Colorado's early ski season has gotten off to a slow start. Total ski and snowboard visits were down 11.5 percent from opening day through December 31st, compared with that time last year, according to Colorado Ski Country USA.
The early season is dependent on in-state visitors, said Craig Bannister, communications manager for Colorado Ski Country. He said those visitors were reluctant to hit the slopes due to unusually warm weather in October and November, and varying snowfall.
"A lot of our in-state skiers are passholders and they're very savvy when it comes to conditions and they prefer the powder days early in the season and if conditions aren't great, that's going to drive whether they determine to go or not," Bannister said.
However, the end of the season may help make up for the early slow start. Hotel bookings at mountain results for February are 3.5 percent above last year, and 8.6 percent above last year for March bookings.
Powderhorn Mountain Resort officials said the resort doesn't release its visitor numbers, but believe the significant snow the resort has currently has helped draw skiers and boarders from across the state.
