The Rocky Mountain region set an all-time record in skier visits during the 2004-05 season, according to preliminary data released by the Lakewood-based National Ski Areas Association.
A projected total of 19.3 million skiers and snowboarders visited 96 resorts in the six-state mountain region, which includes Colorado. That was up 2.4 percent from the year before, the ski association said.
But a dry winter in the Pacific Northwest hurt the total number of national skier visits.
“In Oregon and Washington, we think we missed about 2 million visits due to the dry year there,” association president Michael Berry said.
Nationally, ski areas saw a projected 56.4 million visits last season, down from 57.1 million visits during the 2003-04 season and the record 57.6 million visits during the 2002-03 season.
That makes last winter the fourth-busiest ski season on record, Berry said.
Aspen Skiing Co. said it saw a 4 percent increase in skier visits at its four mountains last winter, its third consecutive year of growth.
“We’re feeling very positive that we’re on a steady upward trend,” said David Perry, senior vice president of Aspen Skiing.
The weakened U.S. dollar also helped the ski industry. International skier visits increased to 4.3 percent, up from 3.8 percent the season before, according to the ski association.
Known as the Kottke National End of Season Survey and conducted by Boulder’s RRC Associates, the report includes data from 221 of the nation’s 491 ski resorts. The final analysis will be released this summer.
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
