Steamboat Springs, CO (Saturday, June 17, 2006) - The 26 ski and snowboard areas of Colorado soared to a new record by hosting more than 12.53 million skier visits during the 2005-06 winter season, announced Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA), the not-for-profit trade association for Colorado's ski industry, at its Annual Meeting Thursday in Steamboat Springs.

The 2005-06 numbers represent an increase of more than 700,000 skier visits, over the 2004-05 winter season, and are more than a million visits ahead the state's five-year skier visit average. The resorts eclipsed the previous record set in 1997-98 by more than half a million skier visits.

"This is a spectacular year for Colorado. As a $2.5 billion industry for Colorado, when the ski industry has a great year, the entire state has a great year," said Colorado Governor Bill Owens.

According to numbers released by National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) in May, the country posted its best season ever by hosting more than 58 million skiers during the 2005-06 winter season. With an individual increase of six percent overall for the state, Colorado once again maintained its top position in the industry as the market share leader accounting for more than 21 percent of the nation’s ski business.

"To see such a strong growth trend for the nation demonstrates the vibrancy of the overall industry and certainly bodes well for skiing in Colorado," said Rob Perlman, executive director of Colorado Ski Country USA. "With two back-to-back years of solid growth in the state, momentum is in our favor. We think the next decade has the potential to be Colorado's best. The resorts continue to set the gold standard in the industry in terms of overall experience – great snow, superior service and the world's best facilities."

Perlman continued, "Combined with strategic partnerships, improved access and focused marketing campaigns, we will continue to drive significant demand for Colorado skiing and snowboarding for years to come."

At Aspen/Snowmass, for example, Aspen Skiing Company saw a 5.7 percent increase in skier/snowboarder visits over the 2004-2005 season. The resort recorded more than 1.44 million total skier/snowboarder visits for the 2005-2006 season. The final tally of 1,444,803 visits was an increase of 5.7 percent from the 2004-2005 season and was the fourth consecutive season of growth for the four Aspen-area ski and snowboard resorts. All four mountains recorded increases and Aspen Highlands was more than 15 percent up over the previous season.

"The numbers are great, but that's only half the story," said Aspen Skiing Company Senior Vice President David Perry. "Everything came together for the resort and the community and the momentum just continues to build. The continued investment at Aspen Highlands, including the opening of all of Highland Bowl and the new Deep Temerity lift is paying off. We have seen a 42 percent increase in skier/snowboarder visits at Highlands in the last five years and we are confident that we will see the same positive results as we move ahead with the renaissance of Snowmass."

Aspen Skiing Company will reinvest more than $23 million dollars in the resort this summer, including the new Elk Camp Gondola at Snowmass, new cabins on Aspen Mountain's Silver Queen Gondola, additional on mountain improvements and continued development of the new base village at Snowmass.

Indicative of the record ski season, Denver International Airport (DIA) posted its second consecutive record year in 2005. The airport accommodated 43.4 million passengers in 2005 and posted records every month of the ski season this year. In addition to record traffic, DIA was successful in further cementing their position as one of the most economical airports in the country by landing Southwest Airlines in early January 2006. As a result, leisure fares into Denver have dropped approximately 18 percent over recent months, making Colorado more affordable and accessible.