The Numbers Game: Snowboard Demographics
by Lee Crane

A problem exists, however: it almost seems like there are more answers than there are questions. This year, five major reports tried to answer the biggies like how many snowboarders are in North America, how old are they, and where do they shop. These included: The National Sporting Good Association, American Sports Data, Leisure Trends' National Skier/Boarder Opinion Survey, the National Ski Industries of America National Snowboarder Report, and TransWorld Snowboarding magazine's reader survey. All gave differing views of what exactly is going on. Consequently, there are many "qualified experts" willing to explain exactly why the numbers in one study are better than the others, and why the methods of other researchers are flawed.

Yes, it's a messy situation destined to get messier before it gets cleaner. Depending on who is talking there could be as many as 2.1 million snowboarders in the United States. That's the number the National Sporting Goods Association boasts. Yet, in response to that number John Fry the founding editor of Snow Country magazine wrote, "Yeah, and a million people climbed Everest."

The problems become apparent when numbers from different surveys are combined and cross referenced. For instance: according to the National Ski Areas Association snowboarders accounted for 6.8 million skiers days last year. That's based on their belief that snowboarders accounted for 13 percent of all lift tickets sold (which is a guess because ski resorts don't keep track of who they sell tickets too.)

In TransWorld's reader survey 57.4 percent of their readers snowboarded more than five days a month. American Sports Data says the average is 8.7 days. If that's true it would mean that there were 781,609 snowboarders in the US. Not even close to the number NSGA or American Sports Data quote.

Jim Spring is president of Leisure Trends, Inc. Each year he polls 20,000 resort visitors across the country. "We came up with the most conservative figure you'll hear. We believe there were 580,000 active snowboarders last year," Spring says. "We also showed an increase compared to 93-94 off of that base. We showed a 40 percent increase."

While no one seems to be able to prove exactly how many snowboarders there are in the United States, there is one thing everyone agrees on: the market is still growing. According to Spring's retail audit 170,000 snowboards were sold at retail in the United States during the 1994-95 season. "But we found there was a 30,000 board inventory at the end of the season," Spring said. "So we're figuring there were about 200,000 boards sold at the wholesale level last year."

The Ski Industries of America says snowboard orders for the 1995-96 season totaled 330,000, an increase of 60 percent over 1994-95. And that means serious dollars. "If these numbers are correct and you factor in boots, bindings, and soft goods then retailers have ordered over $400 million dollars retail in product for the upcoming season," says Brian Sellstrom, publisher of TransWorld Snowboarding magazine.

This $400 million market has grown to include more than 250 hard and soft good suppliers. And many in the snowboard industry say that just too many and that the market will not be able to support that for long. "It really isn't a matter of if, but of when," says Mike Adams, president of Monark, distributor of Elan's Nale Snowboards. "A shakeout is inevitable. Is it going to be next year? I don't know. Whether it happens now or in three years, it will happen. Part of the component is going to be a no-snow year. So just don't tell me it's going to happen this year."

Snowboard companies are still springing up all over the place, and people have been warning about a coming crash for three years and counting. "I'm optimistic about the market," says Dana Gleason, head woodchuck at Dana Designs. "but while there is a huge amount of growth going on, there are also a huge amount of companies who have been created by enthusiastic kids like me who didn't know any better, and the truth is there will be a shake out. You have a lot of people doing what they love, but you've got to be able to make a buck too."

With all the product in the stores, it's more a matter of where people are shopping that any worry about the crash at this point. According to Brian Sellstrom, snowboarders are still young, the average age is 17.5 years, and the 97 percent of the market is still buying freeriding boards. But things may be changing.

Gaylene Nagel, director of marketing for Sims Snowboards believes that the next large group to slide into snowboarding will be affluent sportos. "I call them the gold cards," Nagel says. "They are people who buy very high-end in everything. They are leisure oriented people," she says. "They spend a lot of money on sporting goods. They own a really good mountain bike, top of the line wetsuit, and they are also skiers. They usually go to the mountain more than 10 times season and they. These people are buying more than one snowboard and boot combination because they usually have a powder set up and a carving set up."

Chris Sanders, president of Avalanche Snowboards agrees. "I think snowboarding appeals to the same people who are buying the 7.5 million mountain bikes that are selling right now," he says. "And the same people who are spending all this money on skis. People who windsurf and people who in-line skates. If you took all these people, whether you like it or not, they're going to get into snowboarding. And they have the money to spend."

With this group involved the backcountry side of the sport could expand as well. "There is a new group of extreme and back country that I'm thinking more of lately," she says. "It's always been there but we've never really targeted them. We may look more into that segment in the future."

If the new snowboarding converts are the same people technophiles who demand the latest, best sleeping bag, tent, or hiking boot, will they buy snowboards from the same shop? Snowboarding Business magazine editor John Stouffer sees this happening more based on availability than preference. "Manufacturers will continue to open shops that are not snowboard specialty shops because they're trying to grow their market," Stouffer says. "Because of that we're going to see a shift in some of the buying habits. More people will buy snowboards in what would traditionally be considered as outdoor retailers because more outdoor shops will be selling them."

Newer snowboard companies like the Carlsbad, California based Silence Snowboards, however, don't have the luxury of being able to focus on expanded niche markets because they're concentrating on getting into core snowboard shops. "Our first year out we aimed primarily toward the freestyle/freeriding market with the emphasis of having our boards designed by our team riders," says Silence President Steve Cathey. "We'll begin addressing a wider spectrum of the market place as we grow."

That brings the discussion to the what exactly is a snowboard shop. Most outdoor retailers agree that anyone who wants to sell snowboards must become a snowboard shop in every sense of the word. They need to carry popular snowboard brands, hire knowledgable snowboarders, and cater directly to the snowboard market, not just the backcountry or snowboard mountaineer group.

Aspen Sports in Flagstaff, Arizon has been selling snowboards for eight years. But they also sell backpacks, mountaineering gear, and telemark skis. "We are a snowboard shop and the fact that we sell skis at all definitely hurts our snowboard business," says Aspen Sport's Rich Harrison. "But we're the only place in town the sells tele skis and we think it's worth losing a few snowboard sales to do that."

Lasting as a snowboard shop means buying from suppliers who are going to be around in the next decade. But that can be difficult when most of the major snowboard brands are already well established in nearly every market. It just means shops need to get in and get the best lines they can.

The bottom line from everyone involved with snowboarding is simple: being a snowboard shop means being a snowboarder, hiring snowboarders, and knowing what's going on in the industry. "It's just like selling backpacks, or skis," Harrison says. "You can't sell it if you don't do it."