‘Third-best season ever’: Over 6.5 million skiers visited Utah’s resorts during the season

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — “Greatest snow on Earth,” Utah’s long-running slogan, is proving itself true after another successful season at Utah’s ski resorts. According to Ski Utah, this last season was the third-best in state history.

There are 15 ski resorts across Utah, and together they recorded 6,503,635 visitors during the 2024-25 season, which has just wrapped up. According to a press release from Ski Utah, this is the third-highest number of skier visits in state history.

This season’s skier visits were down 3.6% from last year, the press release says, but the more than 6.5 million visitors this year show a 3.3% increase over Utah’s five-year average.

Utah’s economy benefits greatly from recreation at the ski resorts. Ski Utah’s president and CEO, Nathan Rafferty, emphasized skiing’s impact on Utah.

“To hit our third-best season ever and generate $2.51 billion for Utah’s economy is a major win,” Rafferty is quoted in the release. “The ski industry in Utah supports approximately 25,000 jobs, and with the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games on the horizon, the eyes of the world will be on us once again. We’re excited about the opportunities ahead and grateful to all who helped make this season a success.”

Ski Utah says that ski resorts are already hard at work to prepare for the upcoming 2034 Winter Olympics. In the next two years alone, 13 new lifts are expected to finish construction and open, and many resorts are planning upgrades to their mountain areas.

“Utah’s future as a global winter destination remains as promising as ever,” Ski Utah concluded.