Published: 6/15/2017 4:18:49 PM
New Hampshire ski areas rebounded strongly last winter after the dismal 2015-16 season, recording a one-third increase in paid visits, including a near-record number of people going tubing.
According to data from Ski NH, an industry group representing 34 alpine and cross-country ski areas in the Granite State, total paid visits at the areas reached 2.36 million, including alpine and cross-county skiing, snowboarding and tubing. This is a 33 percent increase over the prior season’s visits.
While it was a huge improvement from the previous winter, which saw record warmth and near-record lack of snow, the figure is about 11 percent less than the tally from the 2014-15 season, which saw 2.57 million visits, the fourth-highest figure Ski NH has ever reported.
This past winter, downhill ski and snowboard visits totaled 2.1 million, 30 percent higher than the previous season, while cross-country ski visits were up 80 percent to 133,621.
Snow tubing visits hit 119,690, the third-best figure since Ski NH started keeping records 20 years ago, and an 82 percent jump over the previous season.
“Well-timed snowstorms helped promote the perception in our key market areas that there was good skiing in the state,” said Jessyca Keeler, executive director of Ski NH.
The group announced the figures at its annual conference in North Conway on June 12.
Ski NH does not represent every ski area in the state. Exceptions include Crotched Mountain, Attitash and Wildcat Mountain, which are owned by Peak Resorts of Missouri.
(David Brooks can be reached at 369-3313 or dbrooks@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @GraniteGeek.)