SAM Magazine—Jay, Vt., June 5, 2026—JJ Toland from Sugarbush with former Jay Peak teammate and 2017 SAM "10 Under 30" Andrew Lanoue and SAM's Dave Meeker.The 242 attendees at the Vermont Ski Areas Association’s (Ski Vermont) 57th Annual Meeting at Jay Peak, June 3-4, were the first to hear that the 2025-26 winter’s early start, good snowfall, and cold weather led to 4.36 million skier visits at the state’s alpine ski areas. That’s a 4.7 percent increase over the previous season and the highest skier visit tally since 2014-15, beating the 10-year average by 11 percent.

These results were in stark contrast to total national visitation, which was down more than 14 percent year over year and roughly 9 percent lower than the 10-year national average—a reflection of the challenging weather most of the West experienced throughout the winter. 

The East’s mostly favorable weather also benefitted Vermont’s cross-country ski areas, which reported a total of 339,046 skier visits, up 5 percent from last season, according to data shared with Ski Vermont by Cross Country Ski Areas Association chief Reese Brown. 

Even with an unusually dry and warm March that ended spring skiing earlier than normal at many Vermont ski areas, operating days averaged 118, up from the 10-year average of 111. Statewide snowfall averaged 194 inches, 11 percent below 2024-25.

Thursday’s program at the annual meeting kicked off with Ski Vermont staff updating its membership on the association’s advocacy, marketing, and communications efforts from the past year. 

“Ski Vermont works for our members … one of our goals is to foster a strong, connected, and collaborative industry,” said Ski Vermont president Molly Mahar in her opening remarks.

Big crowd getting marketing updates from Ski Vermont marketing and partnerships manager Becca Munkelwitz.The early start to the season and increased efforts to engage with national outlets helped increase earned-media reach 83 percent, according to Ski Vermont communications director Bryan Rivard. Marketing and partnerships manager Becca Munkelwitz shared that visitation patterns to the association’s website reflect the impact AI is having on how people browse for information online, with a decrease in unique users and page views but an increase in direct traffic. 

The rest of the program included a presentation about Vermont’s new Destination Management Plan by Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing commissioner Heather Pelham, a discussion on the importance of raising awareness about ski industry careers among CTE program teachers and students with The Pipeline Project’s Tiffany Whitcomb, and a talk titled “Building Mental Resilience on the Mountain” delivered by Dr. Chrissy Semler of Fortitude Sport Psychology & Mental Health. 

The presentations were followed by breakout sessions led by the three speakers, which allowed attendees to drill down into the respective topics and engage in more discussion. Kevin Chu of the Vermont Futures Project wrapped up the program with his keynote “Myths & Misconceptions: Data on Vermont’s Economic Competitiveness.” 

“Over the past couple years, when planning the meeting, our aim has been to deliver a program to our members that not only covers the most current, core topics but also something broader that they’ll find useful and inspiring, such as Dr. Semler’s presentation about mental health this year,” Rivard told SAM. “We look forward to getting feedback from members when we send the post-event survey, which has been invaluable to inform our approach and helps makes the meeting so successful.”

Several suppliers exhibited at the trade show, giving ski area operators the opportunity to connect during breaks and lunch. Overall, the networking atmosphere was upbeat and energetic.

Longtime Smugglers' Notch owner Bill Stritzler speaks after being honored with the Ski Vermont Industry Achievement Award.Ski Vermont also recognized longtime Smugglers’ Notch owner Bill Stritzler with the Industry Achievement Award for his contributions to Vermont’s ski industry. David Kaufman, a professor for more than 40 years in the University of Vermont’s Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Program, was honored with the annual Friend of the Industry Award for his decades-long service to Vermont’s tourism and outdoor recreation industries. Career Industry Awards, which recognize retiring employees with 25 or more years of service at a ski area, were given to Callie McAllister (52 years of service) of Mad River Glen where she was director of the Cricket Club, and Kevin McKegney (42 years of service), who served as a ski patroller at Bolton Valley.