Ski resort operators hope to build on the momentum created last year, when people were trapped at home due to the pandemic, looking for new activities outdoors.

Lake Placid-Last season, New York surpassed Vermont to become the third largest ski state in the United States after Colorado and California. All in all, during the 2020-21 ski and snowboard season, Empire State has 4.2 million skiers. Colorado has 12 million people, followed by California with 6.75 million people. There were 3.5 million in Vermont last year. 

"This is an incredible success story, in the cloud of COVID," commented Scott Brandi, President of I Ski NY Trading Group.

In fact, COVID-19 is a major factor in this change, and Vermont largely prohibits outsiders from entering, at least in perception, because there are strict quarantine regulations for people crossing state boundaries. The rule keeps a large part of their skiers—70% of them from out of state—to stay at home.

This year, with the lifting of quarantine measures, Vermont may be ready to regain its second place in the country, if early ticket sales and season ticket sales are a sign. Bryan Rivard, director of communications for Vermont Ski Resort, said that many of the resorts there have sold out season tickets.

"We see a lot of pent-up demand," Rivard said. "We have record season ticket sales," he added.

Regardless of interstate competition, ski resort operators on both sides of the border and across the country are optimistic about the 2021-22 season. With the Christmas-New Year holidays approaching, if the weather permits, the season will be in full swing.

Therefore, so far, the signs are positive, with operators in New York and Vermont pointing to strong season ticket sales, and equipment retailers receiving a large number of skiers and boarders looking for new clothing and equipment.

All this shows that the desire for outdoor recreation related to COVID is still continuing.

Of course, the changes brought about by the pandemic led to an increase in skiing and boarding last year.

"We had a record-breaking year," said Elise Ruocco, a spokesperson for the National Olympic Regional Development Agency (ORDA), which operates the Whiteface, Gore and Belleayre ski centers.

For example, Belleayre in Catskills reached 160,988 visits in 2020-21, an 11-year high. In comparison, 2018-19 before the pandemic broke out was 148,888. Everyone agrees that the 2019-20 season is an outlier, as most ski centers close about 30 days in advance.

Both Ruocco and national observers stated that the work-from-home schedule has driven demand for outdoor entertainment, leading to an increase in visits mid-week.

There may be a lot of white flu or snowy days/sick leave, but the number of people skiing mid-week in areas like Béliar has increased by 180%.

Adrienne Saia Isaac, spokesperson for the National Ski Area Association, said that nationwide, the proportion of mid-week skiers is higher than 47%, compared to 30% in most years.

This is also happening in the context of the increasing popularity of multi-resort season tickets, such as Vail's Epic and Alterra's Ikon plan. With these passes and other passes, skiers and boarders can pay in advance, and in return, they can freely decide when and where to go.

For example, Epic includes Hunter Resort in New York, as well as Mt. Snow, Okemo, and other New England ski centers. The Ikon Pass allows skiers to enter Wyndham, New York, and Stratton and Killington, Vermont, to name a few. 

As of mid-December, snow sports operators are optimistic, but also pay close attention to weather and COVID variants, such as omicron.

"Will the children stay at school this winter or will they leave? Will people continue to work from home and ski in the middle of the week or will they have a busy schedule after work returns?" Ruocco asked in an email.

An optimistic sign comes from equipment retailers.

Last year, ski boots with a "walking" mode were in great demand at the Alpin Haus ski store. Since COVID restrictions at the time meant that many ski huts were closed, and skiers walked onto the slopes with their boots on, they needed a feature that facilitates walking in hard plastic boots.

Jamie Georgelos, the ski department manager of Alpin Haus, said that this year skiers are buying ski boot heaters and heated socks.

This shows that people are no longer intimidated by the prospect of being outdoors in the cold, although unlike the previous season, they don’t have to. 

For skiers and snowboarders, Georgelos believes that “has done everything they can.”

Rick Karlin is responsible for the environmental and energy development of Time Alliance. Previously reported on education and state government, and wrote articles about natural resources and state government in Colorado and Maine. You can contact him at rkarlin@timesunion.com or 518-454-5758.