Ski industry's celebration may be short-lived

Ski industry executives are giving thanks for a banner year as heavy snowfall and a surge in international tourists outweighed the impact of a sluggish economy.

Ski resorts across the U.S. attracted more than 60 million visitors, a gain of 9 percent from the previous season, the industry's trade group said.

But those who traveled to San Francisco this week to attend the annual convention of the National Ski Areas Association said they worry about how customers will react amid a slowing economy.

"Make no mistake," said Andy Wirth, Intrawest's chief marketing officer. "This will be a brief celebration this afternoon. We have our work cut out for us during the coming year."

Ski resorts in the Rocky Mountain region drew more than 21 million visitors in the latest season, recording a modest 2.3 percent increase despite a slow start, the association estimated.

"When you take into account an exceedingly warm and dry November and the notable challenges in the economic environment, I'll take 2.3 percent any day," said Wirth, whose company operates Steamboat, Winter Park, Copper Mountain and other resorts.

The national numbers are a relief after disappointing results last year. Ski areas nationwide sustained a roughly 7 percent drop for the 2006 and 2007 season with skier visits of 55.1 million.

This year, the figure climbed past the 60 million mark, "a major psychological benchmark," said Nolan Rosall, head of RRC Associates, a Boulder-based research firm focused especially on the ski and snowboard industry.

"We've been talking about working our way to achieving that for several years," he said.

The Northeast, Midwest, Pacific West and Southeast all racked up stronger increases than the Rocky Mountain area. The Rockies had fared better than the rest of the country last year.

Heaps of snow helped immensely. A weaker dollar did, too.

Ski resorts benefited as international visitors traveled to Colorado and elsewhere to capitalize on the favorable exchange rate.

Colorado ski resorts are staying aggressive in a tough economy. Vail Resorts recently unveiled the "Epic" pass allowing unlimited skiing at all five of its resorts for an initial price of $579.

Rosall, taking a break from the festivities to talk by cell phone, said the economy is on the minds of everyone at the conference.

"There are plenty of reasons to be cautious," he said.

"We don't know how long and deep the recession -- if we're in a recession -- will be. We're hopeful we can build on this and it's not an all-time record, just an interim record."

All regions of the U.S. and resorts of all size categories contributed to the record season. Gains over last season:

Northeast 19.3 percent

Midwest 12.3 percent

Pacific West 10.0 percent

Southeast 6.5 percent

Rocky Mountains 2.3 percent

(James Paton writes for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver)