Participation in alpine skiing grew 5.4% and snowboarding 10.4% from the 2008/09 to 2009/10 seasons, according to 2011 Snow Sports Participation Report released by Snowsports Industries America.


SIA provides a copy of the report for free to its members and makes it available to non-members for $899.

Other facts and/or trends covered in the report include:



  • The total number of individual participants in all six disciplines is 21,226,000.
  • 7.5% of the total U.S. population (+6 years old) participates in at least one snow sport discipline.
  • Alpine skiers (44%) and snowboarders (31%) make up three-fourths of all participants.
  • About 60% of the alpine skiers and 62% snowboarders are concentrated in ten states.
  • High income earners account for large segments of participants with 47% of all alpine skiers and 32% of all snowboarders respectively having annual incomes of $100,000 or more.
  • Increased diversity among all segments of snow sports participants is a steady trend with African American, Asian and Hispanic ethnicities growing on-average 5% per year and now collectively making-up about 30% of all snow sports participants.
  • Snowboarding is a young mans game, two-thirds (66%) of the participants are males and 64% fall between 13 and 34 years of age.
  • Males make-up 60% of alpine skiers and 44% fall between 13 and 34 years of age.
  • The number of snowboarders that also ski went from 26% in 2008/09 to 34% in 2009/10.
  • Snowboarders participate, on average 58% more days (11.7) than alpine skiers (7.4).
  • Participation rates range from 9.0 days for cross country to 7.3 days for snowshoeing.

For more information about snow sports participation please call Kelly Davis, SIAs Director of Research, at 703.506.4224 or KDavis@snowsports.org.