It was a comeback ski season for the homeland of Ben and Jerry’s and Maple Creemees. Ski Vermonts 3.76 skier visits for the 2021-22 season is a 7.6% increase over the 2020-21 season. There are a few caveats to this stat though. During the 2020-21 season, Vermont saw some of the most severe Covid restrictions in the United States. Outsiders who entered the state needed to quarantine for fourteen days. According to Vermont Business Journal, visitation in the 2020-21 season was 3.5 million, while the Covid shortened 2019-20 season saw 3.7 million skiers/riders. While the 3.76 million was an improvement over the 2020-21 season, it is still below Vermont’s ten-year average. Some factors include inconsistent weather throughout the season, and Canadian tourists dealing with Covid test requirements. Their best season from the past ten years was the very snowy 2014-15 season, in which they recorded 4.7 million skier visits.
Ski Vermont President Molly Mahar said the following about the 2021-22 season:
“Vermont’s ski industry has faced monumental pandemic-related challenges over the past few seasons, but our ski areas have shown incredible perseverance, resourcefulness, and resiliency in continuing to offer the skiing and riding experience for which Vermont is renowned. Even with last winter’s inconsistent weather, we still saw a solid rebound in business. Our member areas are committed to providing guests with the best possible experience, and as an industry, we’re also working to address the barriers keeping would-be skiers from the sport.”
Personally, my ski days in Vermont increased from five to ten days during the past two seasons. The pandemic restrictions kept me away for the most part during the 2020-21 season, but having an Ikon and Indy Pass this year helped me get up there more. I bet they’ll have an all-time season next year with Canadian tourists roaring back down to the states without strict Covid restrictions. Click here to read Ski Vermont’s official statement about the 2021-22 season.
Image Credits: Killington Resort, Ski Vermont, Suicide Six Ski Area
This article was originally published by Unofficialnetworks.com. Read the original article here.
