Skiing Facilities
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 300 skiing facilities in the US operate downhill, cross-country, or related skiing areas and/or operate equipment, such as ski lifts and tows. These establishments often provide food and beverage services, equipment rental services, and ski instruction services.
Highly Seasonal Demand
Peak ski season generally runs from mid-November through mid-April.
Struggle for Growth
The snow sport industry has struggled for about a decade to grow participation.
Industry size & Structure
The average skiing facility employs about 160 workers and generates $12 million annually.
- The skiing facility industry consists of about 300 firms that employ about 48,000 workers and generate $3.6 billion annually.
- Industry revenue is highly concentrated; the top 50 companies account for 86% of industry revenue. However, the resort market is fragmented; less than 20% of the roughly 480 ski resorts in the US are owned by companies with four or more properties.
- Large firms include Vail Resorts, Aspen Skiing, Alterra Mountain, Powdr Corp., and Boyne Resorts.
Industry Forecast
Skiing Facilities Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Feb 19, 2025 - Booking Pace Slows in January 2025
- Bookings at Western mountain destinations for January 2025 and the five upcoming months slowed, falling 11.3% compared to a year ago according to the latest Market Briefing by DestiMetrics, as reported in Ski Area Management. The average daily rate (ADR) for January was up 3.7% compared to a year ago while occupancy fell 1.7%. Price sensitivity and employment concerns have resulted in consumers pulling back on their bookings. According to Tom Foley, senior vice president for business intelligence at Inntopia, “After a pretty lively final week of December and the start of January, bolstered by widespread snowfall during that time, we saw a marked cooling in bookings during January. Adequate but not spectacular snowfall played a role in the softening bookings, but so did a shakeup in economic stability and consumer confidence.” The DestiMetrics lodging data covers 28,000 lodging units in 17 Western mountain communities across seven states.
- Consumer confidence levels fell in January 2025, dropping by 5.4 points from the previous month, according to The Conference Board. The Consumer Confidence Index was 104.1 in January 2025 from 109.5 in December 2024. Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board, noted that the segment with the highest gains in confidence were those at the bottom of the income range while households earning over $125,000 showed the sharpest decline in confidence. Per Peterson, “Consumer confidence has been moving sideways in a relatively stable, narrow range since 2022. January was no exception. The Index weakened for a second straight month, but still remained in that range, even if in the lower part.” Purchasing plans for homes and new cars were flat while big-ticket purchases rose on a six-month moving average basis.
- A strike by Park City Ski Patrol at the nation’s largest ski area that began in December and lasted for nearly two weeks ended with a new contract with Vail Resorts, according to The Gazette. The Park City Ski Patrol union said the new contract increased starting wages for patrollers by $2 an hour and guarantees wage increases if patrollers at other Vail properties receive raises. The union negotiated for 10 months before the 12-day strike. The strike may be over at the Utah-based resort, but it now faces a class action lawsuit from customers who say the resort ruined their vacation by failing to notify them of the strike. According to Powder.com, the suit claims the company violated the Utah Consumer Sales Practice Act, which prohibits deceptive practices in consumer transactions. Skiers in the suit say they spent thousands of dollars on ski vacations only to experience significant disruptions and safety risks.
- Utah-based POWDR recently sold the largest ski resort in New England to a local independent ownership group led by Phill Gross and Michael Ferri, according to the New England Ski Journal. Upon the deal’s finalization, the Killington Resort in Vermont announced new investment projects valued at more than $30 million, including snowmaking investments, lift replacements, gondola revitalization, and a mountain bike trail expansion. The new ownership group includes 16 investors, and POWDR and Great Gulf will remain as minority investors. The deal, which includes nearby Pico Mountain, closed in September 2024, and the sales price was not disclosed.
Get A Demo
Vertical IQ’s Industry Intelligence Platform
See for yourself why over 60,000 users trust Vertical IQ for their industry research and call preparation needs. Our easy-to-digest industry insights save call preparation time and help differentiate you from the competition.
Build valuable, lasting relationships by having smarter conversations -
check out Vertical IQ today.