At Carte Blanche, the freeski Summit held as part of IF3 in Montreal last weekend, I quoted The 2009 SIA SnowSport Market Intelligence Report. The 200 plus page report is available to SIA members but I felt it would be useful to post the key statistics that were referenced during the seminar. For a full copy of the report or for more information on SIA, visit www. thesnowtrade.org
Total Snow Sports Market Executive Summary
●2008.09 brought $2.82 billion in sales of snow sports equipment, apparel and accessories in specialty brick and mortar shops, chain stores and on the Internet.
$760 million in equipment
$1.1 billion in apparel
$951 million in accessories
●Specialty shop sales decreased 7% in units and 8% in dollars over last season to $1.7 billion.
●2008.09 Internet sales increased despite dismal economic conditions and declining sales in specialty and chain stores. Internet sales increased 23% in units and 12% in dollars.
●Chain stores saw thinning margins in 2008.09 with units sales declining 3% and dollar sales declining 7%.
●Alpine equipment sales declined 6% in units and 7% in dollars sold to $425 million, but current season skis and ski systems declined 15% in units and in dollars sold.
●Snowboard equipment sales declined 6% in dollars and 3% in units overall. Almost ¼ of all snowboards sold in 2008.09 were carryover snowboards.
●Cross Country Equipment sales declined 5% in dollars and 2% in units, but current season ski sales declined just 3% in dollars and 8% in units indicating tolerance among consumers for higher prices even in a severe recession.
●One equipment category that enjoyed growth in 2008.09 was Randonee/Alpine Touring. Sales increased 21% in units and 16% in dollars. AT boot sales grew 60% in dollars and 73% in units.
●Apparel sales grew in units sold by 1%, but discounting to keep sales strong resulted in a 6% decline in dollars sold. Sales of items priced over $400 declined 28% in 2008.09.
●Accessories sales slid 3% in units and 2% in dollars but outsold equipment in 2008.09. Helmets, goggles, wax, and gloves sales increased as consumers bought new accessories and continued to ski and ride but shied away from higher priced equipment and apparel during very tough economic times.
●NSAA reported 57.4 million skier visits in the U.S. during the 2008.09 season, a decline from last season‘s record 60.5 million, but above average for the last 5 seasons**.
Source: SIA Retail Audit, Top Lines, and dynamic data cubes (for current season equipment). **2008.09 NSAA Kottke National End of Season.
Alpine Skier Profile
Source: *NSGA Sports Participation Study, 2008 calendar year; **NSAA Kottke National End of Season Survey 2008.09; ***2008.09SIA Retail Audit.
Average age of alpine skiers* Male 29, Female 30
Gender of alpine skiers* 62.3% Male, 37.7% Female
Percentage (Head of Household) that are College graduates* 87% Male, 96% Female
Percentage that are African American* 0.9%
Percentage that are Hispanic* 2.6%
Avg. price paid for skis at specialty shop*** $370.79
Avg. price paid for skis on the Internet*** $303.06
Avg. price paid for boots at specialty shop*** $258.87
Avg. price paid for bindings at specialty shop*** $127.50
Avg. price paid for poles at specialty shop*** $38.44
Avg. price paid for ski systems at specialty shop*** $473.15
Avg. # of days skiing* 6.70 (Male 6.75, Female 6.62)
Percentage of alpine skiers that also snowboard* 12.8%
Avg. price paid for weekend adult lift ticket** $73.80
Household income above $75K per year* 66%
Alpine Skier Participation
In 1987, there were 12.4 million skiers in America. In 2008, there were 6.5 million.
