Which States Want to Ski the Most and Where

The first snowfall of 2025 already powdered the Winter Park Resort in Colorado on September 10th, prompting millions of Americans to begin preparing their next high-altitude adventure. Resorts are tuning their groomers, boots are coming out of closets, and lift-ticket searches are quietly spiking long before winter lands its 1-3-4 combo.  

But are some states more eager to chase that feeling than others? 

Our team looked into the search data (more on that later) with a goal to uncover which states want to ski the most, and where Americans are actually thinking of going this winter. 

Let’s see what they dug out!

Key Takeaways

• Colorado is the most searched ski destination overall.
• Vermont leads in domestic ski-related searches per 100k residents.
• “Ski mask” tops the list of most-searched gear items.
• “Ski jackets” are the most-searched piece of clothing.
• Four of the top ten states are located in New England, making it the epicenter of the U.S. ski obsession.

Top 10 States Most Obsessed With Skiing

To preface, the numbers below represent a total of ski-related search terms and interest in specific ski resorts, normalized per 100k population. Alright, let’s have a look at the list:

1. Vermont (8,709 searches per 100k)

Winter arrived early in Vermont this year, with several feet of snow falling in the first week of November and prompting resorts like Killington and Stowe to prepare for an early opening. Vermont’s search interest far surpasses every other state, showing just how deeply skiing is woven into life in the Green Mountain State.

2. New Hampshire (3,837 searches per 100k)

New Hampshire made headlines this season when Black Mountain announced it would open earlier than it has in 91 years. The news helped drive a noticeable uptick in ski-related searches as early-season snow settled in. Combined with a steady flow of interest from the region’s ski community, New Hampshire secures its place in the number-two spot.

3. Montana (3,423 searches per 100k)

After a milder fall, Montana’s ski and snowboard crowd is gearing up for a strong winter ahead. Much of the state’s search activity comes from local enthusiasm, including interest from nearby states like North Dakota. With a new resort opening in Big Sky this year, Montana’s ranking may shift again in 2026.

4. Utah (3,368 searches per 100k)

Utah may sit in fourth place, but the state known for having “the greatest snow on Earth” continues to draw strong attention. Search trends show skiers closely tracking updates from Utah’s top-tier resorts. This season may start a bit slower, though, as several mountains have pushed back their opening days due to lighter-than-expected early snowfall.

5. Colorado (3,222 searches per 100k)

Like Vermont, Colorado has a ski reputation to uphold, and did they deliver! A Colorado resort was the first in the country to kick off the 2025–26 ski season, sparking a wave of search interest. Skiing and snowboarding have long been favorite activities among the locals, but the data shows the excitement goes far beyond state lines. While most of the search volume is domestic, people from fifteen different states have Colorado trending in ski-related terms.

6. Alaska (2,661 searches per 100k)

Alaska’s high search volume reflects the state’s deep connection to winter sports and its long, snow-heavy season. Early storms this year brought strong snowfall to several mountain areas, prompting skiers and snowboarders to track opening dates and conditions closely. With a culture built around cold-weather adventure, Alaska’s interest remains consistently strong year after year. 

7. Idaho (2,492 searches per 100k)

Early-season snowfall across several resorts helped drive a steady rise in Idaho’s search activity, especially as skiers waited for official opening announcements. Interest remains strong thanks to Idaho’s mix of family-friendly hills and larger destination mountains.

8. Wyoming (2,487 searches per 100k)

Wyoming consistently draws significant ski interest, and this season is no exception. Early weather patterns had skiers monitoring snowfall totals and resort updates closely, especially at higher elevations. With several mountains preparing for opening days, Wyoming’s search volume reflects strong anticipation for the start of the season.

9. Massachusetts (2,415 searches per 100k)

Massachusetts continues to show high ski interest despite having a smaller number of local mountains. As temperatures drop, search activity climbs as residents prepare for winter trips and monitor early-season conditions. The state’s strong showing reflects a large population of skiers eager to get the season started.

10. Maine (2,222 searches per 100k)

Maine rounds out the top ten with solid early-season search activity. Resorts across the state have reported promising preseason conditions, helping fuel interest among local skiers. As winter ramps up, Maine’s numbers typically rise further, driven by its strong culture of cold-weather recreation.

The Most Searched States Americans Want to Visit for Skiing

When it comes to where Americans plan to ski this season, Colorado pulls ahead as the top searched destination, with 154,720 total searches. What makes Colorado stand out even more is its reach: it ranks as the number-one searched ski state for residents of 11 different states, giving it the widest geographic appeal in the country. 

Pennsylvania is closely behind with 154,020 searches, driven by interest in its accessible Northeast resorts. California follows next with 102,530 searches, reflecting strong interest in both its Sierra and Southern California resorts. 

Vermont (74,830) and Utah (74,430) round out the top five, each driven by their own early-season snow buzz and well-known resort offerings. 

The Most Popular Ski Resorts in the U.S.

Colorado easily leads the pack with 99,790 average monthly searches and the state’s most searched ski resort goes to Wolf Creek, a mountain known for some of the highest snowfall totals in the country. In second place is West Virginia, which pulls in 9,590 monthly searches for resort-specific queries, with Wisp standing out as its most-searched destination. 

Washington follows closely behind at 94,220 searches, driven by attention toward Mt. Baker, one of the state’s most iconic and snow-rich resorts. Next is Massachusetts, where 89,170 searches reflect strong regional demand, and Killington emerges as the most-searched resort among residents. Rounding out the top five is Kansas, which logs 8,820 average monthly searches and lists Snow Creek as its most-searched ski destination.

What Ski Apparel Americans Want Most This Season

According to our search data, ski mask dominates America’s winter gear searches, pulling in 165,000 monthly queries, far beyond anything else in the category, and it’s no surprise. Skiers want solid protection from the wind, cold and anything else a long day on the slopes can throw at them. 

Nothing else comes close to ski mask’s numbers, but a few essentials still stand out. Ski jackets (40,500), ski boots (33,100) ski pants (27,100 searches) make up the next tier of must-haves. These are the core outerwear pieces skiers rely on to stay warm and dry

Once skiers lock down their outerwear, they turn to secondary layers and accessories. Ski gloves (12,100 searches) and the increasingly popular ski bibs (9,900) show that skiers are paying attention to full-body thermal regulation. Socks, balaclavas and mid-layers like sweaters and fleece complete the typical cold-weather lineup.
Side note: this season, KÜHL released the all-new Defiant™ Shells and Bibs, endorsed by the legendary freeskier Glen Plake. It's engineered for high-performance skiing, built around a waterproof, breathable, and stretch-capable technical fabric that maintains its shape.

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Methodology

To identify which U.S. states show the strongest interest in skiing and ski travel, we analyzed Google search behavior using state-level population data and two major keyword groups: general skiing and gear-related searches and ski-resort-specific searches. All data reflects search activity from November 2024 through November 2025.

General Skiing & Gear Interest

We began by building a comprehensive keyword list of 450+ skiing-related search terms, including:

• General skiing queries (e.g., “skiing,” “skiing near me,” “learn to ski”)
• Skiing styles (alpine, downhill, backcountry, freestyle, cross-country)
• Skiing actions and services (“ski lessons,” “ski rentals,” “ski passes”)
• Ski gear searches (jackets, pants, helmets, gloves, goggles, boots, bindings, poles)
• Safety and weather terms (“ski conditions,” “avalanche forecast”)

For each state, we combined the average monthly search volume across all terms to calculate overall general skiing interest.

Ski-Related Searches

Each state’s general skiing interest and resort-specific interest were then combined to represent its total demand for ski-related information.Because population varies widely between states, we normalized all search totals using the latest U.S. Census state-level population estimates. This produced a “searches per 100,000 people” metric that allows for fair comparison of true proportional interest.

Ski Resort Search Interest

To measure resort-specific interest, we used:

• A complete list of 500+ U.S. ski resorts
• Each resort name paired with skiing-intent modifiers (e.g., “Vail skiing,” “Breckenridge skiing,” “Crystal Mountain skiing”)

Search volumes for all resort-related terms were aggregated at the state level. Then, for every state, we identified the single ski resort generating the highest search volume from that state’s residents, using the resort dataset described above. We also recorded:

• The resort’s physical location
• Its average monthly search volume

Most Searched Destination State

Using all ski-resort and ski-destination queries, we determined which U.S. state residents most frequently search for as a ski destination. This includes both:

• Resort-specific searches
• State-level destination searches (e.g., “skiing in Colorado,” “Utah skiing”)

We also captured the search volume behind each state's top destination choice.

Most Searched Ski Apparel Item

From the gear subset of the keyword list, we isolated apparel-focused terms and identified each state’s most-searched clothing item (e.g., jackets, gloves, ski pants). Average monthly search volume for the top apparel item was also recorded.