Contact: Troy Hawks
NSAA Communications
(720) 963-4215
thawks@nsaa.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Preliminary Kottke Report Indicates 2005/06 Skier Visits Hit All-Time Record

MARCO ISLAND, Fla. – May 23, 2006 – Based on preliminary estimates, national skier visits for the 2005/06 season set an all-time record of 58.8 million visits, up 3.3 percent from last season, and up 2 percent from the previous record set in 2002/03, the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced today at its annual National Convention and Tradeshow at the Marriott Marco Island Resort Golf Club & Spa.

Continuing a very strong trend, five of the six best seasons on record have all occurred in the past six seasons. Contributing to the record-setting season are visitation gains in the Pacific West, which contributed an increase of nearly 1.3 million visits. Within that region, the Pacific Northwest rebounded dramatically from one of its worst seasons on record last season, up an estimated 125 percent. Also setting a new record was the Rocky Mountain region, the largest of the five NSAA regions, registering a gain of 5.8 percent, or over 1.1 million additional visits over the previous record set in 2004/05. Both the Southeast and Midwest regions also report solid visitation this year, contributing estimated increases of 6.1 percent and 3.4 percent respectively in comparison to 2004/05.

“We’re excited about these figures, and feel they come as a direct result of resorts’ continued focus on growing the sport and their success in continuing to appeal to Baby Boomers, while at the same time attracting younger skiers and snowboarders, we’ve truly become a multi-generational sport,” says NSAA President Michael Berry.

 THE NATIONAL SKI AREAS ASSOCIATION, LOCATED IN LAKEWOOD, COLO., IS A TRADE ASSOCIATION FORMED IN 1962 FOR SKI AREA OWNERS AND OPERATORS NATIONWIDE.

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