SIA News 5.3
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WHAT’S THE TREND? TEN YEARS OF SALES AND PARTICIPATION
Perspective is the reason we analyze trends, to make sure that our view of the season is balanced and not a product of emotional reaction to the current economic situation. Last season, consumers purchased 1,128,804 total downhill sliding devices (alpine skis and snowboards); 595,563 pairs of alpine skis and 533,151 snowboards. That total was above the average totals for the 1999/2000 – 2009/2010 seasons.
Sliding device sales last peaked in 1999/2000 as the rush to buy shaped skis was tapering and the rush to buy snowboards was truly ramping up. The chart on sales of sliding devices shown below confirms that snowboarding pushed sales over 1 million total sliding devices and supported an increase in participation of about 1 million persons.
Further examination into the participation data reveals that many choose snowboarding rather than skiing but would certainly choose one or the other sport. Additionally, many choose to participate in both. In fact, 26% of snowboarders also participate in alpine skiing, and 18% of alpine skiers also participate in snowboarding.
For more trends and data on participation and sales get your copy of the 2010 Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report scheduled for release the second week of September. The Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report is the most comprehensive report on snow sports sales, participation and overall trends available in the snow sports market. This report gives you an unprecedented quantitative review of the most recent snow sports season from detailed retail data in every product category including alpine ski, snowboard, telemark ski, cross country ski, backcountry ski, snowshoe, apparel, and accessories as well as U.S. participation in each snow sports discipline. The Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report is an invaluable resource for anyone building a business plan, formulating a sales strategy, designing a marketing campaign, negotiating credit, developing a budget or just trying to learn about the snow sports business. For more information regarding the Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report or about other SIA Research products and services please contact SIA’s Research Director, Kelly Davis at KDavis@snowsports.org, 703.506.4224.
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MASTERFIT UNIVERSITY LOCATIONS CORRECTED FROM INDUSTRY PLANNER CALENDAR
Due to a typographic error, some Masterfit University locations were incorrectly listed on the 2010/2011 SIA Industry Planner. The correct locations and dates are below.
| Camelback, PA |
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Sept. 30-Oct. 1 |
| Stratton Mtn, VT |
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Oct. 4-5 |
| Breckenridge, CO |
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Oct. 28-29 |
| Reno, NV |
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Nov. 2-3 |
Masterfit University is the snowsports’ industry’s training centers for ski and snowboard bootfitters and is presented by SIA. Learn bootfitting secrets from top industry pros and practice on state-of-the-art equipment. For more information and to register visit masterfituniversity.com.
SIA SNOW SHOW AND DEMO HOTEL BLOCKS OPEN
Hotel blocks are open for the 2011 SIA Snow Show and On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride Fest. Book early to take advantage of early bird specials before they fill up or expire (Sept 30). Reservations can be made online at siasnowshow.com/denverhotels.
See a complete list of SIA Hotel Rates here.
Rates for the On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride Fest properties are posted, Book here. Block rates will increase in November. Be sure to book your room early, last year lodging at Winter Park sold out.
United Airlines is offering a special SIA discount. Book directly with United or through your travel service. All details are here.
| Note a few Show Dates/Events when making your travel plans. |
| Tuesday, Jan 25 |
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LG FIS Big Air Snowboard Competition |
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Downtown Denver |
| Wednesday, Jan 26 |
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USSA Big Air Ski Exhibition |
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Downtown Denver |
| Thursday, Jan 27 |
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SIA Snow Show Opens
SIA Snow Style & Trends Show (fashion show) |
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9A – 6P
Doors Open 6:30P |
| Friday, Jan 28 |
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SIA Snow Show
SIA Retailer & Rep of the Year Awards |
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9A – 6P
6P |
| Saturday, Jan 29 |
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SIA Snow Show |
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9A – 6P |
| Sunday, Jan 30 |
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SIA Snow Show
On-Snow Shuttle Transportation
Nordic Demo Reception |
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9A – 1P
4P
6P (Devil’s Thumb Ranch) |
| Monday, Jan 31 |
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SIA/WWSRA On-Snow Demo |
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10A – 4P |
| Tuesday, Feb 1 |
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SIA/WWSRA On-Snow Demo |
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10A – 4P |
Continue to check siasnowshow.com for updates. See you in Denver!
WHAT SIA MEANS TO SWANY: “SIA IS THE GLUE THAT BINDS ALL FACETS OF THE INDUSTRY”
Bill Dzierson, senior vice president at Swany, took some time out of his busy schedule to tell us how Swany benefits from a SIA membership.
SIA: What value do you see in SIA?
Bill: SIA serves as the governing body of the snow sports industry; providing communication to all facets of the industry including wholesale and retail. It spreads the word of our sport through programs and strategic advertising as well as on-snow promotions. SIA provides a forum, the Snow Show, for all of us to show our wares and provide information on new products plus the on snow venue for networking and testing products. SIA is the glue which binds all facets of the snow industries together.
SIA: What membership benefits does your company find helpful?
Bill: We find significant value in the SIA research reports provided, benefits the new Denver venue provided, event management functions provided such as set up and organizing the Show, public relations assistance and interaction with the press. We also recently attended SIA’s media function in NYC this summer – the Summer Snowdown. Networking with other manufacturers and sales personnel, is always enlightening.
SIA: How has SIA research helped your company?
Bill: The SIA research provided helps us make strategic decisions based on market share and other tactical information necessary to set up and execute a well-targeted marketing plan.
SIA: Why does your company have to be the SIA Snow Show?
Bill: It is important for us to be at the Snow Show because it is our chance to tell our retail partners and the trade what Swany is about, demonstrate new products and explain concepts we are working on. It is important for us to interface with our sales force and be sure they have the tools and understanding to effectively sell our products in their regional markets. Senior management has the opportunity to talk with and get better acquainted with our key customers and retail partners. The On-Snow Demo also gives us a chance to test product and socialize with customers in the environment responsible for our vocation and avocation.
Swany has been a longstanding SIA member since 1984. We look forward to seeing them in 2011. Thanks Swany for the continued support!
FEDEX GROUND® IS FASTER TO MORE LOCATIONS THAN UPS GROUND
SIA’s Member Program with FedEx Ground can save you money and help your business run more efficiently by offering faster transit times and convenient shipping options. For additional information and to see how fast your shipments will reach their destination with FedEx Ground, go to fedex.com/maps. You can also view an informative video at http://mediacenter.fedex.designcdt.com/node/378.
Sign up now to take full advantage of your member discounts on select savings up to 20% on FedEx OfficeSM business services, up to 24% on FedEx Ground® and up to 45% on select FedEx® shipping services. Sign-up is free, and there are no shipping minimums. To enroll today or to become an SIA Rep Member contact Patricia Grenke, SIA’s Membership Manager, at PGrenke@snowsports.org or 703.506.4222.
To learn more about SIA’s Rep Membership Benefits, visit snowsports.org.
¹The FedEx Ground money-back guarantee applies to deliveries within the U.S. and to brokerage-inclusive shipments to Canada. For details, see the FedEx Ground Tariff.
SUMMER CHECK-IN WITH JIM HUNTER FROM ROSSIGNOL
Jim Hunter, VP Operations & CFO at The Rossignol Group NA started skiing when he was 13 and his family moved to Southern Vermont from Western New York. He broke his ankle the first day, but kept with it and fell in love with the sport. Jim started working in the snow sports industry in 1978, as the controller at the then new Skis Dynastar, Inc. and has worked for one entity or another and various positions but most recently for the Rossignol Group.
Jim took some time out of his busy schedule to give us a glimpse of his responsibilities at Rossignol, his summer plans and his take on the industry.
SIA: How did you get started in the industry?
Jim: I was working for one of the then Big 8 accounting firms after I got out of college and Rossignol was one of our clients and I got to know their staff pretty well. When the Group formed a U.S. subsidiary to distribute Dynastar and needed a Controller, they called me.
SIA: What is your role at Rossignol?
Jim: I’m VP of Operations and CFO, so that means I get my fingers in pretty much everything.
SIA: Are you involved in product development? If, so what inspires you?
Jim: Other than product development, I get to test other peoples’ developments.
SIA: What does a normal day at the office look like for you?
Jim: I usually start early, around 6AM or even earlier, so I can deal with the day’s communications from France, and get a few projects done before everyone else gets in before the daily operational issues start popping up, which tend to take up most of the day. Then, I usually clean up whatever is left when everyone leaves at the end of the day.
SIA: How can the industry work together to do better business?
Jim: The key is communication. This is something that SIA has been a positive factor in since the beginning. There is a movement afoot right now to create an industry specific credit information exchange, which we have not had for several years. There’s an organization in Canada, SICA, that has a really good model and they’re trying to start up a U.S. version. Better information means better decisions and that means a healthier industry, and everyone, suppliers and retailers alike, benefit.
SIA: How do you feel that the industry has changed over the years? Where do you see it headed?
Jim: The industry has become more businesslike since I first got involved, which I suppose I have to support. The early days were fun though. Seems like we used to ski more. Predictions? I think that as long as there is snow, people will ride it and that means the industry will go on.
SIA: What overarching goals/values guide your work?
Jim: I always believe that logic will prevail. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn’t, but I always believe it will.
SIA: What do your summer plans include professionally?
Jim: We’re converting to a new ERP system, so that will pretty much take care of the summer, and then some.
SIA: Personal summer plans?
Jim: I haven’t had time to get my boat out of storage yet, but I’m hoping to. We’re also going to spend a week on Martha’s Vineyard. We used to go there regularly when Rossignol was in Vermont and we haven’t been back for a few years.
SIA: What do you never travel without?
Jim: My laptop. Today’s connectivity is both a blessing and a curse.
Thanks Jim for all the years in the industry. Hope you had a wonderful trip to "The Vineyard"!
THE WORD ON THE SLOPES
Official news: The Master Skier’s Annual Cross-Country Ski Journal has partnered with the USSA to be the Annual Cross-Country Ski Journal of the USSA. Learn more… Spark R&D introduces the BLAZE splitboard binding for the 2010/2011 season. Learn more… Polarmax technical base layers is proud to sponsor Pro Staff member and Charlotte, NC native Macon Dunnagan as he attempts to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro three times in 27 days. Read more….686 2010-2011 Winter Site Now Live!. Check it out…. Last week LEKI announced they have inked an athlete sponsorship agreement with five-time Olympic Medalist and two-time World Champion Bode Miller through the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Read more…Recently Hart Ski Corp.'s CEO announced last week that the company is relocating from Wayzata, Minn., near Minneapolis, to join other ski, snowboard and outdoor companies in the northern Utah city of Ogden. Learn more… Teton Gravity Research ("TGR") is pleased to announce that Jon "J.K." Klaczkiewicz, who most recently supervised post-production of TGR's highly anticipated snowboard film DEEPER, has officially joined TGR as Head of Production. Read more… Spyder Active Sports, the world’s leading skiwear and mountain based apparel brand, announced the opening of a new warehouse center in Aurora, Colo. Jason White, Spyder’s warehouse manager, will oversee inventory management and facilities logistics at the new space. Learn more.
Alpine Ski Shop Golf Tournament
The inaugural Alpine Ski Shop Golf Tournament held at the 1757 Golf Club raised over $1,000 for the juvenile diabetes research fund. The tournament was held on July 13, 2010 in Ashburn VA. The tournament exceeded fundraising expectations with participation from winter sports industry professionals and loyal Alpine customers.
Support for the tournament spanned across the Mid Atlantic snow sports industry with reps and manufacturers contributing prizes. The tournament received additional support from BJ Sager distribution providing beverages and energy drinks to all participants throughout the day.
“Several of our loyal customers have children who are afflicted with juvenile diabetes and as a parent of two children myself, I wanted to help raise not just funds for the juvenile diabetes research fund but also find a way to raise awareness,” said Chris Bunch at Alpine Ski Shop.
Sponsors included: BJ Sager distribution, 686, Rossignol, Stepchild, Never Summer, Burton, Under Armour, Smith, Sunice, Flux and Monster energy drinks.
For more information contact Chris Bunch at 703.444.7845 or Chris@AlpineSkishop.com.
More news: After eighteen years at Tecnica USA, Sam Cook has taken a new position with Prince Sports as General Manager, U.S. and Canada, effective September 1, 2010. Cook has been President of the Tecnica/Blizzard division of Tecnica Group USA since 2008. Read more… Action-sports Service Provider Network (ASPN) is pleased to announce the group’s launch and new website www.ASPNnow.org, a resource specifically developed for the action-sports industry. Learn more… About a year ago Amy Austin, a Nordica Customer Service Supervisor, 
found out that her division of the Army National Guard was set for deployment for the Middle East in September of 2010. It seemed like such a long time away but that day is quickly approaching, September 11, 2010 to be exact, and as of tomorrow Amy begins her leave of absence from Nordica to organize the personal aspects of her life before deployment. Read more… The Ski Channel will unveil a slate of original ski films as part of a massive US grass roots film tour starting in mid-October. Learn more… Snowboarder Kevin Pearce and his mother Pia made a follow-up appearance on the "Today Show" this week to discuss his ongoing recovery from a devastating brain injury this past December. Read more… Ever decide not to go riding because the charlift seat was just too darn cold? Well, Utah’s Canyons resort has your backside covered with the U.S.’s first bubbled quad with a heated seat. Learn more… Skullcandy has released a new Web page called The Virtual Room that uses augmented reality technology to let you try on its new Aviator headphones, and see if you’d look as cool as Jay-Z rocking the Roc Nation collab. Learn more.
Sad news to report:
Joseph H. “Sepp” Kober, 88, of Hot Springs, VA, passed away peacefully at Bath County Community Hospital Aug 3, 2010. He was born Oct 25, 1921 in Igls, Austria.
During the better part of the past half-century Kober helped establish the Southeast as a viable and even vibrant ski market. Recently he was accepted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame for his contributions to the ski industry.
Kober was the primary builder of the Downhill Alpine Skiing Industry in the southeastern U.S. He came to the United States in 1957 to teach skiing at Stowe, Vermont and by 1959 had been hired by The Homestead, which was looking to improve business during the winter. Kober, often called the Father of Southern Skiing, launched the ski program at The Homestead and nearly two dozen other resorts in the Southeast. He was vital in the project of converting part of a golf course into a ski slope with the installation of a snowmaking system that would keep the slopes covered in a region where natural snow could not be counted on. This proved that skiing was possible in the region and guests came. Kober remained rooted at The Homestead, where he headed the snow sports program until 1998 and where the ski school still carries his name. Kober also helped launch other ski resorts across the Southeast, consulting on slope design and resort operations from 1958 through the 1970’s. In the process, he earned regional and national honors.
“I have known Sepp since the late 60’s. He was one of the most gentle individuals I have ever met. The epitome of a gentleman,” said David Ingemie, president of SIA. “He was an outstanding instructor and extremely instrumental in bringing snow sports to the Southeast. He will be greatly missed.”
Kober co-founded and served multiple terms as president of the Southeastern Ski Areas Association. He was the region’s first certified ski instructor, its first ski area director, and he was the first to teach ski area management and train professional instructors in the region. Kober was also first to organize and host USSA sanctioned races and events and promote junior racing and NASTAR below the Mason Dixon Line.
With his ambition and effortless graceful skiing style, Kober inspired the southern ski community to become what it is today. Click here to read more about Kober.
Send us your news, press releases and stories to PR@snowsports.org, SnowSports Industries America.
Please feel free to forward this message to anyone who is interested in the growth and further development of the snow sports industry, and continue to do your part. Let it Snow!
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