Last season, skiers and snowboarders spent less in Utah than they had in any of the three previous winters, according to a study released this week by the Kem C. Gardner Institute. One group, though, surprisingly spent more.
Utahns.
State residents spent a near record amount on trips to their backyard mountains in 2024-25, according to the study. The $630 million that came out of their pockets accounted for 25% of the total $2.51 billion the state generated in skier spending.
The only season Utah residents accounted for a higher percentage of skier spending was 2022-23. That was also the year the state broke records in three other categories: snowfall (903 inches), skier visits (7.1 million) and total skier spending ($2.78 billion).
Part of the reason Utahns paid such a large share of the tab is that they contributed a large share of the skier visits. Nearly half (43%) of the 6.5 million skier and snowboarder visits were made by residents. While that’s down from 46% of visits last year, Utahns frequented their local resorts as much as the rest of the United States combined, minus California (9% of visits) and Florida (4%). International travelers accounted for 3% of all visits.
Jennifer Leaver, the senior tourism analyst at the Gardner Institute, said the rise of the multi-resort pass has likely contributed to a steady increase in locals on the slopes. She noted that Utahns only made up about 30% of visits in 2010-11.
Vail Resorts introduced the Epic Pass — the season pass for Park City Mountain, the nation’s largest ski resort — in 2008. Alterra Mountain Company followed with the Ikon Pass in 2018. Solitude is the base mountain for that pass in Utah. For the 2025-26 season, upper tiers of it grant access to Alta Ski Area, Brighton Resort, Deer Valley Resort, Snowbasin and Snowbird. Last winter, according to the Gardner Institute, 70% of Utah skiers used a season pass to board the lifts.
“There’s more freedom, more flexibility with those passes,” Leaver said, “and more ski resorts that people can go to.”
When people go out of state to ski, they need lodging and food and transportation. That’s why they, and especially international travelers, have historically contributed more of the spending. Locals don’t spend on those things, right?
It appears they must. The institute reported 72% of visitors stayed in paid accommodations, such as hotels or short-term rentals for an average of 6.4 nights per year. In fact, the $668 million that was spent on lodging in Summit, Weber and Salt Lake counties during the 2024-25 season was the second most on record, again trailing 2022-23.
According to Gardner Institute estimates, about 25% of those bookings were made by in-state guests.
On average, Leaver said, local skiers spent $143 per visit — $10 more per visit than last year. Meanwhile, out-of-state visitors spent nearly $404 per day, nearly three times as much.
In addition to lodging, most of that money went toward drinks, food, shopping and lift tickets.
It all adds up to make the ski industry one of the strongest contributors to Utah’s tourism economy, which Leaver said generated $13.3 billion in 2024. By comparison, she said visitors to Utah’s Mighty 5 National Parks added $2 billion to the state’s economy.
“Utah’s ski industry remains one of the state’s most powerful economic engines and a cornerstone of our economy,” Nathan Rafferty, Ski Utah’s president and CEO, said in a news release. “The 2024–25 season once again showed how important skiing and snowboarding are to Utah’s economy, communities, and way of life. Strong visitation numbers this year mean more jobs, stronger local businesses, and lasting benefits for residents across the state as we look ahead to the 2034 Olympic Winter Games.”
Utah is set to begin the 2025-26 ski season Friday at Brian Head Resort near Cedar City, though recent warm temperatures may push that date back. Skiing could begin along the Wasatch Range as soon as next week, with Solitude tentatively setting its opener for Nov. 14.
6 Busiest Utah Ski Seasons
- 2022-23: 7.1 million skier visits.
- 2023-24: 6.7 million skier visits.
- 2024-25: 6.5 million skier visits.
- 2021-22: 5.8 million skier visits.
- 2020-21: 5.3 million skier visits.
- 2018-19: 5.1 million skier visits.
Correction • Nov. 5, 2025, 10:30 a.m.: This article has been updated to correct the number of skier visits for Utah during the 2022-23 ski season.