Colorado’s ski resorts reported a small decrease in visits in January and February, but record activity earlier in the season will likely allow the industry to meet or beat last year’s record visitation, according to the trade group for the state’s 26 ski areas.

Weather-related declines in business at areas catering to Front Range residents pulled down the overall data, which showed a 1.69 percent drop to 5.2 million visitors vs. last year’s 5.29 million.

"There was challenging travel to the mountains on the weekends this season," Colorado Ski Country USA President Rob Perlman said.

On the upside, destination resorts reported a roughly 1.4 percent increase in visits during the January-February season.

The category includes such venues as Aspen, Telluride and Steamboat, which tend to attract more out-of-state vacationers and fewer Front Range skiers.

A record-setting start to the ski season and the potential for a strong finish could still add up to a new year-end benchmark, the group said. Ski areas hosted a record number of skiers in the first part of the season ended Dec. 31. Collectively, the state drew almost 3.29 million skiers, an increase of 6.74 percent over last year.

Through the end of February, overall visits are running about 120,000 ahead of last year’s. The industry set a record last year with 12.53 million skier visits.