As a lot of us look towards the Almanac and other long-term weather forecasts in preparation for the upcoming ski trips, very few people consider the rest of the ski population that are doing the same. Since certain season pass costs are at an all time low and offering some of the best terrain access across the globe at the same time, the upcoming season is sure to bring in record crowds.
With that in mind, statistics concerning skier concentration show that the USA was the most popular ski destination country in the world this season followed closely by France. According to The Local, America’s numbers climbed this past winter, largely supplied by the generous amounts of snow that fell across the country, by 0.6% resulting in a total of 53.9 million “skier days.” While France had a rough start to the season and an overall lack of lower elevation snow, their numbers dropped by 3% providing 52 million “skier days.” Europe’s second largest ski nation Austria also saw a decline in “skier days,” down 4% and finishing with 49.9 million.
“There was a very difficult start to the season due to a lack of snow at low and medium altitudes, not to mention unpredictable weather causing disruptions to our operating systems.”
– Domaines Skiables de France
The USA and France have spent the better part of the past decade swapping between the number one and number two seed for most visited ski destinations, but with the upcoming season including a large development boost in the Arlberg mountains of Austria and Vail’s Epic Pass which now includes 30 resorts across Europe along with its dozen US resorts this years numbers simply become a toss up completely based upon the weather. (For more information regarding the Arlberg mountains in Austria please visit: Improvements in the Arlberg… For information regarding Vail’s Epic Pass please see: The Epic Pass Just Added…)
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