Colorado Ski Country USA Facts and Stats
With 300 days of sunshine and more than 300 inches of snow a year, complemented by 28,286 acres of skiing, 219 lifts and 1,749 trails at 22 resorts, its understandable why Colorado is the top choice for more than 12.5 million winter vacationers each year.
Colorado Ski Country USA by the Numbers:
| 11,319 ft |
Average Peak Elevation |
| 9,003 ft | Average Base Elevation |
| 3,668 | Total # of Snowmaking Acres |
| 2,337 ft | Average Vertical Rise |
| 1,749 | Total # of Trails |
| 219 | Total # of Lifts |
| 45 |
Total # of Terrain Parks |
| 22 |
Total # of Member Resorts |
| 15 |
Total # of Resorts Offering Bowl Skiing |
| 9 |
Total # of Resorts Offering Powder Cat Skiing |
| 7 |
Total # of Halfpipes |
| 2 |
Total # of Resorts Offering Heli-Skiing |
Skier Visits
Colorado accounts for approximately 20 percent of ski and snowboard visits in the US, which means more than one out of every five winter travelers selects Colorado as their winter ski/ride destination. Even in a troubled economy with total skier visits down 5.5% in the US, Colorado saw almost 12 million skiers for the 2008-09 season.
| USA |
57.1 million |
| Colorado | 11.85 million |
| Vermont | 4.1 million |
| New York | 4 million |
| Utah | 4 million |
Skiable Acres
Colorado Ski Country resorts have more area to ski and snowboard than many other states, including Utah, Vermont and New York.
| Colorado |
28,286 acres |
| Utah | 26,640 acres |
| Vermont | 5,452 acres |
| New York | 4,555 acres |
Fast Facts
- Colorado boasts 300 days of sunshine and more than 300 inches
of snow each year.
- Colorado resorts offer activities for the entire family in both
the winter and summer months.
- All 22 CSCUSA member resorts have recycling programs in place
and a number of CSCUSA member resorts offset 100 percent of their
energy use through the purchase of renewable energy credits.
- Eight regional airports including Aspen, Durango, Eagle, Grand
Junction, Gunnison, Hayden (Steamboat), Montrose and Telluride
offer more than 8.6 million passenger seats annually.
- Over half of Colorado's ski areas are located within 35 miles
of an airport.
- Denver International Airport (DEN) is the fifth-busiest airport
in the country and the 10th-busiest in the world for passenger
traffic, setting an all-time record for passenger traffic in 2008
with 51.2 million passengers.
- The Colorado ski industry contributes approximately $2.6 billion annually to Colorado's tourism industry.
Athletes
More than 29 professional and Olympic athletes train and live at a
Colorado Ski Country resort. Below is a snapshot of the athletes
with whom guests just might end up riding the lift.
Alex Gleuck - Steamboat, Nordic, US Ski Team
Alex Miller - Steamboat, Nordic, US Ski Team
Billy Kidd - Steamboat, Olympic winning alpine skier
Brian Fletcher - Steamboat, Nordic, US Ski Team
Caroline Lalive - Steamboat, alpine skier
Chris Anthony - CSCUSA sponsored athlete, extreme skier, 13 time
Warren Miller film star
Chris Klug - Aspen/Snowmass
Dave Jarrett - Steamboat, Nordic Combined, US Ski Team head
coach
Davis Miller - Steamboat, Nordic, US Ski Team
Doran Laybourn - Aspen/Snowmass, snowbarder
Eliza Outtrim - Steamboat, US Freestyle C-Team
Erin Simmons - Steamboat, Olympic snowboarder
Gretchen Bliher - Aspen/Snowmass, snowboarder, Olympic and X-Game
winner
Johnny Spillane - Steamboat, Nordic combined
Maddy Schaffrick - Steamboat, snowboarder
Matt Ladley - Steamboat
Matt Mulligan - Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort, alpine
skier
Michelle Roark - Winter Park, freestyle mogul skier, US Ski
Team
Mikaela Matthews - Arapahoe Basin, US Freestyle Team, 2009 CSCUSA
Female All-Star Athlete of the Year
Mitch Reed - Aspen/Snowmass, snowboarder
Nelson Carmichael - Steamboat, skier
Pat Milbery - Winter Park, snowboarder
Peter Olenick - Aspen/Snowmass, freeskier
Steele Spence - Aspen/Snowmass, freeskier
Todd Lodwick - Steamboat, Nordic combined
Tyler Jewell - Steamboat, Olympic competitor
Walter Wood - Aspen/Snowmass, freeskier, 2009 CSCUSA Male All-Star
Athlete of the Year
Chris Davenport - Aspen/Snowmass, big mountain skier
Whitney Henceroth - Arapahoe Basin, freestyle skiingBecause
technical capabilities differ at each Colorado resort, we have
compiled a document listing ways to easily acquire photos, B-roll,
web camera shots, and any other video available during this coming
ski season. This is a tool to decipher who media need to
contact, what website to access, and how to download broadcast
quality video quickly and easily.
