Here's How Skiers and Snowboarders Spent $2.5 Billion in Utah Last Winter

Skiers and snowboarders, according to a new study from the Kem C. Gardner Institute at the University of Utah, spent $2.5 billion on snowsports in Utah during the 2024-25 season. 

Total skier spending dipped from the previous winter, though, which saw about $2.7 billion spent—a continued decline following the 2022-23 season, when record amounts of snow fell and skiers hit the slopes in record numbers. The wide-ranging report also covered everything from skier visits to the age of the average skier (it's older than you might think: 48), providing a top-down, financially-minded look at Utah's bustling ski industry.

"Utah's ski industry remains a vital component of the state's economy," said Jennifer Leaver, senior tourism analyst at the Gardner Institute, in a press release. 

"The 2024/25 ski season demonstrates the industry's resilience and its ability to attract visitors from around the world, contributing significantly to local communities and the state as a whole," Leaver added.

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Last season in the Beehive State, there were 31,800 jobs created as skiers collectively tallied up 6.5 million days on the slopes. Their spending created $342.6 million in state and tax revenue. Per day, they spent $306. 

The biggest spending category, perhaps unsurprisingly, was lodging, accounting, on average, for $62 each day. Restaurants and food were similarly spendy at $61. Lift passes, meanwhile, covered $59 of average daily expenses. Other less expensive categories, like car rentals, retail purchases, and lessons, were included, too.

People skiing in Utah, for the most part, are from Utah themselves, the report said. 43% of skiers at the state's ski resorts originated there, followed by visitors from the next largest state category, California, which clocked in at 9%. At 4% each, Florida and New York were tied for third. Just 3% of skiers visited Utah from abroad.

One quirk is that even as overall spending declined, Utah residents ponied up a bit more than they had previously. During the 2023-24 season, they spent $627 million. Last winter, they spent $630 million.