Archive for the ‘Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month’ Category

More than 80,000 Youth and Families Introduced to Winter Recreation in the Month of January

Wednesday, February 29th, 2012

By: Ali Kelley, Deputy Associate Director for Let’s Move Outside!
February 29, 2012

This January marked the fourth annual Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM). The month-long effort aims to get children and adults of all experience levels on the slopes for an active start to the New Year.  LSSM began in 2009 with a few select programs and has since grown to include more than 300 ski resorts in 33 states.  Throughout the month of January, these resorts provided introductory ski and snowboard lessons to more than 80,000 children and adults across the country for free or at a reduced price. 

A highlight of this year’s LSSM was an event in the rugged mountains of North Carolina.  On January 28th, more than 150 young people from Knollwood Elementary and the Whitehead Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta, GA visited Cataloochee Ski and Snowboard Resort in North Carolina’s Scenic Maggie Valley. The Southern Snow Seekers Club sponsored the event, providing the students with exciting opportunities to get active outside and learn new skills. “Our trip showcased snow sports as a fun and enjoyable way to move and stay healthy, even if there’s a chill in the air,” commented Kimberly King, SSS President.

LSSM is very popular in the Rocky Mountains.  This January, the Colorado Ski Country USA First Class program celebrated its second year, giving more than 800 5th graders across the state the chance to try skiing or snowboarding for the first time. Participating resorts provided each student with three free lift tickets and one free lesson. According to one parent, the program has “really helped us bond – it’s become our “thing.” And in a time in your kid’s life when it’s only getting harder to “hang out,” this program really brought us together as a family.”

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SIA Learns to Snowboard #LSSM

Monday, January 16th, 2012

January 16, 2012
By: SIA Staff

This past weekend, four SIA employees hit the slopes for #LSSM at Whitetail Mountain in PA. It was a beautiful day at Whitetail; clear, sunny and a crisp 25 degrees. The four boarders included Minna Casser, Anovia Daniels, Emily O’Hara and Lindsey Auer.

It’s pretty safe to say that we made everyone around us aware of our presence and excitement. We stepped out of the car and started cheering, asking strangers to take pictures, while also asking for some tips for our day.

The morning began with getting fit with the right rental equipment and making sure we rented wrist guards! It is advised for first-timers to wear wrist guards! After about an hour of filling out paper work, collecting our rental equipment, and making great friends with Whitetail employees who helped us make sure we were properly dressed; we were sweltering so we knew it was time to get outside. Lessons were on the hour so we decided that we would mess around on the convenient closed in area that we saw immediately. After a peaceful ride up the magic carpet, we laughed and tumbled on our way down. For some reason we never put two and two together that we were in the kid’s area, despite the fact that we were the oldest of the bunch.

So when we realized we weren’t in the right area it was time to hit the bunny hill for our lessons! Our instructors were so generous and made us all feel comfortable, and by the end we all felt as though we made progress from earlier in the morning when we could barely stand up. This was especially the case for Minna as she quickly turned into Shaun White and left the bunny hill for bigger and better things while everyone else kept on trying!

At Whitetail, there are different stations set up for learning. If you demonstrated a particular task at that station, you were able to move on and learn more. It was a very interesting and smart approach for lessons. Everyone progresses differently so this made it feel individualized. The afternoon consisted of falls, bruises and spending some quality time with the snowy ground. The car ride home consisted of sore legs and Chik-fil-a! Needless to say, it was a great learning experience and extremely fun. The feeling of learning a new sport is really special, leaving us excited to continue snowboarding in the future! #LSSM

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Only 12 Days left until Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month!

Monday, December 19th, 2011

Learn To Ski & Snowboard Month, January 2012

Humans Were Never Meant to Hibernate!
January 2012 is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. Ski areas and resorts in 34 states are celebrating with special offers to get children and adults out on the snow and taking lessons from a professional instructor.

A new Web site www.skiandsnowboardmonth.org provides a listing of states with locations where learning programs are taking place. The site helps those new to snow sports with practical information on getting started and also includes tips for those who want to improve.

Learn to Ski & Snowboard Month is an industry initiative organized by the National Ski Areas Association, the Professional Ski Instructors of America-American/Association of Snowboard Instructors, the National Ski Patrol, SnowSports Industries America, numerous state and regional resort associations, industry partners and the snow sports media.

Visit Learn To Ski & Snowboard Month.

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SIA Check In from David Ingemie and a Look Back at the State of the Industry

Monday, September 19th, 2011

And we’re off! Following a record-breaking 2010/2011 Season, it’s time to talk about what we all did right (including the weather) so we can continue to grow the snow sports market.

Every year since 1954, growing the sport and helping our industry remain strong is what SIA strives to do. From our cost saving Member Benefits, the Snow Show, to consumer initiatives like Snowlink.com, Winter Trails, Learn to Ski & Snowboard Month and World Snowboard Day, to exclusive Research and industry collaboration hosting meetings with sales reps, retailers, resorts, organizations, we remain focused. 

As a member-owned, non-profit trade association, we work to recognize the challenges facing the snow sports market. New this year, we’ve analyzed last season’s data presented in the SIA Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report and produced a State of the Industry video designed to help us all get a more complete picture of our marketplace and customer. Take a look, share it with your staff and use it as a tool to prompt conversations about strategic planning and projections to lead us to another successful season. Also find category videos for Alpine, Snowboard and Nordic featuring stats specific to each.

As we head off into winter, let’s remember the role we each play in the continued growth and development of snow sports. Strength and vitality are built on collaboration, innovation and the undeniable passion we all share. We, at SIA, look forward to working with you this season, seeing you at the Show, in the field or on the mountain. Don’t ever hesitate to get in touch with me at David.Ingemie@snowsports.org or contact any of the SIA Staff.

One final and important note, as we get back to the business of snow, please think of our friends in the snow sports industry who have been affected by the brutal weather on the east coast and New England and the fires out west.

With another La Niña winter just announced, here’s to a heck of a season!

David Ingemie
SIA President

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Posted in Cross Country Skiing, Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month, Nordic On-Snow Demo, RetailTRAK, SIA Snow Show, Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowlink.com, Snowshoe, Winter Trails | 1 Comment »

Learn to Ski & Snowboard Month Attracts More Than 60,000

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Kids and Families Take Advantage of Great Lesson Deals at Ski Areas Nationwide

Lakewood, CO, (March 16, 2011) – Organizers of Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM) 2011 estimate that ski areas nationwide provided more than 60,000 lessons to children and adults this January. The results are based on a preliminary survey of participating resorts and resort association partners, and represent a 100 percent increase over the 2010 effort. In addition, the initiative that seeks to get more kids and families on the slopes, generated an estimated $4 million dollars in general media coverage for snow sports. That is in addition to approximately $250,000 in gratis advertising provided by the industry trade media.

Nearly all respondents said they used a combination of existing learning programs with new elements for Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month, which is celebrated each January. Some areas provided incentives for current skiers and snowboarders to “bring a friend”. Others combined a learning package with lodging. Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine collaborated to offer a lift, lesson, rental package for free the first week in January. In Utah, Park City executed a multiple trial program that reaped a high level of repeat visits among lesson takers.

Social media tools and media outreach were the prominent methods used to promote programs. The Head Ski Company offered a financial contribution dedicated toward producing several hundred promotional posters that were on display at ski areas nationwide.

“The beauty of this program is its flexibility,” said LSSM director Mary Jo Tarallo. “We provide the tools so the partners can be as creative as possible in crafting programs that suit their needs. All we ask is that they present a viable learning program during January.” 

Local and regional promotional efforts are backed up by national PR outreach and a website set up to drive traffic to learning programs. The website also provides content that helps children and adults get involved in skiing and/or snowboarding and help participants become more proficient.  Find more information online at skiandsnowboardmonth.org

Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month is an industry initiative organized by numerous state and regional resort associations, the Professional Ski Instructors of America-American Association of Snowboard Instructors, SnowSports Industries America, the National Ski Patrol, the National Ski Areas Association and the snow sports media.

A Snow Sports Industry Initiative/skiandsnowboardmonth.org

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