Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

Sign Up
Already have a Placer.ai account? Log In
Leisure

Cold Weather, Hot Visits: Diving into Winter Resorts

We dive into the foot traffic data to see how the winter resort category fared over the pandemic and analyze how 2023 is shaping up for top winter destinations around the country. 

By 
Caroline Wu
January 23, 2023
Cold Weather, Hot Visits: Diving into Winter Resorts
SHARE
Explore our free tools to get timely insights into key industries
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.
Key Takeaways

As many winter sports enthusiasts take to the slopes in search of fresh powder, we dove into the foot traffic data to see how the winter resort category fared over the pandemic and analyze how 2023 is shaping up for top winter destinations around the country. 

Ski Peaks and Slopes

As far as recreation and tourism are concerned, the winter resort space remained uniquely resilient during the pandemic years. The two dominant resort companies in the U.S., Alterra Mountain Company and Vail Ski Resorts, which operate multiple locations, have seen strong visits coming out of both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 ski seasons. And once again, it appears that ski resorts will remain popular for this winter season.

The first lockdowns in 2020 began in early spring, the tail-end of the winter sports season, allowing most cold-weather visitors to complete their vacations without missing a run. By the time the 2020/21 ski and snowboarding season came around, COVID vaccines were already rolling out and an outdoor ski vacation seemed like a relatively COVID-safe option. Despite slightly protracted visit peaks compared to the previous year, likely due to many resorts restricting total occupancy, the 2020/2021 season went off without a hitch and was one of the busiest on record. So busy, in fact, that the season appears to have stretched by a week or two on either end as winter sports enthusiasts were eager to trade face masks for ski masks and get back to the slopes after months of restrictions. 

A year later, the December 2021 rise of the Omicron variant threatened to derail the 2021/2022 ski season. But similar to the previous year, the perceived relative safety of a ski vacation and the desire to escape a stressful pandemic reality kept resort visitors coming during what became the busiest season on record. Resort visitation looked more like it did prior to the pandemic with lifts filled to capacity and the return of outdoor events and competitions. Once again, it seemed that nothing could keep skiers and snowboarders away from the sport. 

And for the current 2022/23 ski season, visits during key fall and winter holidays appear to be returning to levels similar to pre-pandemic foot traffic. In 2022, Thanksgiving weekend visits for resorts under the Alterra and Vail banners outperformed the previous year, while Christmas 2022 at Vail’s resorts was also ahead of 2021 levels. 

New Years Visit Lift

But although visits over holidays were strong in 2022, zooming into the last month of the year shows that weekly visits to some of the country’s top ski resorts were down for much of December 2022 compared to 2021. But these same resorts picked up momentum in the first week of January 2023 and outperformed the previous year by a large margin. This seems to indicate that, despite the bomb cyclone which grounded many flights and threw a wrench in vacation plans during this year’s anticipated holiday ski surge, many still managed to reach the slopes. Skiers and snowboarders who couldn’t make it to their favorite resorts in December due to the inclement weather appear to be rescheduling their trips. So while travel plans may have been delayed, winter resorts remained as popular as ever and snow-capped mountain chasers will not be denied. 

With a visitor base that won’t let anything stop them from punching their lift ticket, winter resorts are poised for strong foot traffic during the expected February and March 2023 visit peaks. 

Everybody’s Working For the Weekdays

Among the resorts that saw year-over-year (YoY: 2022 vs 2021) visit growth mid-December are two of the most popular ski and snowboard destinations in California – Heavenly Mountain Resort and Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort. 

The pandemic brought about the rise in hybrid and remote work, and with it, the flexibility for the ski enthusiast to hit the slopes in the middle of the work week. The tide of remote and hybrid work may have encouraged newcomers to fall in love with the sport as they no longer had to wait for vacation time or pay peak-season prices to get in some practice runs. And the influx of new participants plays a part in the growing number of total skiers and snowboarders nationwide.  

Both Heavenly Mountain and Mammoth Mountain resorts experienced an uptick in mid-week visits in November and December 2022 compared to 2019 and it’s likely that the working-out-of-office guest accounted for some of this visit growth.

High Altitude Visits

Winter resorts are experiencing strong foot traffic this season as adventurers are as eager as they have been in recent years to catch some well-earned time on the mountain. Location analytics shows that just like their guests on the slopes, alpine resorts are picking up speed.

For updates and more data-driven foot traffic insights, visit Placer.ai.

Learn how downtown regions across US cities are measuring up with our free tools.
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.
Explore our free tools to get timely insights into key industries
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.
SHARE
Get 3 brand & industry
breakdowns every week
Subscribe to the newsletter
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get a Demo

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please provide a valid email
Please enter your email
Please enter company name

Thanks for reaching out!

One of our experts will be in touch soon

Try Placer.ai Free
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Recent Publications

Get 3 brand & industry breakdowns every week

Subscribe to the newsletter
Text Link
Sports
Text Link
Winter Activities
Text Link
Ski Resorts
Five Below and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet: A Pre-Holiday Snapshot
Kroger: Getting into The Seasonal Swing 
Avison Young Launches Office Busyness Index Powered by Placer.ai to Provide Unmatched Insights on Office Utilization Across Major U.S. Markets
Off-Price Ahead of the 2024 Holiday Season
A Beautiful Season Ahead: Ulta and Sally Beauty Supply
Sportswear Ahead of the 2024 Holiday Season 
Placer 100 Index: October 2024 Recap 
Placer.ai Office Index: October 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: October 2024 Recap 
Halloween’s 2024 Retail & Dining Impact – Party City Carries the Season
Checking in With Department Stores: Nordstrom and Macy’s
Superstores and Wholesale Clubs Ahead of the Holidays
Home Depot and Lowe’s Heading Into the Holidays
Starbucks and Dutch Bros: Short Visits Lead the Way
Planet Fitness: Raising the Bar(bell)
Checking in With Full-Service Restaurants: First Watch, Chili’s, and Outback Steakhouse
RBI and Yum!: QSR Resilience in 2024
Boot Barn and DSW: Stepping Up Their Game
Target’s October Circle Week: A Data-Driven Snapshot
Chipotle, Shake Shack & Wingstop: Dining Success in Q3 2024
Playa Bowls and Tropical Smoothie Cafe: Berry Big Business
Cheesecake Factory & BJ’s Restaurants: Full-Service Success
Checking in on McDonald's and Wendy's 
Sprouts Farmers Market: A Specialty Grocer With a Traditional Twist
CAVA: The Craze Continues
Placer.ai Reaches $100M Annual Recurring Revenue
Catching Up With Carter's 
A Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse Showdown
Placer.ai Mall Index: September 2024 Recap – Labor Day Peaks and Holiday Season Predictions
Albertsons Q3 Check-In
Looking Ahead to the 2024 Holiday Season
Trader Joe's: Continuing to Thrive in 2024
Bowlero and AMF: A Ten-Pin Knockout
Recreational Retail: Store Performance in 2024
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – September 2024
A QSR and Fast-Casual Face-Off
Sam’s Club’s In-Store Retail Media Network Opportunity
The Rising Stars: Six Metro Areas Welcoming Young Professionals
Costco in 2024: A Deep Dive
Sherwin-Williams in 2024: Brighter Than a New Lick of Paint
Life Time and Orangetheory: Premium Fitness Flourishing
C-Stores: More Than A Pit Stop
Darden: Dining Dominance Undeterred 
Placer 100 Index for Retail and Dining: August 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Office Index: August 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: August 2024 Recap – Back-To-School In Full Swing
Auto Parts Retailers: The Traffic Continues
Pumpkin Spice Works its Magic Once Again
School Season Sparks Retail Growth
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – July & August 2024
Big Lots’ Big Rightsizing Move in Four Data Points
Fun Away From The Sun: Checking in With Eatertainment
Domestic Migration and Population Growth: Strong Currents Off The Carolina Coast
The Civic Impact of Summer Events
Retail Trends in College Towns: A Back-to-School Snapshot
Five Below and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet: Consumers Still on the Hunt for Discounts
Macy’s & Bloomingdale’s: Into 2024 and Beyond
Limited Time Only: The Trend Continues
Beauty in 2024: Many Ways to Win
Dollar General & Dollar Tree: Powering Ahead in Q2 2024
The Home Depot and Lowe's Foot Traffic Remodel in Q2 2024
Superstore Update: Summer Savings Spree
Placer.ai Mall Index: July 2024 Recap – From Fourth of July to Back-to-School
Placer.ai Office Index: July 2024 Recap
Summer Movie Madness: Blockbuster Films Boost Foot Traffic
Driving Success: Toyota in 2024
Denny’s and IHOP: An All-Day Breakfast Matchup
Warby Parker: Seeing Clearly Now
Planet Fitness at the 2024 Halfway Point
Serving Summer 2024: RBI and Yum! Brands Q2 Foot Traffic
Starbucks, Dutch Bros., Dunkin’: Finding Summer Success
Fast Food and Fast Casual Favorites, Plus CosMc’s Takeoff
Chipotle and Sweetgreen: Fast-Casual in Q2 2024
First Watch, Texas Roadhouse, and Applebee’s: An FSR Roundup
Albertsons Companies: H1 2024 Recap
Teaming Up For Success: Sports Stadium Sponsorships
Limited Time Offers: Price Wars Boost Visits
Placer 100 Index for Retail & Dining: June 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: June 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Office Index: June 2024 Recap
Inside Out 2: The New Blockbuster Bringing Crowds Back to Theaters
Petco and PetSmart: A Head to Head
Frozen Delights: Exploring Ice Cream Chains Across America
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – June 2024
Barnes & Noble: Writing a New Story
Small Format Stores - Sprouting, Blooming, and Expanding
Retail and Dining on Father’s Day
Thrift Store Visit Scores
Charting Value Grocery’s Visit Growth
Placer 100 Index for Retail & Dining: Introduction and May 2024 Recap
Digging Into Darden: Q2 2024 Update
2024 Retail and Dining Trends Update
TRU and avid: Midscale Hotels on the Rise 
Diving Into Kroger: A Strong Start to 2024
Placer.ai Mall Index: May 2024 Recap – Mall Visits on the Rebound
Placer.ai Office Index: May 2024 Recap
2024 Memorial Day Recap
Las Vegas: A Tourism and Migration Deep Dive
Eatertainment Chains: Full on Food, Fun, and Foot Traffic
The Promise of Luxury Apparel