Vermont ski industry rebounds with best season in over a decade

Vermont ski areas had the best season since 2001 this past winter, buoyed by early snowmaking, snowfall during the holidays and March skiing and riding, the Vermont Ski Areas Association reported Tuesday.

The state's resorts had 4.5 million skier and rider visits during the 2012-2013 season, which is an increase of 16 percent from last year, VSAA said. That puts the season at the second best since 1992, when the association first stated gathering resort data, VSAA said.

"The 2012-13 season stands as a remarkable rebound from the prior year with record early openings, thanks to our 80 percent snowmaking coverage, perfectly timed snow for the holidays, blizzard snowfall that buried our core markets' backyards and an epic March that we haven't seen in years," VSAA president Parker Riehle said at the group's annual meeting in Stowe.

The winter season also meant over $170 million in revenues for the state's economy from the rooms and meals and sales taxes, which surpassed pre-recession levels for the first time, Riehle said.

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