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SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 10, 2017—U.S. ski areas tallied an estimated 54.7 million skier and snowboarder visits during the 2016-17 season, up 3.7 percent from last season's skiers esize52.8 million total, according to preliminary results of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Kottke Report.

Ski areas in the Northeast region experienced a big, and expected, rebound from the dismal 2015-16 season, with skier visits up 27 percent YOY to 11.8 million. In addition, the Pacific Northwest region had its best season on record (4.4 million visits), and the Rocky Mountain region its second-best winter in terms of skier visits (21.7 million). Visits were up from last winter in the Southeast region, but down slightly in the Midwest region (to the lowest levels on record) and the Pacific Southwest region.

Skier visits during Christmas and Spring Break were busy at resorts across the country—up 30 percent and 4 percent YOY, respectively—contributing to the overall positive season.

“Across the country, it was a season of contradictions,” said NSAA president Michael Berry. “We had more snow this season in the California Sierra Mountains than the previous four seasons combined. And yet Chicago recorded its first-ever snowless January and February in more than 146 years.”