Visits to Colorado ski areas reached 14 million in 2023-24, slightly down from prior year’s record
Visits to Colorado ski areas reached 14 million in 2023-24 as traffic to six-state Rocky Mountain Region slips for the first time since 2019
Hugh Carey/The Colorado Sun
Colorado ski resorts fared better than most others in 2023-24, with visitation reaching 14 million.
That’s a dip from the record 14.8 million visits logged by 27 Colorado ski areas in 2022-23. The slow arrival of snowfall in December troubled every ski area in the country and, while that changed for Colorado with bountiful snowfall in January, February and March, many regions endured below-average snow conditions for the entire season. All six regions tracked by the National Ski Areas Association showed declines in visitation in 2023-24, with 60.4 million visits, down 5 million from the previous season.
“This season was a rollercoaster ride, starting off on the warm-and-dry side and ending with a notably snowy extended season that stretched deep into spring,” Colorado Ski Country chief Melanie Mills said in a statement announcing the early visitation tally. “Ski areas saw strong season pass sales and a robust economy, despite inflation, that buoyed visitation.”
Spending in Colorado ski towns hit record highs in 2023-24. The Colorado Sun tracks net taxable sales in 18 small and large municipalities next to ski areas in Colorado and total spending from November through March reached $4.5 billion, up from $4.4 billion in the record-setting 2022-23 season and up 50% from the pre-pandemic 2018-19 season.
Read more from Jason Blevins at ColoradoSun.com
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