The erratic winter hit New Hampshire’s ski areas which saw a 4% decline from the previous winter in alpine, or downhill, visits and a 6% decline when cross-country and tubing visits were included.

Ski New Hampshire, the statewide industry group, reported skier visits during their annual meeting Wednesday at Cranmore Mountain Resort. They said alpine ski areas recorded an estimated 2,166,857 visits in the 2023-24 winter.

The season was marked by fits and starts, with cold and snowy weather kicking off the winter, only to be followed before the critical Christmas holiday period with heavy rains that took a toll on trail counts.

Cross-country areas had tougher challenges due to weather, since few areas have snowmaking. Cross-country visits were estimated to be approximately 87,621, representing a drop of 14% compared to the prior year, and 26% below the 10-year average.

Tubing operations were impacted by the weather as well, coming in at 101,163 visits, 22% down from last year. However, last year New Hampshire ski areas recorded their highest tubing visits ever, the group said, so compared to the 10-year average, tubing visits were only off by 8%.