Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2020 - 36

IDEAS / Participation
2017-18. The number of skier visits was up, in
part due to the continuing popularity of multiresort passes and resorts' engagement efforts,
and the total number of participants nearly
recovered from the 1.5% dip in participants
during the 2017-18 season.
Snowboarding experienced a robust jump
with a 9.4% increase, followed by skiing at
a modest 1.1% increase in 2018-19. Crosscountry skiing and snowshoeing decreased by
4.4% and 3.1% respectively. But year-to-year
gains or dips don't tell the whole story. Total
participation has not regained the numbers
of the early- to mid-2010s.
Fluctuations are normal, says Nick Sargent,
president of SIA, but the flat to negative
growth over longer time periods is concerning, and the industry would do well to consider
the challenges that trend reflects. "We need to
change our game and think of more ways to fill
the funnel with new users," he says.

RESEARCH

The State of Snow Sports
The latest numbers show a robust industry, but what will
aging boomers, beach vacations, and a climate in flux mean
for the future? by Radha Marcum
ACCORDING TO THE LATEST SIA-NPD U.S. SNOW INDUSTRY RETAIL MARKET REPORT, SPECIALTY
retailers enjoyed a healthy bump in sales of winter sports gear, apparel, and accessories from
March 2018 to March 2019. While overall sales increased 4%year over year across all retail
channels, for specialty retailers the news is better: Totals jumped about 8%, including a 22%
increase in accessories, 9%in apparel, and 5%in equipment.
SIA's latest Snow Sports Participant Report paints a slightly different picture, however, one that
speaks to industry-wide fluctuations. The good news is that approximately 24.6 million Americans
ages 6 and older participated in winter sports in the 2018-19 winter season, an uptick of 1.2% from

36 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ Winter 2020

CHALLENGE #1: AN AGING POPULATION
No amount of ibuprofen or acupuncture can
fix the fact that boomers-historically the
largest and most loyal winter sport demographic-are dropping off the slopes. The
youngest boomers are now in their mid-50s,
and Gen Xers and millennials (now the largest generation in the U.S. at 83.1 million)
just aren't as likely to try or commit to winter
sports year after year.
Not only do resorts and retailers have to do
more to engage younger generations, but it is
increasingly important to consider how to diversify participants. According to the last U.S.
census, over 44% of millennials identify as
part of a minority race or ethnic group. Winter
sport participants are still overwhelmingly
white and wealthy.
CHALLENGE #2: COMPETING FOR TIME,
MONEY, AND ATTENTION
Programs targeting younger skiers and their
families, such as those supported by SIA's
nonprofit partner Share Winter, are gaining
steam. Share Winter works with schools, recreation centers, and nonprofit ski clubs to get
32,000 kids ages 5-18 participating in snow
sports every year. But, according to Sargent,
competing for the time, income, and attention

Andrew Kornylak

UP IN THE AIR
Snowboarding experienced
a 9.4% bump in participation
in 2018-19. Is that number
representative of statistical
fluctuations or a real
long-term uptick?

Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2020

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