Below-average snowfall and above-normal temperatures were bad for Colorado’s ski industry. A report to investors released by Vail Resorts on Thursday gives clues to just how bad it was.
Skier visits at the company’s North American resorts declined 14.9% compared to the prior year. Lift revenue was down 5.6%, ski school revenue was down 12%, and dining revenue was down 11.7%.
But in the company’s Rocky Mountain region, skier visits declined 25%.
Based in Broomfield, Vail Resorts owns 37 resorts and regional ski areas across North America, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte in Colorado. Also included in the company’s Rocky Mountain region is Park City Mountain Resort in Utah.
Colorado’s other ski resorts are privately held, so they don’t disclose information about their financial performance. Vail Resorts is publicly held, so the information is available through company reports to its investors.
“The winter of 2025/2026 has been one of the most challenging winters in history across the western U.S., with record low snowfall and historically warm temperatures negatively impacting visitation and spending throughout the season,” chief executive Rob Katz is quoted as saying in the report. “March conditions saw a continuation of low snowfall and warmer temperatures well outside of historical norms, leading to weaker late-season visitation and earlier than planned closures for many resorts across the western U.S.”
Numerous Colorado resorts closed before their projected closing dates. Vail Mountain closed on April 8, 11 days early, and Beaver Creek closed two weeks early on March 29. Breckenridge, which was scheduled to close in May, shut down on April 19.
After Loveland closes on Sunday, only two Colorado ski areas will remain open, Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin. They both plan to close on May 3.
Colorado Ski Country USA will release skier visit totals for the season in June. That number was 13.8 million in 2024-25, the state’s third-highest total.
