Despite the worst recession in decades, Vermont’s ski areas logged more than 4 million skier visits this season – 6 percent fewer than last season but far better than two years ago and on par with the rest of the country. The Vermont Ski Areas Association released its 2008–09 skier visit numbers Thursday at its 40th annual meeting held at Killington Resort. The state’s 20 alpine ski areas reported a total of 4,068,698 skier visits.

In 2007–08, the state drew 4.3 million skier visits, rebounding from a disappointing 2006–07 season with only 3.8 million skier visits.

Parker Riehle, president of the Vermont Ski Areas Association, said given the state of the national economy the state’s ski areas more than held their own.

“It’s fair to say this season was the ultimate test of the old adage that great snow historically trumps a bad economy,” Riehle said in a phone interview prior to Thursday’s annual meeting, which was closed to the media and the public.

Given the worst economy the ski industry has ever experienced, he said it was “a real testament to the resiliency of the sport here in Vermont and across the country that the industry did fare so well compared to the other economic indicators.”

He also said resorts were able to overcome a Christmas thaw and little new snow in March, a month that is typically the snowiest of the year.

Riehle said the recession did have an effect as skiers and snowboarders were more frugal with their dollars.

There was evidence visitors spent less money – staying fewer nights and spending less on food and beverage, Riehle said.

Though most ski areas do not make their skier visit numbers public, skier visits at Killington/Pico, the largest ski area in the East, were on par with last season, resort spokesman Tom Horrocks said in an e-mail.

However, Horrocks said revenue was off from previous seasons. “We also saw a decline in lodging in both revenue and length of stay,” he said.

For next season, he said season pass sales are up significantly compared to prior years.

With 80 million people within a day’s drive of Vermont, Riehle said the state was able to capitalize on the sluggish economy as skiers and snowboarders stayed closer to home

He said early indications are that Vermont’s skier visits tracked the national average with skier visits down nationwide 5 to 6 percent.

He said the 4 million skier visits this season is on par with the state’s five-year average.

Riehle said the state’s ski areas and other Northeastern resorts fared better than airline-dependent Western resorts.

Vermont remains the third biggest ski and snowboard state behind Colorado and California.

Riehle said Vermont’s ski industry generates $750 million a year in direct spending with two-thirds of that spent at local inns, restaurants and shops. He said there is an additional $700 million generated annually in indirect spending.

Though no figures were available, Riehle said the state’s cross-country areas had a good season as well. He said the 30 Nordic areas typically attract 200,000 skier visits a year.

The annual meeting also took note of the eight awards the state’s ski areas received at the recent National Ski Areas Association annual awards banquet. The awards were given for safety programs, environmental excellence, marketing and industry achievement.

Hank Lunde, former president of the Killington and Stowe resorts, received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lunde was also honored Thursday with the Vermont Ski Areas Association Industry Achievement Award. The Career Employee Awards went to Peter Ingvoldstad and Peter Delaney. Both were employed at Smugglers’ Notch Resort for more than 25 years.

In other business, Stratton Mountain Resort’s Sky Foulkes was elected chairman of the VSAA board of directors, succeeding longtime chairman Bill Stenger of Jay Peak Resort. Kelly Pawlak, general manager of the Mount Snow Resort, was elected vice chairman.

NSAA President Michael Berry discussed the past season and the future of the industry. Keynote speakers Jim and Joy Spring of Leisure Trends Group discussed consumer trends.