Skier visits in Colorado were down 5.5 percent last season to 11.85 million, but Front Range resorts saw in-state visits edge up 2.5 percent.
It’s the first year in four seasons that skier visits dropped below 12 million.
“Yes, we are affected by the recession, but we are recession-resistant,” said Gary DeFrange, Winter Park Resort president and chief operating officer. “People are so passionate about this sport. It has become a part of people’s lives.”
Ski-industry experts and executives say the single-digit percentage decrease shows consumers are committed to the sport, even if they are spending less.
Colorado Ski Country USA released the skier-visit numbers at its annual meeting in Boulder on Thursday. The annual meeting also hosted a panel of six past presidents of the group — Rob Perlman, John Frew, Doug Cogswell, John Lay, Bob Knouse and Gary Mitchell — talking about the challenges in the industry.
“The travel industry as a whole was put to the test this past year,” said Melanie Mills, president and chief executive of the group.
Colorado Ski Country’s 22 member resorts posted 6.9 million skier visits, a 6.9 percent drop from the previous season. When totaled with nonmember resorts, the numbers for Colorado show 11.85 million skier visits.
This is the first year the group released numbers since Vail Resorts pulled out of the ski-industry association last year. Members say Vail’s absence has not hurt the organization, which helped support members throughout the season with marketing and other issues.
At Eldora Mountain Resort, the management team wasn’t sure what to expect going into the season, said Rob Linde, director of marketing.
“Certainly, the economy did have an effect but not heavily until later in the season,” Linde said.
DeFrange said he saw a similar decrease in skier visits at Winter Park but went into the season conservatively because he expected a drop.
“We still have to be conservative, and we have to make sure we get people to come and make sure we give them a great experience,” he said.
Already, he is seeing high interest from consumers for next season’s passes and vacations.
“People continue to ski, especially Front Range skiers. It’s part of their lifestyle,” Linde said. “They were figuring out how to continue doing it and looking for deals.”
Elizabeth Aguilera: 303-954-1372 or eaguilera@denverpost.com
