SAM Magazine--Stratton, Vt., June 9, 2010--The Vermont Ski Areas Association announced at its annual meeting that Vermont's ski resorts recorded 4,125,082 skier visits for the 2009-10 season. This marks a 1.4 percent increase over the prior season's tally and tracks with the 5-year average.

"With below-average snowfall, below-average days of operation and an economy still struggling to pull out of a major recession, the season's numbers are a true testament to the ski industry's resiliency and its importance to Vermont's economy," remarked Parker Riehle, president of the Vermont Ski Areas Association.

The 2009-10 season was most notably marked by a late start and an early finish, with few major snowstorms in between. Still, Vermont ski areas saw strong weekend business and solid holiday bookings that brought skier visits ahead of last year, while the Northeast overall saw a 2.8% decline as reported by the National Ski Areas Association.

What did work was that many of the snowstorms fell in down-state backyards, which proved to be a boon for Vermont as skiers and riders were continually reminded that winter was in full stride. Skiers and riders responded with a rebound in spending at resorts which brought substantial increases to the state's rooms and meals and sales tax collections over last year.

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