snowsports retail sales up over last season

[ski_resort_observer]

The record helmet sales number really jumped out at me. In the two ski shops here at the Bush we sold a record number of helmets this year despite the fact that the two manufacturers we sold(Smith and Giro) ran out of helmets two months ago.. We called around to help guests find a helmet but to no avail. According to the reps this problem was nationwide

We could have sold a bunch more if we could have gotten them. We were only able to get a few of next years Smith Variants. Big audio upgrade standard for next year which is great. No more replacing earmuffs to get audio. The funny thing was that the audio kit that was not availible..

Two weeks following last years tragic accident up at Tremblant it was a frenzy with a rush of people, mostly ladies, that came in. When the inventory got slim they bought pretty much anything. The only preference most had was that they had to buy a helmet. Again, I assume this effect was felt at most every ski shop on the planet.
After last winter I was skeptical as too how much growth helmet sales would see this season. What about next winter? Will the manufacturers overproduce? Is the market now saturated?

On paper the manufacturers replacement programs looks great but my guess is very few people replace their helmets after a crash according to the manufacturers reccomendations. I have had some folks come in and proudly show off their helmet dents, they know the facts.

SAM Magazine—McLean, Va., Apr. 7, 2010—Snow Sports market sales reached $2.7 billion in February, a 3 percent gain in dollars sold compared with August through February last season, according to the SIA Retail Audit conducted by the Leisure Trends Group. Warmer weather in states north of the Mason-Dixon Line, less snow in the Rockies and wetter and colder weather in the south and Mid-Atlantic have contributed to shifting sales patterns this season.

Weather patterns hampered sales in the Rockies and in the warmer-than-average Northwest, a trend we expect will continue to show up for the rest of the year. Conversely, the record snow in the south and Mid-Atlantic fueled growth there.

Key sales trends:

• Overall snowboard sales declined 7 percent in units and 4 percent in dollars.

• AT/Randonee ski sales are up nearly 50 percent in units and dollars.

• Helmet sales totaled a record of more than 1.1 million units.

 

[RootDKJ]

Good news.

I replaced my helmet after a good crash. Not right away, but when I got around to it.

 

[bvibert]

The ski shop at Sundown sold out of helmets this year too.

 

[Riverskier]

I asked a friend of mine in February when he was going to get a helmet, and he said he had gone all over Southern Maine looking for one the day before, and every place was sold out. It seemed hard to believe, but I guess he was telling the truth. A good trend!

 

[speden]

I needed to buy one of my sons a new helmet in early February since his old one got too small. The selection in the local stores was terrible, so ended up having to buy one online.

 

[riverc0il]

No surprise that AT is a market leader. Lots of big name manufacturers are starting to dip into the AT market. Lots of folks seem to be considering purchases with keeping the door to touring open which is probably the biggest part of the market explosion (I think more people have Dukes that have never toured than people who have toured that have actually earned turns at least once). The cross over market seems huge. And now that Dynafit's patent has expired on tech bindings, that market is going to grow as well.

No surprise about the helmets driving gear sales. When I clicked on the thread, before I even started reading I was thinking about the accident involving the famous actress and its effects on brain buckets.

 

[jaywbigred]

• Overall snowboard sales declined 7 percent in units and 4 percent in dollars.

Interesting. Wonder if that trend has been in place for a few years or if its just a blip...

 

[billski]

Interesting. Wonder if that trend has been in place for a few years or if its just a blip...

It's my understanding that the number of snowboard participants has leveled out - very little new growth. The release wasn't very balanced - it was highlights and it's hard to draw fair conclusions on trends. I'd be interested in seeing stats on ski sales - this was a tough economic year. I'd expect a lot of high priced items to suffer, and a lot of the less-expensive gear like gloves, socks and helmets (to name a few) to move.

I'd also like to see the demographics on who is buying helmets - the indication that it was mostly women in one shop is interesting. I see more safety gear going out the door than ever before, all sports, all activities. The "safety first" mantra seems to have taken hold with everything from alarm systems to helmets to motor vehicles. Safety is a big seller and hard to argue with - "you can never be too safe."

The issue of helmet replacement is a dubious one. If you read the manufacturer's recommendations, even after a small bang (and I've had a few) the helmet should be replaced. I'm not questioning the science, but the motives of repeat-sales and product liability immediately come to mind. However, because it's an "invisible" defect, it is often overlooked. I just replaced two of four fire extinguishers in my house because there was a dial that showed under-charged - a much more clear-cut replacement indicator.

I suspect there is a correlation of AT sales to the opening up of "slack country" by various resorts. I agree also with Steve, that lots of these sales must go to wannabes.
Not that slack country requires AT gear, but more the wannabe-factor.

 

[skidmarks]

Interesting. Wonder if that trend has been in place for a few years or if its just a blip...

This season we had more than a few Tweeners switching over to the Darker Side!!!!
Several of them have never skied before!!!



PS: I hope it's a trend

 

[Glenn]

I'll sometimes hit the forums over at new schoolers to see what the kids are up to these days. It's interesting to see threads started by boarders, who are going over to skiing. And quite a few people usually chime in that they've known someone who has done the same.

Here's another random one I heard recently at the ski shop at Mt Snow. A guy in there (employee) was telling people that a lot of skis had sold out this year. Not due to the demand, but due to supply. With the economy slowing, there was less production and shops bought less. So overall, less of a supply. That was his claim though. I don't know if he was trying to hussle the couple who was scoping out a pair of demo skis.