Jay, Vt., June 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — JAY, Vt. (June 4, 2026) – Ski Vermont capped the 2025-26 ski season at its 57th Annual Meeting at Jay Peak Resort today, highlighting a winter of favorable weather, strong visitation, and continued improvements at Vermont ski areas. Partners, supporters, and friends of the industry joined Ski Vermont’s alpine and cross-country members to reflect on a successful season.
Vermont’s ski industry performed well, with alpine ski areas reporting a total of 4.36M skier visits for the 2025–26 season, an increase of 4.7% over the previous year and an 11% increase over the 10-year average. This also marks the best visitation since the 2014-15 season. These totals put Vermont 1.5% ahead of the Northeast region’s 3.2% growth, and 13.8% ahead of the national average, which fell by 9.1%.
Vermont remains the top ski state in the east and fourth largest in the nation by skier visits. The state’s ski areas averaged 118 operating days this season, slightly higher than the 10-year average of 111 days. Average snowfall totaled 194 inches, down 11% from last year but 6% above the 10-year average.
“Vermont is known for exceptional snow and its authentic community,” said Ski Vermont President Molly Mahar. “Ski areas are committed to providing an unforgettable experience for visitors, and worldclass snowmaking and ski programming are an important part of that. Ultimately it comes down to showcasing all that Vermont ski areas provide visitors. It’s an experience that brings people back and these numbers bear that out.”
With early season snowfall and consistent snowmaking temperatures jump-starting the season, ski areas experienced steady visitation through the core winter months of December, January and February. Favorable weather and sold-out hotel bookings over the peak holidays of New Years, Martin Luther King Jr., and President’s Day helped mitigate a handful of frigid weekends in late January. Similarly, the season’s steady visitation made up for the early-March warm-up that shortened the spring ski season.
The cold winter also favored Ski Vermont’s cross-country members areas, which reported a total of 339,046 skier visits, up 5% from last season. A total of seven Vermont cross-country ski areas have installed supplemental snowmaking systems on portions of their trail networks.
Highlights of this year’s Annual Meeting program included Building Mental Resilience on the Mountain by Dr. Chrissy Semler of Fortitude Sport Psychology & Mental Health, a presentation of Vermont’s new Destination Management Plan by Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing Commissioner Heather Pelham, and a workforce development roundtable The Pipeline Project’s Tiffany Whitcomb and members of Ski Vermont’s Workforce Development Committee. Kevin Chu of the Vermont Futures Project delivered the keynote Myths & Misconceptions: Data on Vermont’s Economic Competitiveness.
Bill Stritzler, owner of Smugglers’ Notch Ski Area and former Ski Vermont Board member accepted an Industry Achievement Award for his contributions to Vermont’s ski industry. David Kaufman, a professor for more than 40 years in UVM’s Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Program was honored with a Friend of the Industry Award for his decades-long service to Vermont’s tourism and outdoor recreation industries. Career Industry Awards were also announced for Callie McAllister (52 years of service) of Mad River Glen where she was director of the Cricket Club, and Kevin McKegney (42 years of service) who served as a ski patroller at Bolton Valley. Career awards are given to retiring employees with 25 or more years of service at a ski area.
Skiing is an important economic driver and employer in the state, particularly in rural areas where many ski areas are located. Ski Vermont’s Fifth Grade Passport helps to get thousands of children on the slopes annually and partial proceeds from the program support Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports.
Read Ski Vermont’s 2026 Annual Report
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A non-profit trade association founded in 1969 to serve alpine and cross-country ski areas, Ski Vermont (the Vermont Ski Areas Association) is a proud ambassador of the thriving winter tourism industry in Vermont, where skiing and snowboarding are the official state winter sports. The top ski state in the east and among the top destinations in the US, Vermont boasts world-class snowmaking quality, coverage, and efficiency, a wide variety of terrain, and a profound historical impact on the sports of skiing and snowboarding – making it one of the most significant ski and ride destinations in the world. VSAA’s mission is to help maintain an environment in which the state’s ski areas can operate and prosper.
Bryan Rivard Ski Vermont 8022232439x303 bryan@skivermont.com
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