season, up from 122 days in 2016–17, an increase Southwest, two each in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest,
of 2 percent (figure 4). The operating winter season was and by one each in the Northeast and Rocky Mountains.
up in the three eastern regions of the country (Northeast, The number of operating resorts held steady in the Southeast.
Southeast, Midwest), was flat in the Rocky Mountains, and In recent seasons, the fluctuation in the number of operating
was down in the two Pacific regions. ski areas has been primarily due to cycles of closure and
Ski areas enjoyed slightly longer seasons in the Northeast re-opening of small resorts, in part because of local weather
(up 5 percent to 131 days of operation), Southeast (up 6 per- conditions, or interest among locals in re-opening their
cent to 103 days of operation), and Midwest (up the most community ski hill.

Figure 2: Estimated Snowsports visits by Region, 1978–79 to 2017–18 60.5 59.8 60.5

65
SKIER VISITS (MILLIONS) 60 50.2 48.2 50.7 46.9 50.6 51.4 51.9 53.7 53.9 53.3 50.0 46.7 50.8 54.0 54.6 52.7 54.0 52.5 54.1 52.1 52.2 57.3 54.4 57.6 57.1 56.9 58.9 55.1 57.4 51.0 56.9 56.5 53.6 52.8 54.8 53.3

55
50
45
40
35 39.7
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18

NORTHEAST SOUTHEAST MIDWEST ROCKY MOUNTAIN PACIFIC SOUTHWEST PACIFIC NORTHWEST PACIFIC WEST (TOTAL)
Note: Pacific West visits are segmented by sub region (Pacific Southwest and Pacific Northwest) from 1995–96 to 2013–14. Pacific West visits are reported in aggregate
total for 1978-79 to 1994-95 (Pacific Southwest and Pacific Northwest breakouts unavailable).

FALL 2018 | NSAA JOURNAL | 7