Austria's cable car industry reported approximately 54 million skier visits for the 2025-26 winter, one of the best seasons on record and roughly 4% above last year. This achievement has only happened twice before in the modern era, showcasing the rarity of such a performance.
Preliminary data from the National Ski Areas Association indicates that the 2025-26 US Ski season saw an estimated 52.6 million snowsports visits at US ski areas, representing a 9.1% decrease from the 10-year average, a decline of approximately 9 million visits from last season, and ranking 32nd out of 48 seasons on record.
Chief executive Rob Katz described the winter as 'the most challenging across the Rockies that we have ever experienced,' citing the lowest snowfall in more than 30 years at resorts in Colorado and Utah. Limited terrain and warm temperatures reduced visits and spending across the company's destination resorts.
On paper, it is one of the best things that has ever happened to destination skiers. A single pass can unlock access to an enormous network of resorts across North America and beyond. It makes ski travel easier to justify, easier to plan, and far easier to sell to a group of friends trying to decide where to go.
The issue dates back to a 2014 ruling by the Oregon Supreme Court stemming from a snowboard injury case at Mt. Bachelor. In that decision, the court determined that certain liability waivers signed by recreation participants could be considered "unconscionable contracts," effectively weakening their enforceability.
A peer-reviewed study tracking 17 seasons of data found that potentially serious head injuries dropped from 4.2% of all ski injuries in 1995 to 3.0% by 2012, tracking closely with rising adoption over that same window. The study also found that ski helmets are effective at preventing skull fractures and have nearly eliminated scalp lacerations entirely.
Most obviously, it's remarkably expensive, making it difficult to participate as a newcomer or long term fan of the sport. Ski resorts are getting more and more crowded, resort identities are fading, and the environmental impact isn't unseen. SRG Skiing broke down what they consider the 4 major paradoxes of the North American skiing scene. They begin the video by pointing out how difficult it is to come to a conclusion with these questions.
Great Gulf, a Toronto-based real estate developer, wants to change that. It is planning to invest $3 billion to build a new base village at the mountain over the next 25 years. Its renderings of the development show clusters of luxury homes, two public squares, a large open area called a "ski beach," a fitness grove, forest spa, skating path, panoramic pool, and more than 100,000 square feet of retail and dining space along a pedestrian promenade.
