USA — It was another memorable and drama-filled ski season for North America’s ski industry.
With the 2024-25 ski season officially being over at every outdoor ski resort in North America, it now seems like an appropriate time to recap the biggest stories from last winter. Here’s a rundown of what transpired this past ski season, and how it might impact next winter.
Park City Ski Patrol Strike Derails Operations: There was no bigger ski industry story last winter than when a group of unionized ski patrollers went on strike at Park City Mountain Resort. After contract negotiations stalled, a strike commenced during the busy holiday period. The result was a lack of open terrain, a minimal number of lifts operating, and many angry guests.
After nearly two weeks, an agreement was reached by the two sides. The union achieved numerous significant victories, and Park City Mountain Resort was eventually able to return to normal operations.
The legacy of this strike seems immense, as more patrols at other ski resorts have unionized or have started the process to do so. Over at Park City Mountain Resort, the lift maintenance union at PC has also secured a deal, and the bike patrollers and trail crew at Park City are attempting to form a union.
Vail Woes Lead To Ouster Of CEO & Return Of Rob Katz: As a result of the strike, along with underwhelming financial results from the 2024-25 ski season, Kirsten Lynch resigned as CEO of Vail Resorts in May. Additionally, it was announced that Rob Katz has returned as CEO.
While he technically never left the company, he re-entered the CEO role with a vastly changed landscape. This is due to the Ikon Pass’s growing dominance in markets that it competes with in Vail, along with the continued growth of the Indy Pass. Rob Katz is aiming to right the ship, and he’s trying out new strategies, such as the introduction of Epic Friends tickets.
Lift Incidents Felt Commonplace: While chairlift evacuations do occur once in a while during ski season, outright lift incidents resulting in injuries are rare, which is why the 2024-25 season will also be remembered for its lift-related woes. The first notable one came at Heavenly, when two chairs collided with each other. The second incident occurred at Attitash, when a chair literally fell off the lift, resulting in an injury to a guest. The most tragic incident occurred at Red Lodge, where a derailment caused by heavy winds resulted in the death of a skier. Due to all these incidents, it seems likely that more thorough safety checks will be coming in the future.
Independence Sweeps New England: In terms of my favorite story from this past winter, it revolved around what this country is supposed to be about: independence.
Over the past year, two Vermont ski resorts saw a change in ownership, and they didn’t end up with Vail or Alterra. Last August, Killington was sold to a group of locals. While the season ended earlier than usual, Killington still had a memorable one, and lots of improvements are on tap for next winter.
After a few months of rumors regarding its future, another Vermont ski resort was sold. In April, it was announced that Burke would be sold to a group of locals with deep ties to the ski resort. This includes Jon Schaefer, who also operates Berkshire East and Catamount. The future is bright there, which is excellent news for the region and Vermont’s economy in general.
In New Hampshire, Entabeni Systems (which owns and operates the Indy Pass) purchased Black Mountain following its near closure in 2023. It invested a significant amount of money in making the resort more viable, including lift renovations, snowmaking upgrades, food and beverage improvements, and the creation of a new beginner area. Entabeni’s ownership plan is to make it a co-op, similar to Mad River Glen.
Whether this independence is a fad or the start of something new is uncertain, but it’s a nice change of pace in our increasingly corporate world.
Overall, It Was A Solid Season For North America’s Ski Industry: While some regions didn’t receive a lot of snow (particularly the Southwest), other portions of the country, like the Midwest and Northeast, experienced cold and snowy winters. This led to an overall successful season for the Red, White, and Blue.
In May, the National Ski Areas Association released its visitation numbers for the 2024-25 season. U.S. ski resorts saw an estimated 61.5 million visitors, which is the second most ever. The top number, which came from the 2022-23 season, was considered an anomaly due to its association with the post-COVID surge in outdoor recreation participation.
“The 2024-25 season may come to represent a new baseline for the industry,” said NSAA President and CEO Michael Reitzell. “Even if ‘normal’ continues to evolve, this season gives us a strong point of reference for what steady, healthy growth looks like.”
Whether that high visitation will continue next winter is debatable. Foreign visitation to the US is down this summer, a trend that could persist into the ski season. For example, Jay Peak, located near the Canadian border, has raised concerns about some of its Canadian visitors not wanting to return.
It sounds like it’ll be mostly up to domestic travelers and the weather to make the 2025-26 season a financial success.
Image/Video Credits: Matt Omann, Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association, Storm Skiing Journal & Podcast, PeakRankings, Black Mountain (Entabeni Systems), Jay Peak Resort
