Snowboarding is a very popular hobby among people of all ages. If you’ve ever been up on the slopes, you know that skiing and snowboarding are for all ages. As a result, snowboarding is an extremely popular sport. The beauty of the mountains, combined with the pure enjoyment of snowboarding, is why I personally believe snowboarding is such a popular sport.
The snowboarding industry rakes in insane amounts of cash every single year. One organization, “Vail,” is the world’s largest snowboarding resort company. They own and operate 40 mountains worldwide, 37 of which are located in the United States. Vail’s resorts range from small, fun resorts such as “Whitetail,” located in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, to “Park City,” located in Utah, which is widely known as the largest ski resort in North America. Park City is home to roughly 7,300 acres of ski terrain. Ian Park is a senior at Broadrun High School. He’s an avid skier and has visited Park City once or twice. Ian says, “Park City is genuinely massive. The amount of ski runs that they have on the resort is absurd; that’s one of the reasons that it’s my favorite place to ski.” Due to the number of resorts that Vail owns and the number of skiers that pay their hard-earned money to go to these resorts, Vail brings in money hand over fist. The WallStreet Zen is a website run by Steve Reitmeister and a team of a few others, who did the research and learned that, “For fiscal year 2025, Vail Resorts reported annual revenue of approximately $2.96 to $3.0 billion, which represents a 2.74% to 3.06% growth year-over-year compared to 2024’s $2.89 billion” (Reitmeister). It’s also reported by Wall Street Zen that ”Based on Vail Resorts’ annual revenue for the past five years, Vail Resorts makes an average of $7,218,917.26 per day.”
Between jaw-dropping pass sales, ski resort visitation numbers, and the millions of Americans who hit the slopes each year. Skiing and snowboarding have become a major driver of winter tourism. Snowboarding and skiing are things some people build their entire lives around. It’s very common in the north west for families to live in sprinter vans and travel to different states skiing in different locations each week. Tourists spend millions of dollars each day during the season to ride a fiberglass board down a snow-covered hill. The estimated number of skiers from 2019-2020 was 7.6 million. This surge in snowboarding has amplified the culture, especially in towns built around snowboarding resorts such as Breckenridge, Colorado.
Breckenridge is a small town deep inside the mountains of Colorado. With about 5,000 residents, the local culture is easy to spot. When I visited Breckenridge, I immediately noticed a few characteristics common among residents. Most wear gear from one of the big three brands: Patagonia, The North Face, or Columbia. The residents also tend to speak in a relaxed, friendly manner reminiscent of a classic mountain town. Roman Germani, a Broad Run alumnus who now lives in Breckenridge, shares, “They are all similar; it’s easy to spot a native. If you’re not wearing Patagonia and don’t have a mustache, you’re not a native.”
Snowboarding is not just a popular activity; for many, it’s a way of life. The mix of mountain scenery, physical challenge, and strong community draws people of all ages. The sport shapes towns like Breckenridge and fuels winter tourism. Even though it might be expensive, I encourage everyone to at least take a short weekend and give snowboarding or skiing a try, and if you ever get the chance, go spend a week of your life in Breckenridge, Colorado.
