Visits to Colorado plunged off a cliff this past season, hitting the lowest levels in more than three decades after one of the warmest and driest winters on record.

Statewide skier visitation numbers published Thursday, June 4, by Colorado Ski Country USA estimate that 10.5 million skiers and riders turned out to the state’s roughly 28 ski resorts during the 2025-26 season. That’s down 3.3 million skier visits from last season, and is the least amount of people hitting the state’s slopes since the 1991-92 season, according to the trade group’s data.

“This year revealed the experience, dedication and grit of Colorado’s resorts and the teams behind them,” Colorado Ski Country USA President and CEO Melanie Mills said in a news release. “… Skier visits are an important metric, but they are far from the only measure of the health of our industry.”

Nationwide, about 9 million fewer skiers and riders took to the slopes this season compared to last, according to preliminary data published last month by the National Ski Area Association. The Rocky Mountain West accounted for more than two-thirds of the nationwide decline in skier visits. The roughly 52.6 million skiers and riders who visited the nation’s more than 300 ski areas last year was an about 9% decrease from the 10-year average.

Colorado is the ski capital of the U.S., accounting for between one-fifth and one-quarter of the total nationwide skier visits most seasons. This year, Colorado accounted for about 20% of all ski visitation nationwide, according to the data.

Vast swaths of the western United States just experienced one of the hottest and driest winters on record, with an unprecedented March heatwave that saw summer-like temperatures and rapidly melted off the snowpack. Colorado and the Rocky Mountains experienced some of the worst conditions.

Every month this winter, the average monthly snowfall fell well below normal monthly averages from the past 20 years, according to Colorado Ski Country USA. That led to declines in in-state, out-of-state and international visitors coming to the state’s ski resorts. The trade group states that visitation fell more than 20% under the 10-year average.

Due to conditions, Colorado Ski Country USA said ski resorts in Colorado were also open fewer days than past seasons. While the state’s ski resorts have averaged 144 open days over the past 20 years, this year the trade group states that ski resorts were only open an average of 129 days.

Resorts navigated the impacts of low snow by making operational adjustments as needed and relying on snowmaking teams, grooming crews and mountain operations staff to deliver the best possible guest experience throughout the season, according to Ski Country USA.

While there were fewer skiers on Colorado’s slopes this past season, the news release notes that the season offered shorter lift lines, milder temperatures and “well-groomed, approachable terrain that helped beginners build confidence.”

Colorado Ski Country USA is an industry trade group of 21 member resorts throughout the state Its members include major ski resorts that can be accessed on the Ikon Pass, such as Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Steamboat Resort, Aspen-Snowmass, Winter Park Resort and Eldora Mountain. It also includes a number of smaller ski areas, such as Granby Ranch, Ski Cooper, Sunlight Mountain Resort, Monarch Mountain and Powderhorn Mountain Resort, that aren’t on a megapass.

Properties owned by Vail Resorts, such as Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek Resort, Breckenridge Ski Resort and Keystone Resort, are not members but are included in the estimates published by Colorado Ski Country USA.