399 million skier visits in a single season. That’s not a typo. That’s the number the global ski industry just posted for 2024-25, according to SnowBrains — and it marks a new all-time world record. I’ve been in resort marketing long enough to remember when 57 million annual visits in the US felt like a plateau we might never break through. Seeing the worldwide number hit 399 million? That’s the kind of context that should be reshaping conversations in your marketing department right now.
What “Recovery” Really Looks Like
The post-COVID bounce-back story everyone predicted is actually playing out — just slower and messier than the hype suggested. The US ski industry spent years circling 50-57 million visits, and the NSAA’s Growth Committee set a target of hitting 60 million as a national average over a three-year period. That goal has since been achieved. Globally, we’re looking at the healthiest participation numbers in the sport’s history. That matters more than the US-only headline.
The Problem With Treating This as a Victory Lap
Here’s where I’d pump the brakes a little. Record global visits are great, but they don’t automatically translate to record revenue or record retention at any individual resort. The visitors are there. The question is whether your marketing team is actually converting them into loyal passholders, not just one-time walk-up buyers. I’ve watched resorts have their biggest skier visit numbers ever and still finish the season with underwhelming pass renewal rates — because the in-season experience and post-season follow-up were an afterthought.
Are you tracking your first-timer conversion rates this season? What percentage of your visitors bought a day ticket and never came back? Those numbers tell a more important story than the global headline.
Where Resorts Should Be Redirecting Their Energy Right Now
Late April is prime time to be mining your season data. Who came once and didn’t renew? Who bought a multi-day ticket but skipped your pass? Powder Magazine’s coverage of the global numbers frames it as an industry triumph — and it is — but the real opportunity is at the individual resort level. With participation at record highs, the competition for those 399 million visits is as fierce as it’s ever been. Every resort thinks they have a shot at a bigger piece. Your marketing has to be better, not just louder.
We’ve been talking about this dynamic in our PNW Pass Wars breakdown — the early-buy season is already here, and the resorts winning it are the ones who started their renewal campaigns before the lifts stopped spinning.
What This Means for Your Budget Conversations
Here’s the practical angle: when you walk into a budget meeting and you need to make the case for investing in content, CRM, or digital marketing — this is your data point. The sport is growing. 399 million visits. The market is there. The resorts that underspend on marketing right now are leaving real money on the table, not just in this season but in lifetime passholder value. That’s a different conversation than “we need to sell lift tickets.” And it’s one worth having.
The Bigger Picture
The NSAA Growth Committee recently shifted its focus from skier visits to total participation — targeting 13 million active skiers and snowboarders in the US, up from the current estimate of 10.7 million. That’s the smarter long-term metric. Visits fluctuate with snowfall. Participants are a more stable base to build on. We covered what that shift means operationally in our NSAA AI growth strategy breakdown if you want the deeper dive.
Record global visits. But your resort’s piece of that pie isn’t guaranteed. What are you doing this offseason to make sure you show up bigger next winter? I’d genuinely love to know what’s working for your team right now.
