©Carolyn O’Connor/Sierra Sun

The World’s First Snowdance (cross-cultural) in Lake Tahoe (CA) that saved the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics, was led by the Reno Sparks Indian Colony. After their descendents were honored at the Olympic Heritage event this January 15, they were inspired to perform a snowdance that saved Tahoe and Mammoth’s drought with five feet of snow. Heavenly and Mammoth’s Native Ski programs also helped.

According to ABC, 2012 was the driest U.S. winter in 130 years. It could have been a catastrophe but for the Snowdance Phenomena that swept the West, led by Native American Elders united with mountain communities. Thanks to coverage by the Wall Street Journal, front page Washington Post, AP and local TV, it helped many more experience that Mother Earth is a sensitive, compassionate being, which was officially recognized by the UN’s 192 countries in 2009 through its International Mother Earth Day on April 22.

Since world scientists expect more droughts, the UN’s Sustainability Division encouraged our Native American Olympic Team Foundation to spread this Snowdance story to inspire communities worldwide to live in more harmony with Nature.  Thanks to SIA President, David Ingemie connecting us to ski leaders globally, resorts across the U.S., Canada, South America, New Zealand, China, and Europe, especially Austria, Italy, Switzerland and Russia, we’re glad to share their spiritual and practical snow secrets for the greater good. In so doing we were surprised to learn that Utah and Vancouver were not the only Games saved by North American tribes, the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics was first. We also learned why Sochi Russia likely won’t need a snowdance.

This 50 year partnership between Native American Elders and ski areas has also become a model for June’s pivotal RIO+20 Earth Summit, since the consensus of UN’s “Harmony with Nature” Interactive Dialogue connected with the International Mother Earth day was: Science united with Ancient Wisdom is key to regenerating Mother Earth.

Then adding the breakthroughs of May’s NSAA “Golden Eagle Eco Award winners:” Maine’s Mt Abrams, Washington’s Steven’s Pass and Aspen – all tribal connected – we are presenting the best solutions of the Snow Sports World, along with the Elders’ recommendations for RIO+20 to consider and with the grace of God act on with a timetable. What they do or don’t do at this June 20-22 Earth Summit will affect the longevity of snow sports since our planet is transitioning to a warmer climate.

See why the Indigenous Elders of many countries say it is more important than ever to take a moment to thank Mother Earth for the snow blessings NOW, since the snow melt is critical for our water and food supply and fire prevention, and for lovingly nurturing us for eons, despite the horrific mistakes we have made here at Earth School.

This year the tribes say Mother Earth is uniquely cleaning house, so it is critical to boldly act NOW. Bless the tribal Elders, shamen, mystics, and young geniuses, and as you will see, billions of you, especially on Mother Earth’s Day, for helping transform 2012, “this Mother of All Years,” into a radiant new era.

While our “Snowdance Phenomena” documentary will air soon on US and world TV, thanks to glowing feedback by ski area owners like Ellen Purcell of Portillo Chile, on our pictorial script and research, here it is in print via this PDF: UNThankYouMotherEarthSnowdancePhenom You may also find a 30 second youtube documentation of Vail’s snowdance phenomena HERE.

Together we are helping our beloved Snow Sports go on!

No matter what day, time or season the questions never stop coming for sales people at snow sports retailers.

“I want to buy my daughter her first snowboard. What should I be looking for?”
“I heard about these new ski boots. Will they work for me?”
“I want to upgrade my bindings? What do you suggest?”

Specialty retailers often hire sales people who are enthusiastic about the sports the shop specializes in to address just these kinds of queries. At times, those “stoked” employees may not be accurately informing customers about apparel and equipment choices.

“I tell our employees to never BS a customer. That’s the worst thing that can happen. You will be caught quickly and lose all credibility,” says Jonathon Southworth, owner, Adams Ski & Snowboard, Dayton OH.

Since product knowledge is the lifeblood of a snow sports retailer’s credibility, storeowners place great emphasis on training sales people. Kim Pearson, co-owner Bill & Paul’s Sporthaus, Grand Rapids MI, believes the training begins during the job applicant’s interview. “Our hiring process is one of the most important parts of the success of our training program,” Pearson says, “part of the hiring process is determining “trainability” of that person. If somebody tells us they know everything they may not be the best candidate for us. Customers don’t like know-it-alls.”

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Washington, DC (May 16, 2012) – Today, SnowSports Industries America (SIA) and The Leisure Trends Group released the most recent RetailTRAK™ numbers for March 2012, collected from the Point of Sale systems of more than 1,200 snow sports retailers. The snow sports market brought in $3.4B during the 2011/2012 season, $135M less than last season.

This season started strong with plenty of momentum leftover from the record-breaking 2010/2011 season and the promise of another epic winter of La Niña snow, but the repeat never materialized. In fact, the 2011/2012 season may go down as one of the worst on record. December brought sparse snow across the country and the conditions didn’t improve until the third week of January. The lack of snow put a significant dent in sales and in snow sports participation; the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced that skier/riders visits were down 17% across U.S. snow sports resorts this season to 51M skiers and riders on the slopes. Resorts brought in fewer visitors and less revenue and visitors bought less equipment, apparel and accessories in the snow sports market.

Source: SIA RetailTRAK™ produced by The Leisure Trends Group, Carryover not included.

Snow sports unit sales declined 12% overall this season, including a 17% decrease in units sold through chain stores and a 14% decrease in specialty shops. However, Internet sales did rather well, and increased 10% this year driven by late season equipment and accessories sales. This may indicate that many retailers are using commerce enabled websites to move product when in-shop sales have slowed. Excluding carryover, online unit sales increased 15% through February and March this season, compared to February and March 2010/2011.

End of season inventory levels are having a significant impact on sell-in for next season. Retailers were not able to sell through the gear they purchased from suppliers this season, which drove up costs and reduced cash flow used to purchase product for the 2012/2013 season. At season’s end there were 30% more units in specialty inventories overall. In fact, snow sports specialty retailers ended this season with 41% more equipment units, 46% more apparel units and 27% more accessories units sitting in inventory than at the end of the 2010/2011 season. Suppliers are reporting significant declines in sell-in for next season as retailers struggled to move this season’s gear and manage the costs of carrying unexpected inventory that will surely result in lower margins and fewer profits until the snow begins falling in the 2012/2013 season.

Topline/category retail sales data for the snow sports market is available as a member benefit to all SIA members. In addition, you gain free access to topline data for the Running, Outdoor and Paddle Sports when you register. The topline data is accessible on a 24/7/365 basis on the Leisure Trends Cross-Industry RetailTRAK™ data portal. Non-SIA members may subscribe to the topline portal for just $375 per year. To sign up for topline data click HERE.

The market data presented in this report comes from the Snow Sports RetailTRAK™ produced for SIA by the Leisure Trends Group. The Leisure Trends Group gathers RetailTRAK™ data directly from the Point of Sale systems of more than 1,200 snow sports retailers. For more information about snow sports retail sales information and other SIA Research products including the Snow Sports Participation Study, Revisiting Growing the Snow Sports Industry, the State of the Market, Model for Success, and much more, please contact Kelly Davis, SIA’s Director of Research at KDavis@snowsports.org.

Tips By Merchandising Guru Ali Levy,

This photo was taken by my friend Ali, who has an affinity for surprising and inventive displays.  She snapped this beauty at an outdoor shop in Zurich, Switzerland and was kind enough to share it with me.

I’ve seen walls of fame in before – but this takes that concept to a whole new level…or two!   If you find yourself with some empty wall space, or struggling for a window display idea, why not take a cue from this store – you can ask employees and customers to share some of their favorite adventures or scour thrift shops for vintage postcards.  It’s a wonderful way to stop traffic and start a conversation about your last great ski trip!

Also – on Thursday May 24th at 10:00 p.m. EST on CNBC will feature J.CREW AND THE MAN WHO DRESSED AMERICA – focusing on J.Crew CEO Mickey Drexler (in photo above) and how he turned the brand into a billion dollar success story by, amongst other things,  trusting his intuition and understanding what his customers want.

You can click on the following link for more information about the upcoming episode.  http://broadwayworld.com/admin/insidejcrew.cnbc.com

For more information about Ali and her company, contact her at alijlevy@gmail.com or visit her website, www.alijlevy.com.

As we all know the winter of 2011-12 will go down as one of the least memorable in the last 20 years based on the SIA RetailTRAK Numbers and the NSAA Skier Day numbers just announced at their annual meeting. People bought less apparel and gear and purchased fewer lift tickets.

Here at our house we did buck the trend when it came to outfitting the family; two of us got new ski boots, everyone got new outfits (tops and bottoms) plus there were some goggles and gloves in the mix as well.

As for getting out on the hill, I got to more resorts in Colorado than I might usually have but had no out-of-state trips this winter. I had good days in Aspen, Breckenridge, Winter Park, Steamboat and Vail for work trips and additionally with the family to Keystone, Eldora and back to Winter Park plus Steamboat for Presidents Weekend. We missed the big dump by a day; they hadn’t had snow in over two weeks and then got over two feet the afternoon/night we left. Oh well guess that’s the way the winter went.

We got out on the hill about 7 days less than usual this season; when it’s in the 70’s on the Front Range of Colorado it’s really hard to get a 6 and 9 year old in the car to drive up I-70 when their friends want to ride bikes or go play at the park.

With all that said though when we got out on the slopes it was great. The members and shops I visited all had as good an attitude as you could; yes there is inventory on the racks and orders are off for next season. Shops were saying “well it will be a shorter mud season and summer will start that much sooner”.

The winter of 2011-12 is behind us, summers’ around the corner and before you know it, it will be snowing in the High Country.

Industry shakes off poor snow year and looks ahead to 2013 

San Antonio, TX (May 9, 2012) — Earlier today, SnowSports Industries America (SIA) announced to their Board of Directors the 2013 SIA Snow Show (Jan 31-Feb 3, 2013) had officially reached “sold-out” status for exhibitor booth space at the Colorado Convention Center. The announcement came during SIA’s annual spring Board of Directors meeting, being held this week in-conjunction with the NSAA (National Ski Areas Association) National Convention & Trade Show in San Antonio, Texas. Although Snow Show exhibitor booth space is currently sold-out, SIA will maintain a waiting list for interested companies.

SIA’s Board of Directors also voted to not increase booth space fees for the 2013 SIA Snow Show, which represents seven years of booth fees remaining the same.

“After this season’s less than stellar snowfall, it’s encouraging to see our industry continue to stay positive and look to the future. Selling out booth space this far in advance certainly speaks to the relevance of the Snow Show and its importance to the entire snow sports community,” commented SIA’s Chair, Tim Petrick.

The 2013 SIA Snow Show is scheduled for January 31-February 3, 2013 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver and expects to draw thousands of attendees including suppliers, retailers, reps, athletes and professionals from the snow sports industry. SIA’s On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride Fest will follow the Snow Show at Winter Park Resort and Devil’s Thumb Ranch from February 4-5, 2013.

“The great thing about the SIA Snow Show is that you get to see entire lines as well as browse for things that may fill gaps. Comparing sales statistics and products regionally is great, but it’s even better to hear what people on the other side of the Mississippi are saying. I feel by going to Denver you get a true sense of the over-all industry vibe,” commented Breg Culver, owner of Sliders Snowboard Shop based in Colden, NY.

The SIA Snow Show consistently provides the most authentic and relevant show experience for the snow sports industry. In fact, 94% of exhibitors and 96% of retailers surveyed this year met their objectives at the SIA Show. The SIA Show floor presented 96% of the supplier snow sports market share with 80.7% of the industry’s retail buying power (a 3% increase over 2011) in attendance to see the latest in snow. The 2012 Show included 334,640 net square feet, 470 exhibitors, 927 brands as well as over 1,000 television, radio, newspaper and online journalists covering the new products, events, appearances, concerts and parties that happen only during the SIA Snow Show.

“The SIA Snow Show is a resounding success for our company; it’s the perfect blend of business, fun, and snowboarding.  The positive vibe that emanated from this year’s Show has come around full circle with SIA selling out this early,” added Dan Sullivan, Director of Sales, Rome Snowboards.

“The Snow Show is really the only place where all the companies bring together their infrastructure for the industry to meet and discuss pending issues, future ideas, problems, solutions, etc,” said Andrew Shaw, rep for Marker Volkl USA, Baffin Polar Proven, Bern Unlimited, Seirus Innovations, Superfeet, and Under Armour.

During the two-days of the On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride Fest, snow sports retailers and media test out gear and accessories previewed at the Show including ski, snowboard, Nordic, AT, and backcountry products while other attendees get time on the slopes/trails and hang with industry friends. The Demo is hosted in-conjunction with the Western Winter Sports Reps Association’s (WWSRA) Rocky Mountain Demo and in partnership with Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA).

For updates on events, seminars and general information regarding next year’s Snow Show and On-Snow Demo, please visit siasnowshow.com. And for 24/7 updates on fashion, industry news and SIA year-round member programs, visit the SIA Social Dashboard and stay connected with SIA’s Facebook page, Twitter feeds (#SIA13), photos and videos.

– SIA –

SnowSports Industries America (SIA) is the national not-for-profit, North American member-owned, trade association representing suppliers and service providers of snow sports products with constituents in the retailer, rep and resort communities. 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, SnowSports RetailTRAKTM and Executive Market Summary. SIA helps grow the industry with consumer initiatives and websites, snowlink.com and wintertrails.org, marketing products, services and programs helping our Members operate more efficiently, bring their products to market and increase participation in snow sports. Subaru is the official vehicle of SnowSports Industries America (SIA), the 2013 SIA Snow Show and On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride Fest and Winter Trails. For more information, check out snowsports.org. SnowSports Industries America, 8377-B Greensboro Drive, McLean, VA 22102-3587 (Washington, DC area). Phone: 703.556.9020, Fax: 703.821.8276, Email: SIAmail@snowsports.org.

Thursday night Sessions’ President was honored to represent the action sports world among Silicon Valley CEOs and big wigs. Sessions’ president Cindi Ferreira Busenhart was recognized by sj bizjournal on their list of “100 new names, women in high-level positions affecting change in their industries and their communities”. San Jose Business Journal noted Silicon Valley as an especially difficult climate for women leaders in executive roles and we are proud that Cindi made the list.

Honorees enjoyed a great night at The Fairmont hotel, filled with amazing women and each telling the best piece of advice ever received, some deep, some funny. Cindi quoted her mom, “get up, brush yourself off, and try it again”. In addition to making awesome outerwear, Cindi and Sessions were recognized for work with nonprofit organizations like the Tim Brauch Memorial Fund, Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, Tannery Arts Center, and SnowSports Industries of America, each telling the best piece of advice ever received, some deep, some funny. Cindi quoted her mom, “get up, brush yourself off, and try it again”. In addition to making awesome outerwear, Cindi and Sessions were recognized for work with nonprofit organizations like the Tim Brauch Memorial Fund, Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, Tannery Arts Center, and SnowSports Industries of America.

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Where We Are

As seen in the February 2012 issue of FREESKIER.
Words: Ryan Dunfee — Photo: Chris O’Connell

Skiing is having another identity crisis. We’re headed back to the Olympics after shucking their narrow idea of what skiing could be, and we’re still just a little bit insecure with our standing as an “action sport,” up there with the relatively unified counterculture perception of snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing. While skiing’s history of convention and establishment have kept us from being as successful in exuding a rebellious image—something we’ve lamented off and on since freeskiing’s informal birth in 1997—it may be time to recognize that skiing stands on its own two feet for a different set of reasons. There, doesn’t that feel better already?

In the 35,000-foot cultural view, skiing has generally represented the establishment and the conventional way of doing things. Thankfully, for those of us who actually ski, we’ve been blessed with a host of heroes in the past 40 years who have redefined the parameters of the ski experience. Skiers like Wayne Wong introduced hot-dogging in the early 1970s, which for the first time in skiing’s history emphasized style over speed. In the late ‘80s, a formerly jailed car thief, Glen Plake, who was introduced as a “Mohican terrorist” in Greg Stump’s timeless Blizzard of Aahhhs, went to Chamonix with Mike Hattrup and Scot Schmidt. They then billy-goated down every crevassed-out couloir they could find and introduced extreme skiing to the world. Ten years later, at the awards ceremony of the first U.S. Freeskiing Open at Vail, JP Auclair held up the first pair of yellow Salomon 1080s and freeskiing had its first vessel for creativity. A few weeks later, Jonny Moseley won the Nagano Olympic mogul competition with an immaculate 360 mute grab, left pole poked high into the air, and redefined for a worldwide audience what skiing could be. And that was when the story was supposed to be about snowboarding’s first Olympic halfpipe contest only a few venues over.

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The sideways backcountry revolution is having another breakout and it’s all the rage, especially as we enter the spring touring season.  The term splitboarding is thrown around in lift lines and lodges all across the globe these days and the marketplace is packed with lots to choose from with a host of board, binding and even boot choices.  Next year you’ll see women’s specific splits in the shops as well.  You can probably thank Jeremy Jones for the current revival in the split scene as his first movie Deeper really helped to open the eyes of many.  Now the marketplace is really maturing for this category while these sideways people are finding their way into the skin tracks and stashes that have typically been owned by their AT and Tele friends.

For the second year in a row Mount Baker was host to a splitboarding demo/festival/party for consumers.  When I say Mount Baker, that’s where the touring took place.  The actual demo was run out of the parking lot, bar and pool tables at the Chair 9 restaurant in the town of Glacier.  About 150 – 200 people cycled through the scene over the course of the weekend and the good people from Jones, Arbor, Voile, G3, Karakoram, Prior, Venture, K2 and Mervin turned screws, trimmed skins and stoked people out long into the night on Saturday.  Conditions were pretty much ideal with Mount Baker getting 260” in the month of March and now blue bird conditions prevailed for the weekend.

The good news for retailers is that this category can be sold at or close to full price long after the peak holiday season as the best touring really doesn’t start to happen until mid-winter to spring.  This should even help the early season sales for splitboards and backcountry accessories for next season, because sometimes Mother Nature shows up ahead of schedule and delivers the goods before the ski areas are even open.  This past season the Northwest was fortunate enough to be blessed with another La Nina.  That’s fine, but let’s hope Mother Nature spreads her love around a bit more next season.

It’s finally happening. The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, and things are starting to feel like summer. That’s what you want, right? Wrong. We know how you feel—that freak out when you realize you aren’t going to be able to shred for another half a year. Well before you go into a serious panic, check out these five places to get your summer shred fix.

1. High Cascade Snowboard Camp

Don’t get it twisted; High Cascade is the only 100 percent summer snowboard camp out there. Located at the base of Mt.Hood, in Government Camp, Oregon, High Cascade is a snowboarder’s dreamland. On hill there’s a private rope tow for their 22 foot Superpipe, a private rope tow for their main park that’s filled with just about any feature you could possibly dream of, as well as a lift serviced lap park. You really can’t go wrong with High Cascade.

New for this year is the inclusion of The Streets into their main park. You know The Streets at Seven Springs? Well this summer the good folks at Forum decided to bring their baby across the good ol’ US of A and park it at High Cascade. We have a feeling it’s going to get heavy in The Streets.

Every session at High Cascade had a different Signature Session featuring some of the top pros, including: Bode Merrill, Pat Moore, Hana Beaman, Scott Stevens, Chris Grenier, Eero Ettala, and many, many more.

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