The Utah Ski and Snowboard industry set a new record this past winter.
With Utah resorts now closed for the season, the final tally for the 2015-16 was announced at a press conference this morning. 4,457,575 million skier days were registered, which is the best ever. That number is up nearly 5% from the previous record set back in 2007-08 with 4.2 million skier days. Nationally, skier days were up to 53.9 million, a half- percent increase from the previous season. According to NSAA’s Kottke Survey, the Rocky Mountain Region tallied a record-setting season with an overall 8 percent increase in skier visits this season over last. Utah alone was up 13 percent over last season.The record setting numbers come while season-ending snow totals did not. Ski Utah President Nathan Rafferty says, conveniently timed, early-season storms attributed to the success of the season. Other important contributions he says can be credited to Utah Office of Tourism’s financial support and the significant capital improvements resorts made statewide, totaling more than a hundred million dollars. Rafferty reports that nearly half of Utah’s 14 resorts reported individual record-breaking skier visits.