Skiing is big business in Utah and the numbers prove it. Our ski industry creates 20,000 jobs and generates more than $900 of tax relief for every household, Ski Utah President Nathan Rafferty said in his recent state-of-the-industry report. Even if you don't ski, the snow industry relieves the tax burden.

Nationally, skier visits were slightly down to 56.2 million, a 1.3 percent decrease from 56.9 million skier visits the previous season. The drought in the Pacific Southwest and Pacific Northwest felt most of the decrease while other regions experienced increased visits.

It's not just the visits that bring the welcome tax relief, its what people spend on food, lodging, transportation, skiing and other entertainment while they visit.

For Utah, the 2013-14 season was its third best season on record with 4.16 million skier visits. That is a solid 8.8 percent increase over the 2011-12 season.

So if you're a skier or snowboarder and feel the slopes are a bit crowded by out-of-towners some days, you can give thanks that their spending helps bring tax relief to Utah residents.

Photo credit: Harriet Wallis