Ski Season One Of Most Successful For Colorado Industry
SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- It's shaping up to be one of the most successful ski seasons in years for the winter sports industry in Colorado.
Skier visits across the state are up 10 percent over the same time frame last year.
"I like to come up once a week or so," said skier Phillip Ryan. "I missed the right year. Last year there was apparently very little snow, and this year there's more than I've ever seen."
Industry analysts believe heavy storms and plenty of open terrain can be credited with the surge in winter enthusiasts.
Nearly three feet of snow has fallen at resorts in Summit County just this week.
The number of visitors is expected to stay the same or keep the upward trend.
Ski areas said once skiers commit early in the season, they usually return for more in the spring.
"Once they get started skiing, then they tend to continue," said John Sellers with Loveland Ski Area.
Loveland Ski Area has received double the amount of snow they had a year ago.
"It's free advertising, but it gets the buzz going, it gets people excited, gets people talking, 'Hey, I saw my friend up there at Loveland last week, look at all that great snow, I gotta get up there,'" said Sellers.
