National Ski Council Federation Newsbeat
May 2026
Snow Partners to Launch New Multi-Mountain Product, Expand Snow Triple Play. Snow Partners is launching a new multi-mountain frequency product, Snow Pass. The pass will provide two days of access to each partner ski area and operate as a cooperative. The company is also expanding its three-day multi-mountain product Snow Triple Play to the Midwest. More. SAM
Skier visitation in the U.S. tumbled by more than 6 million in the Rocky Mountain West amid a historically hot and dry winter. Roughly 9 million fewer skiers and riders took to the slopes this season than last, with the Rocky Mountain West accounting for more than two-thirds of that decline, according to preliminary data released this week by the National Ski Area Association. The data counted skier visits, or each time an individual used a lift ticket or season pass to a ski area. More. The Aspen Times via Google Alerts
Global Skier Visits Hit Record 399M for 2024-25. Global skier visits reached a record 399 million in the 2024-25 season, surpassing the previous high of 392 million set in 2018-19, according to the 18th edition of the International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism, compiled by Laurent Vanat. More. SAM
These 5 East Coast Resorts Just Had Their Best Seasons on Record. From the longest season to the earliest opening, these are the East Coast ski areas who won the 2025-’26 season. More. Ski
Vail Resorts Visits, Revenue, and Pass Sales Down. Skier visits, lift revenue, and other season-to-date metrics reported by Vail Resorts were down for the North American ski season through April 19, 2026, compared to the same period through April 20, 2025. More. SAM
Bought a Ski Pass and Didn’t Use It? Here’s What You Can (and Can’t) Get Back. Common sense dictates that since you didn’t use the service you paid for, you should get your money back. Right? Right?!?!? Unfortunately, usually not. More. Ski
$1 Billion Expansion Plans Could Make Nordic Valley, UT, One of the Premier Ski Resorts in the State. A major approved development plan could transform the Ogden Valley ski area into something far larger, with new lifts, expanded terrain, hundreds of lodging units, chalets, condos, hotel rooms, employee housing, and a full village-style base area. More. SnowBrains
Homewood, Sugar Bowl, Lee Canyon Working To Debut Lifts Next Season. A trio of lifts highlight the summer construction season in the Far West, including the ongoing resurrection of a ski and snowboard mountain on Lake Tahoe, and the latest version of a one-of-a-kind, parking lot-base gondola. More. SnowCountry
Nearly 2,000 Ski and Snowboard Instructors Join Labor Suit Against Vail Resorts. Nearly 2,000 current and former ski and snowboard instructors have joined a collective action Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit against Vail Resorts, according to reports citing consent forms filed in federal court in Colorado last week. More. SAM
One Staff Member Killed, Another Injured After Work Basket Falls at Mt. Hood Skibowl. Two Mt. Hood Skibowl employees were in a work carrier when it fell from the line of the Upper Bowl chairlift Thursday morning, killing one and injuring the other. More. SAM
Parents Charged with Endangerment After 5-Year-Old Falls from Lift. The parents of a 5-year-old boy who fell from a chairlift at Blue Knob All Season Resort were each arraigned this week on a felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child. The boy was riding the lift alone when he reportedly turned to adjust his goggles, slipped off the chair and fell 20 feet to the trail below. He did not sustain any major injuries. More. SAM
Official Report on the Castle Peak, CA, Avalanche That Killed 9 Reveals Critical Decision Errors, Undeployed Airbags, and Victims Buried 8 Feet Deep. The Sierra Avalanche Center has published its official investigation report on the February 17, 2026, Perry Peak near Frog Lake/Castle Peak avalanche that killed nine skiers and guides northwest of Lake Tahoe. The report is publicly viewable on Avalanche.org. More. SnowBrains
Skier Killed After Sluff Knocked Them 2,000 Feet Down a Cliff in Rogers Pass, BC. A skier died after a small loose-snow avalanche knocked them off their feet and sent them tumbling 2,000 vertical feet (600 vertical meters) down the northeast face of Swiss Peak in Rogers Pass, Glacier National Park, British Columbia. More. SnowBrains
Taxing the Mountain: Vail Resorts’ Blended Sales Tax Angers New Hampshire Residents. When a skier in New Hampshire buys an Epic Day Pass or full Epic Pass to Attitash, Wildcat, Crotched Mountain, and Mount Sunapee, they’re now paying an Epic Pass sales tax of approximately 3.2% at checkout, even though New Hampshire collects no such tax on retail transactions. More. SnowBrains
