Skiing and snowboarding were chosen by the Utah State Legislature in 2012 to be Utah’s official winter sports (Utah Code). This state symbol was inspired by Colorado adopting skiing as their official winter sport in 2008. H.B. 201 passed the House and Senate unanimously. Governor Gary R. Herbert signed the bill into law on March 15, 2012.

Representative Steve Eliason (R-Sandy) sponsored the bill because “skiing and snowboarding are an economic boon, luring travelers and bolstering state coffers” (Salt Lake Tribune). Skiing and snowboarding are a vital part of Utah’s winter economy.

Utah has a rich skiing and snowboarding history and is known for The Greatest Snow on Earth ®. Utah’s 15 ski resorts average around 500 inches of snow a year, including a record 903 inches at Alta Ski Area during the 2022-23 ski season.

Alta Ski Area and Deer Valley Resort are two of only three ski resorts in North America that do not allow snowboarding. The other resort is Mad River Glen in Vermont.

According to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, the number of skiers and snowboarders visiting Utah resorts has doubled in the last twenty years. There were 3.4 million visits in the 2002/2003 season and 7.1 million visits in the 2022/2023 season. Spending grew from $990 million during the 2010/2011 ski season to $1.94 billion during the 2022/2023 season. This spending generates annual state and local tax revenue of nearly $200 million.

Utah’s 15 ski areas directly support almost 26,000 jobs. The ski and snowboard industry indirectly supports jobs across a wide range of sectors. These sectors include retail, hospitality, transportation, marketing, and sales.