Salt Lake City, Utah — In what was considered a down year for the North American ski industry, Utah did just fine.
TownLift reports that Utah’s fifteen alpine ski resorts recorded 6,746,008 skier visits during the 2023-24 ski season. It was the state’s second-biggest visitation for a ski season ever, with the historic 2022-23 season taking the number one spot with 7.2 million.
This was despite Utah’s slow start to the season, which saw minimal snowfall in December and early January. After that, the Beehive State saw a lot of powder, leading ski resorts to extend their seasons. This allowed four ski resorts, Brian Head, Brighton, Snowbird, and Solitude, to remain open until May.
Nathan Rafferty, who’s the President and CEO of Ski Utah, said the following about this past winter in a press release that was shared with the Deseret News:
“We are immensely proud of this season’s success and extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who contributed to making it memorable. From our hardworking resort staff to the passionate skiers and snowboarders who choose Utah, thank you for your dedication and support. The future is bright for Utah with a variety of capital investments slated ahead of the 2024–25 season and the potential announcement of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games returning to Utah.”
Visitation is expected to rise as Utah grows in the coming years. At least fourteen new lifts will be installed in the next two years, partially due to Deer Valley’s massive expansion. Add in another Winter Olympics in 2034, and it’s fair to say that Utah is the center of the winter sports universe right now.
Image Credits: Snowbird Resort, Ski Utah/James Niehues