SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 15, 2026—Skier visits for Vail Resorts (VR) destinations were down 20 percent for the season through Jan. 4 compared to a year ago, the company reported today. The news reflects below-normal snowfall across much of the West and the resulting limited operations at many resorts. It also provides a window into how the low-snow year is affecting resorts across the country generally.

Beyond visits, ancillary revenues were also down: 14.9 percent in snowsports school, and 15.9 percent in dining revenues. Retail/rental revenues across VR's North American properties, including those in the East and Midwest where rental operations are often significant, were off just 6 percent.

Lift ticket revenues, thanks to an allocation of advance-purchased Epic Passes, were down just 1.8 percent.

“We experienced one of the worst early season snowfalls in the western U.S. in over 30 years, which limited our ability to open terrain and negatively impacted visitation and ancillary spending for both local and destination guests,” chief executive Rob Katz said in the report. “Snowfall at our western U.S. resorts for November and December was approximately 50 percent below the historical 30-year average. In the Rockies, snowfall was down nearly 60 percent versus the historical 30-year average, resulting in approximately 11 percent of terrain being opened in December.

“Following the holiday period, conditions across our resorts in the Rockies have improved,” Katz added, “although conditions remain near historic lows for this time of the season.” Open terrain for VR's Colorado resorts currently ranges from 26 percent at Beaver Creek to 56 percent at Vail.

Conditions on the West Coast were somewhat better, though "near historic lows through mid-December," Katz said, "while Whistler also had a slower start to the season." Timely storms helped VR "greatly expand terrain" at its Tahoe resorts and Whistler over the holiday period, he said.

On a brighter note, he added, "Early season conditions at our eastern U.S. ski areas were strong."

"The recent weather variability has reinforced our commitment to our advance commitment strategy," Katz noted. He praised VR employees for their  "exceptional execution that delivered strong guest satisfaction scores season to date, despite the significant weather challenges."