SIA released the 2009 Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report, a topline review of the snow sports marketplace. The Report provides valuable insight into retail sales and participation trends, demographics for snow sports participants, analysis of the season’s weather, and comprehensive analysis of the snow sports industry.
The Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report features chapters for alpine, snowboard, cross-country, telemark, backcountry, randonee/AT, equipment and apparel accessories, and apparel categories. Additionally, full reports on the market for women’s and junior’s specific snow sports products will be available soon as a special version for snow sports retailers for the first time in 2009.
While the 2008.09 season will be remembered for the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression, snow sports participation was healthy and some categories of equipment, apparel and accessories grew. Here’s just a sample of information that can be found in the 2009 Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report:
2008.09 Sales
- $760 million in equipment
- $1.1 billion in apparel
- $951 million in accessories
- Adult high performance alpine ski boots were a hot trend, with an increase of 16% in units sold and an additional $11 million in sales.
2008.09 Online sales
- Online sales grew 12% in dollars and 23% in units
- $547 million total Internet sales were recorded 15% of all snowboard equipment was sold online
- 1 in 14 of Americans consider themselves to be skiers or riders
- 14.8 million Americans participated in a snow sport in 2008
- The average snow sports participant is about 30 years old, has a college degree and household income exceeding $100,000 annually
- 1 in 5 female snowboarders are over 35 years old and plenty of girls are in the pipeline
- The snow sports demographic experienced a doubling in unemployment rate during the 2008.09 season as the economy tanked
