STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Steamboat Resort fared better this winter than most of Colorado, where skier visits were down 2 percent at Colorado Ski Country USA’s 24 resorts.

“All things considered, it was a solid season at Steamboat with visitation outperforming the state and nation,” Steamboat Resort spokeswoman Loryn Kasten said.

Ski Country announced Thursday that its member resorts, including Steamboat, reported a combined 7.1 million skier visits compared with 7.3 million in the 2016-17 season.

“These end-of-season numbers are impressive when looking back over the entire season,” Ski Country President and CEO Melanie Mills said in a press release. “We faced historically low snowfall in the early part of the season and resort operations crews deserve credit for their tireless work to get slopes open and operating during an extended period of early-season conditions.”

After a slow start to the season in terms of visitation and snowfall, March was strong for Colorado overall.

“Skiers and snowboarders flocked to the slopes in the latter half of the season, allowing resorts to finish on a strong note,” Mills said.

The 7.1 million skier visits doesn’t include numbers from Vail Resorts’ four Colorado ski areas, which aren’t members of the state trade association.

Across the country, skier visits were down an estimated 1.5 million, or nearly 3 percent, in 2017-18 compared with the prior season, according to National Ski Areas Association. A preliminary study released in May estimated ski areas tallied 53.3 million visits this winter compared with 54.8 million the previous winter.

The Rocky Mountain Region, which includes Colorado, was down 5 percent.

The Aspen Times contributed to the reporting of this story. 

To reach Nicole Miller, call 970-871-4206, email nmiller@SteamboatToday.com or follow her on Twitter @millerna.