Key takeaways
- US ski areas recorded about 52.6 million skier visits in 2025-26, down roughly 14% year on year, after average snowfall of 112 inches against a 10-year average of 169.
- Summer is already the bigger season in parts of the Alps. Chamonix's summer overnight stays passed winter for the first time in 2024.
- Summer operations made up about 12% of US ski area revenue in 2024, so there is a lot of room to grow.
- An average summer guest in Austria generated EUR 187 of value per day, against EUR 221 for a winter guest: about 15% less.
- At an illustrative 150-room mountain resort, adding EUR 10 of in-stay spend per summer guest night is worth about EUR 195,000 per season.
Winter got less reliable
The 2025-26 winter was a clear reminder of how much a mountain business depends on weather. According to preliminary data from the US National Ski Areas Association (NSAA):
| US ski season 2025-26 | Figure |
|---|---|
| Skier visits | about 52.6 million |
| Change vs 2024-25 | about -14% (around 9 million fewer visits) |
| Rank among 48 seasons on record | 32nd |
| Average snowfall at US ski areas | 112 inches (10-year average: 169) |
| Capital invested by reporting ski areas | USD 569.3 million |
The East had a strong season while the West struggled, which shows how local the risk is. Even large operators felt it: Vail Resorts reported season-to-date dining revenue down 8.6% at its North American resorts by early March 2026.
Snowmaking keeps the lifts turning, but it does not bring back the guest who chose not to come. The resorts that sleep best in a bad winter are the ones that earn well in the other three seasons.
Summer is already the bigger season in parts of the Alps
In Europe, the shift is further along. Hot summers in the lowlands are pushing people up into the mountains, and the numbers show it:
- Switzerland recorded a record 23.7 million summer overnight stays in 2024.
- Austria now earns more than half of its EUR 29.5 billion annual tourism revenue from summer visitors, and Statistics Austria counted a record 61.84 million overnight stays from May to August 2025.
- Chamonix saw summer overnight stays pass winter for the first time in 2024, at nearly 4.5 million.
In the US, the NSAA's economic analysis shows more than 80% of reporting ski areas offering summer activities, with summer accounting for about 12% of annual revenue in 2024. The same analysis shows non-ticket revenue at a record USD 68.01 per skier visit, which tells you guests will spend on food, lessons and rentals when the day gives them reasons to.
The summer guest spends less per day
Here is the problem most mountain resorts run into. Austria's national tourism board found that an average summer guest in 2024 generated EUR 187 of value per day, against EUR 221 for a winter guest in 2023-24. That is about 15% less per day.
The reason is structural. A winter day comes with a built-in spending path: lift pass, ski rental, ski school, mountain lunch, après-ski. The guest does not need to plan it, and each step is a purchase.
A summer day has no such path. The guest wakes up with a free day, a phone full of options and no lift ticket in hand. Many will hike for free, eat in the village and come back for a shower. Unless the resort shows them what is available, at the moment they are deciding, they will not spend with you.
What a summer day needs to sell
Think of the summer day as a series of decision moments. At each one, the guest either finds a reason to spend with you or makes another plan.
| Moment | Winter version | What the summer resort needs |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Ski gear on, heading to the lift | A clear menu of today's activities, bookable now |
| Morning | Lift, ski school | Guided hikes, e-bike rental, lift rides, kids' program |
| Lunch | Mountain restaurant | Picnic boxes, terrace lunch, pre-ordered mountain lunch |
| Afternoon | Last runs | Spa, thermal pool, pool bar, a rainy-day plan |
| Evening | Après-ski | Sunset events, dinner reservation, wine or local food tasting |
Each line is a product the resort can sell, but only if the guest sees it in time. Printed flyers at reception and a weekly program on a board are not enough when the guest's decision happens on the phone at 08:30.
Run the arithmetic on your own resort
Take an illustrative 150-room mountain resort with a 100-day summer season, 65% occupancy and 2 guests per occupied room.
- Guest nights per summer season: 150 × 65% × 2 × 100 = 19,500
| Extra in-stay spend per guest night | Extra revenue per summer season |
|---|---|
| EUR 5 | EUR 97,500 |
| EUR 10 | EUR 195,000 |
| EUR 15 | EUR 292,500 |
EUR 10 per guest night is a lunch upgrade, a drink on the terrace or a share of an e-bike rental. Closing even part of the 15% daily spend gap between summer and winter guests is a six-figure number for a resort this size, without adding a single room night.
Want the summer math run on your own resort? We do it in the demo.
The shoulder-season playbook
May, June, September and October are where four-season resorts win or lose the year. Demand is thinner and more weather-sensitive, so the resort has to create reasons to come and reasons to spend.
Sell wellness, not just rooms. Shoulder seasons suit spa breaks, hiking weekends and slow travel. Build packages around your spa or thermal facilities. Our article on wellness tourism trends for 2027 covers what guests are looking for.
Court groups. CBRE found banquet revenue at US resort hotels rose 8.7% in the first half of 2025, and noted that groups may prefer resorts in the off-season, when rates are more favorable. Small corporate retreats and weddings fit shoulder months well.
Use the local market. Day guests from nearby cities can fill restaurants, spa slots and events on weekends.
Open fewer outlets, but sell them better. In quiet weeks, one well-promoted restaurant beats three half-empty ones. Make sure every in-house guest knows what is open and when. This is where F&B capture rate becomes the key number.
Live in days, not months. If you add a new summer activity or menu, it should be in front of guests the same week, not after the next print run.
A rainy-day protocol
In the mountains, a rainy day can either empty your outlets or fill your spa. Prepare a protocol so the team acts in the first hour, not after lunch:
- A rainy-day offer is written and approved in advance (spa, thermal pool, cooking class, tasting, kids' indoor program).
- Someone checks the forecast every evening and decides by 07:00 whether to trigger it.
- The offer reaches every in-house guest before breakfast ends.
- Guests can book directly from their phone without queuing at reception.
- Spa and F&B know to expect more guests and have staffed for it.
- Next day, the team reviews what sold and adjusts the offer.
With Promotions & Revenue, a resort can send that offer to all in-house guests in minutes, and guests book it through Ordering & Requests from a QR code in their room.
Where this leaves mountain resorts
Mountain resort summer revenue is growing because guests want cool air, nature and wellness, and because winter can no longer carry the whole year on its own. The demand is there. What is missing at most resorts is the structure that winter gives for free: a clear, bookable path through the guest's day.
The resorts that build that path, and put it in front of guests at the moments they decide, will close the gap between the summer guest and the winter guest. That is the most reliable hedge against the next snow-poor winter.
Start with one number. Calculate your in-stay revenue per guest night for last summer and last winter. The gap between the two is your summer opportunity.
Qreadible is the revenue engine for spa and mountain resorts. It puts your activities, spa, F&B and rainy-day offers in front of in-house guests through a QR code in every room, and goes live in days, not months. Book a demo to see what it would earn at your resort before next summer.
