According to preliminary results from the most recent Kottke National End of Season Survey, ski resorts in the USA received 56.2 million visitations this season. A good showing when you factor in the weather-challenged start to the 2013-2014 ski season, but still 2% below the 10-year average of 57.3 million.
With a complete lack of snow in the Far West, extreme cold in the Midwest and nasty thaw/freeze cycles in the Northeast many experts fear that the season would be a total wash. But heavy snowfalls in the Rockies, which enjoyed their third-best season of the past 36, helped to pick up the national visitation numbers.
Visitation to ski areas in the Pacific Southwest region took the biggest, hit slumping to 29.3% of average, the second-lowest level of the past 36 years. This was largely due to the lack of snowfall which was 33% below normal.
