DENVER – Colorado’s ski resorts are seeing fewer visitors and a decrease in revenue as the state experiences historic warm weather.
Last week, Vail Resorts reported results for the second quarter of the 2026 fiscal year and provided some statistics for the ski season through March 1.
Vail Resorts reported a 4.7% decrease in resort net revenue, or about $53.2 million, compared to last year.
Additionally, the company saw an 11.9% decrease in skier visits, further emphasizing the effects of the challenging season.
"This has been the most challenging winter across the Rockies that we have ever experienced with the lowest snowfall levels in more than 30 years for our Colorado and Utah resorts, combined with warmer temperatures, resulting in reduced terrain throughout the quarter and into February,” Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz said in a news release. “Given that backdrop, we are pleased with the strength and stability shown by our operating model, as we reported only modest declines in lift revenue in what many would consider a worst-case weather scenario.”
Although visitation was down, the company reported a 3% increase in North American Pass Sales revenue heading into ski season.
“I think this is a tale of two stories. On one hand, Vail and Alterra, with their Epic and Ikon passes, have actually done a really good job of building in resilience. Right? When you look at the skier traffic being down, I would have expected worse numbers,” Lincoln Davie, Metropolitan State University of Denver associate professor of sports management, said. "When we look at lodging, when we look at rentals, when we look at ski schools, we're down like 8% to 9%, so we can look at a situation where there's some resilience built in for the resorts, but less so for your local residents and your local economy.”
Adding to this trend, the Summit Daily reported that Steamboat Springs' lodging bookings for March are down 10% year over year, further reflecting the statewide downturn.
Davie said some ski resort companies will begin offering more incentives for ski passes next year.
“Vail and Alterra are signaling they are increasing prices a little bit next year, so that tells me they feel fairly confident about what next season looks like, and they're each providing some consumer protections. So, the Epic pass for Vail is taking a strategic approach of looking at Gen Z. If you're 13 to 30 years old, there's a discount,” Davie said. “Alterra, on the other hand, is saying, ‘hey, we'll take on some of your consumer concerns.’. If you don't go skiing between the start of the season and January 15th, you're 100% refunded. If you go once, you get a 50% refund. “
Davie said, despite the tough weather year, overall, the ski industry in Colorado is still thriving.
