Snow Sports Participation Increased in 2008.09 Season

Despite a very tough economic climate, new participants could be found on slopes, trails and in the terrain parks last season. Participation increased in every snow sports discipline during the 2008.09 season from downhill skiing to snowshoeing. Snowshoeing, one of the most economic of snow sports, enjoyed a 17% increase in participation last season and the health benefits of cross country skiing were enjoyed by about 300,000 more Americans.

(See attached graph — results in millions)

For the past three seasons, SIA has been working with six other major governing bodies and trade associations in the sports, fitness, outdoor and leisure industry to form a research partnership — The Physical Activity Council (PAC). The goal of the partnership is to identify key trends in sports, fitness, and recreation participation in the US…

An overview of participation in 117 different sports and leisure activities in the U.S. is available now! Copies of the Sports, Fitness, and Recreation Participation Overview (2010 edition) can be downloaded from PhysicalActivityCouncil.com.

SIA will release a detailed report on snow sports participation in May 2010. The SIA Snow Sports Participation Report will include detailed demographics including education levels, income levels, age, gender, geographic location, frequency of participation, cross-over data for all 117 different activities measured by the PAC, participant cluster maps, core participation, and more. If you are interested in your customers then you will need this report. The SIA Participation Report is FREE to all SIA members, a $500 value.

The principal advantage of this participation study is accuracy. While other studies that measure snow sports participation across the U.S. population sample a relatively small group of persons in the population, the 2010 PAC participation survey has a sample size of 41,141 completed interviews that provide a high degree of statistical accuracy. All surveys are subject to some level of standard error—that is, the degree to which the results might differ from those obtained by a complete census of every person in the U.S. A sport with a participation rate of 5% has a confidence interval of plus or minus 0.21 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. This translates to plus or minus 4% of participants.

“The purpose of this unique partnership is to create a single set of data which accurately measures national interest in fitness activities, competitive team sports, individual pursuits, and general recreation,” said PAC Chairman Tom Cove, president of Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. “More than 40,000 Americans were interviewed online, making this the most accurate and reliable sports and leisure participation study ever conducted.”

Copies of the Sports, Fitness, and Recreation Participation Overview (2010 edition) can be downloaded from PhysicalActivityCouncil.com.

THE PAC SUPPORTERS:
1.International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) (www.ihrsa.org/ 617.316.6773)
2. National Golf Foundation (NGF) (www.ngf.org/561.744.6006)
3. SnowSports Industries America (SIA) (www.snowsports.org/703.556.9020)
4. Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) (www.sgma.com/301.495.6321)
5. Tennis Industry Association (TIA) (www.tennisindustry.org/843.686.3036)
6. The Outdoor Foundation (www.outdoorfoundation.org/202.271.3252)
7. United States Tennis Association (USTA) (www.usta.com/914.696.7000)

For more information contact Kelly Davis, SIA research director, at KDavis@snowsports.org. The website for The Physical Activity Council (PAC) is: PhysicalActivityCouncil.com.

– SIA –

SnowSports Industries America (SIA) is the national not-for-profit, North American member-owned, trade association representing the snow sports industry. Established in 1954, SIA annually produces the SIA Snow Show, the largest snow sports industry trade show, on-snow demo and networking environment globally, while delivering invaluable data/research reports including the Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report, the SIA Retail Audit and Executive Market Summary. SIA also develops marketing products, programs and services such as logistics and Government affairs that help our Members operate more efficiently and increase participation in snow sports. For more information, check out snowsports.org. SnowSports Industries America, 8377-B Greensboro Drive, McLean, VA 22102-3587. Phone: 703.556.9020, Fax: 703.821.8276, Email: SIAmail@snowsports.org.