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CONWAY, NH – Ski New Hampshire, New Hampshire’s ski industry trade association, announced the state’s 2021-22 season ski area visitation numbers at their annual meeting on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. NH’s 32 downhill and cross country ski areas had 2,220,102 visitors participate in cross country and downhill skiing and snowtubing, a 3% decrease compared to the previous year.
Alpine ski areas saw a wide range of ups and downs throughout the season almost entirely due to weather events and patterns. Total alpine visits finished down 3% year over year at 1,997,185 visits. Cross-country visits came in at 2% above last year’s numbers, at 114,263 visits. Tubing visits were off the most and came in 7% lower than the 2020-21 season at 108,654 visits.
Compared to a 10-year average, alpine skier visits were off 4%; cross country areas were off by 10%; and tubing visits were up 1%. Across all activities, business was down 3%.
Jessyca Keeler, Ski New Hampshire’s President, attributes the business levels to a number of factors. “There was definitely a lot of demand, and I heard anecdotally from numerous ski areas that season pass sales were up substantially. But weather was really the biggest driving factor impacting visitation. Several ski areas that open before or during Thanksgiving week had to push their opening dates back by a week due to unseasonably warm weather. Throughout the state, we experienced a lot fluctuating temperatures and a relatively warm winter from around February vacation until the end of the season. Rain events were also relatively common this past season and that certainly put a damper on visitation.”
“With weather like we had this year, we have to thank our snowmakers and groomers for all they did to ensure that the season lasted as long as it did. The regular investments that our ski areas make in new and more efficient snowmaking and grooming technology is critical to their success. These are areas of capital improvement that really help our industry get through tricky winters like the one we just had.”
Loon Mountain’s Vice President of Marketing Kevin Bell attributes their successes to their investment in lifts and snowmaking, and their decision to limit ticket sales. “Limiting the sale of day tickets improved the experience for both guests and the team. The installation of the Kancamangus 8 and introduction of fully automated snowmaking were major upgrades that certainly contributed to the overall experience and success this winter.”
Other ski area managers also shared their perspectives on the season that came to pass.
Aly Moore, of McIntyre Ski Area, stated, “Weather was certainly a challenge this season but thanks to the efforts of our snowmakers and groomers we didn’t have to rely on Old Man Winter. McIntyre Ski Area was 100% open with full trail coverage for the majority of the season and saw our second-best year for number of skiers and snowboarders. Staffing was a challenge with shortages often felt on peak days; thankfully with many of our returning employees, the guest experience had little impact or they were very understanding of the challenges with being understaffed.”
“The 2021–22 ski season was short and sweet. We pushed through Covid with precautions in place for about 78 operating days with great success. The end figures were strong in most categories with highlights in ski sales, snow tubing, and our larger events,” stated Lisa McCoy at Great Glen Trails.
Ski New Hampshire is the statewide association representing 32 alpine and cross-country resorts in New Hampshire. For more information on ski areas, trail conditions, vacation planning, and updated events at Ski New Hampshire resorts, visit SkiNH.com. For statewide travel info, go to VisitNH.gov.
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