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Published: Wed May 14, 2008 2:00 AM MDT

McLean, VA (May 8, 2008) — The snow sports products market grew by $280 million to reach $2.97 billion for the 2007.08 season, up from approximately $2.69 billion in all channels last season. Equipment sales were relatively flat in specialty shops and chain stores but increased by more than $40 million in online sales. Apparel sales increased by more than $100 million with snowboard tops and parkas selling very well in all channels. Kurt Widen, KJUS USA COO says, The US market is challenging especially in these difficult economic times. However, snowfall is a great equalizer in our market, and early snowfall in the 07/08 ski season helped jump start sales in our segment. This along with strong sell through and continued growth in awareness of our relatively young brand positioned us well for the 08/09 order season where we saw a 27% increase over last year.

Healthy sales of helmets, goggles and snowshoes led increases in accessories sales that grew by $64 million this season in specialty shops and online. Its hard to imagine a better season in the accessories business. We sold out of helmets and our goggle supply was similarly tight thanks to a season where every region had record snowfall and every resort was open, states Blair Clark, SMITH Optics, Sr. VP, Marketing and Sales.

Chain store sales were not measured in 2006.07, however, in the 2005.06 season, total chain sales reached $537 million and this season they increased to $616 million. Trending was used to estimate total chain store sales at $578 million for the 2006.07 season.

2007.08 Seasons Trends

Twin Tips
Twin Tip skis sold well in every channel and more than 75,000 new pairs were sold this season. The most popular place to buy a new twin tip ski was in a specialty shop where the average price was $355.63. Almost 30,000 clicked online to buy their twin tips between August and March this season where the average price was slightly lower at $304.51 and online customers and specialty shop customers probably paid about the same amount for their twin tips once shipping costs were added into the online price. Fewer skiers purchased their twin tips in chain stores; just 6,300 were sold in that channel this season. Twin tips do not sell well as integrated systems; more than 95 percent are sold as flat skis with bindings sold separately.

Cross Country Equipment
This seasons heavy snowfall created excellent conditions for cross country skiing as reflected by the 26% increase in cross country equipment unit sales. In fact, Nordic skiers purchased more than 114,000 new pairs of skis, 135,000 pairs of boots, and 107,000 cross country bindings this season.

Helmets
934,000 skulls have new protection this season as helmets sales reached record levels. Specialty shops sold about three quarters of all helmets purchased throughout the snow sports market this season at an average price of $81.68. Online customers paid an average of $70.47 for their new helmet and chain stores sold helmets at an average price of just $67.64 but fewer than 20% of the helmets were purchased there.

Snowboard Tops
In apparel, snowboard tops led the charge with more than $173 million in sales representing a 12% increase in dollars sold in the specialty channel and more than 142% gain in dollars sold in the Internet channel. However, specialty shops are still the place to shop, just 14.5% of all snowboard tops sold were sold online this season.

Snowshoes
The weather conditions were right across the country for snowshoeing this season and many headed outside wearing new snowshoes. Snowshoe sales topped 200,000 pairs this season, a 20 percent gain in units sold.

Sales by Channel

Specialty
The Specialty channel was the largest sales channel with $1.86 billion in sales, 60% of industry total. Apparel sales in specialty shops increased by more than 6% this season with snowboard apparel leading the way. Accessories sales increased by more than 7% as heavy snow drove helmet and snowshoe sales up significantly. Equipment sales in specialty shops were relatively flat this season but twin tip skis and cross country ski equipment flourished.

Internet
Sales in the Internet channel grew 75% in dollars this season. The Internet channel totals include sales made by companies that have no brick and mortar locations as well as the online sales made by specialty shops that sell on their shops websites and record those sales separately from in-store sales. The dramatic growth in this channel represents more accurate measurement of these sales as well as the changing behavior of consumers and of retailers. Many Internet-only shops have their roots in catalog sales. These clicks-only shops formerly sold products by catalog (phone and mail order) before the Internet made catalog shopping even more convenient for shoppers who cannot, or will not come into a shop to buy products.

If there is one category in this high growth channel to highlight, it is equipment. While apparel and accessories sales grew by more than 40% each, equipment sales increased by more than 75% in dollars. Sales of alpine skis were exceptionally strong with 121% growth in units sold, thats more than 111,000 pairs of skis sold online. Flat skis, particularly twin tips sold well online with 138% growth in dollars sold. Adult bindings sales increased by 155% in dollars, and sales of boots did equally well with more than 75,000 units sold. Apparel sales increased by 37% in units led by parkas and snowboard apparel. Accessories sales also increased dramatically in this channel to $120 million.

Chain Stores
The Chain stores sold $616 million in snow sports equipment, apparel and accessories. End of season data on the top lines is compared to 2005.06 season data because SIA did not measure sales in chain during the 2006.07 season. Using simple trend lines, we can now estimate sales in this channel for 2006.07 at $519 million. Equipment sales were flat at $150 million this season but there were some notable exceptions; juniors skis, poles, and boots sales, carry-over skis, boots, and bindings, cross country equipment, and randonee/AT equipment sold well in the chain stores. Apparel sales were up 16% in dollars over sales during the 2005.06 season, and accessories sales increased by 23% in dollars over the past two seasons.

SnowSports Industries America (SIA) is a not-for-profit trade association whereby competing on-snow product suppliers magnify their power, by working together, for the development of the on-snow sports industry. For more information, check out www.snowsports.org.

Published: Fri Apr 11, 2008 2:00 AM MDT

Updated: Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:23 AM MDT

The Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC) is looking for a multi-talented Community Development Coach to join its staff in Aroostook County Maine. The candidate will be responsible for creating and implementing introductory and development ski programs to participants at all ages, but focused primarily on youth and junior community and race programs. In addition, this coach will share direct responsibility for community outreach and ski club building in remote communities around Aroostook County. These grassroots community outreach efforts may include meetings, speaking engagements, trail building, ski park design, community races and events, learn to ski clinics, learn to shoot clinics and on-snow school visits. The candidate will need to develop biathlon skills in order to run learn to shoot programs with live ammunition rifles as well as with laser rifles. Candidate will need to play a supportive role in MWSC XC and Biathlon training sessions designed primarily for youth and juniors, including biathlon range support. Candidate will have some travel responsibilities, including coordinating and transporting athletes to events and camps. Candidate will be expected to create strong relationships with local and regional coaches, Community Ski Clubs, municipal recreation directors, and the organizing committees of our two World Class Nordic/Biathlon Venues. The MWSC Community Development Coach will manage the deployment of the Healthy Hometown Ski Trailers to communities and events to provide ski equipment and instruction to people of all ages. Skilled and effective communication, creativity, initiative, self-direction, as well as inspired leadership are all critical pre-requisites for the position of MWSC Community Development Coach. A four-year college degree, experience as a coach and Nordic skier are requirements for the position. All MWSC Coaches will be involved in the initiation and implementation of other programs and events and other duties that will advance the MWSC toward its mission. Responsibilities can be negotiated depending on experience. Female coaches are strongly encouraged to apply.

This position is a full-time position to begin on June 1, 2008. Applicants should send a short cover letter and resume with three professional references to eileen@mainewsc.org or to Eileen Carey, Program Coordinator, Maine Winter Sports Center, 552 Main St, Caribou, ME 04736

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Published: Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:00 AM MDT

PARK CITY, Utah (March 20) - Olympian John Farra has been named as the new Nordic director for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA). USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt announced Farra's appointment to head the organization's sport programs for cross country, Nordic combined and ski jumping. He will replace Luke Bodensteiner who was recently named as associate athletic director for high performance.

“John brings enthusiasm, excitement and a strong background in Nordic sport at all levels,” said Marolt. “We have made great strides with our Nordic programs in the last decade in bringing our community together nationwide and starting to produce top international results. He will be a great leader to continue those efforts on behalf of our U.S. Nordic athletes.”

“I am thrilled to be back at the USSA at such an exciting time,” said Farra. “Luke and the coaching staff have been running world class professional programs that are creating impressive opportunities for athletes. They are rising to the occasion en route to the 2010 Olympics. And USSA clubs are doing their part to prepare their skiers for high-level competition. It is a splendid time to be a U.S. Nordic fan.”

Farra's background touches on all aspects of athletic participation and sport management. The former U.S. champion was a 1992 Olympic cross country skier and member of the U.S. Ski Team from 1990-93, and was a 1991 NCAA All American at the University of Utah. He graduated from Utah in 1995 and moved into a coaching role. He then served six years in leadership roles at the National Sports Academy in Lake Placid.

Since 2002 Farra has worked for the Maine Winter Sports Center, a non-profit economic development corporation based around skiing as a healthy lifestyle, where he served as vice president. His work there included significant development in cross country and biathlon venues in Fort Kent and Presque Isle, as well as other areas. He was responsible for tremendous growth in the organization using the promotion of skiing as a healthy lifestyle activity, especially its Healthy Hometowns program.

His position with USSA will be diverse, overseeing pipeline programs in clubs and regions around the country in cross country, Nordic combined and ski jumping. He will also be responsible for management of elite national teams.

The U.S. Ski Team has begun to make headway internationally. Nordic combined skier Bill Demong won a World Championship silver last year and was third in the World Cup standings this season, a new U.S. mark. Cross country sprinters Kikkan Randall (Anchorage), Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, VT), and Torin Koos (Leavenworth, WA) have been on World Cup podiums, with Randall taking a win this year. And ski jumpers Jessica Jerome (Park City, UT) and Lindsey Van (Park City, UT) are consistently challenging for podiums on the Continental Cup.

“I am genuinely inspired to put my energy and skill to work for today's tremendous U.S. Ski Team athletes and for all those who aspire to join them,” said Farra.

“John brings a deep history with all of our nordic sports, and an expansive skill set developed as an athlete, coach, race official, facility operator and sport administrator,” said Bodensteiner, who has worked with USSA's Nordic programs since 1996. “He's a strong and dynamic leader, an excellent communicator, and he has the international credibility he needs to be effective in the job from day one.

“I will be deeply involved with the transition, and I think this will be nothing but positive for the Nordic community,” Bodensteiner added. “There are still plenty of areas within nordic that we want to build out and improve, and John has the proven ability to build highly effective programs.”

He will join the USSA staff in April and will be an active leader in the organization's annual Athletic Summit planning process and USSA Congress in May. Farra, along with his wife Tess and two children, will move to Park City this spring.

Source: USSA

Published: Thu Jan 31, 2008 2:00 AM MST

For the fourth consecutive year the SuperTour comes to the streets of Madison, WI and will bring crowds of spectators to celebrate elite cross country ski racing. The Madison SuperTour is an integral part of the Madison Winter Festival (formerly Capitol Square Sprints) which brings over 900 participants and 10,000 spectators every year.

We built Madison Winter Festival around the SuperTour races and will have a fantastic event this year. Snow and ice sculpting, sledding hill, Extreme Park for snowboarders and skiers, winter theme museum tours and many other events are scheduled in a way that winter lovers and families can participate in the wide variety of events and witness breathtaking elite SuperTour races, commented Joe Cline, Vice President of the Madison Winter Festival.

This years race course will maximize the use of the streets and terrain around the State Capitol Building by having the stadium, with start and finish area, in the lowest part of the Capitol Square (on Wisconsin Avenue right by the Madison Concourse Hotel Event Headquarters) and going around the highest point (on Martin Luther King Boulevard near by Park Bank). The total length of the race course will be 1,000 meters.

The SuperTour races brought the most spectators in the past. This year we will supplement exciting competitions with fun events for spectators such as SuperTour Mega Raffle and SuperTour Fan Club Contest. With the support of the ski industry we are introducing SuperTour Mega Raffle, where during every SuperTour final round and lap there will be raffle of top of the line items like skis, boots, poles and other equipment, as well as other items. SuperTour Fan Club Contest will provide an opportunity for everyone to cheer on the SuperTour athletes in a unique and organized form stated Yuriy Gusev, Event Director of the Madison Winter Festival.

Madison SuperTour Schedule
2:30 p.m., Saturday, February 2nd, 2008 Pisten Bulley Team Sprint
7:30 p.m., Saturday, February 2nd, 2008 Salomon US100 World Record Attempt
1:00p.m., Sunday, February 3rd, 2008 UW Health Sprint (final rounds)

***
The SuperTour is 23 days of international cross country ski racing with over $120,000 in prize money, from late November to April, across the United States which has been recognized by the International Ski Federation. Men's and Women's champions will be given automatic start rights for all World Cup races after March 1.

For more information about Madison Winter Festival please visit www.winter-fest.com

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If you’re trying to choose between an elliptical trainer and another piece of exercise equipment like a treadmill or an exercise bike, one of the most popular questions is

‘How many calories can I burn with an elliptical trainer?’

You want to get the most bang for your exercise buck - that’s understandable. Here are some calories burned estimates for elliptical workouts - and 4 tips to burn more calories with your elliptical trainer!

General Estimates of Calories Burned with An Elliptical Trainer:

• 150 pound woman, 30 minutes of elliptical exercise: 387 calories
• 180 pound man, 30 minutes of elliptical exercise: 464 - 500 calories
• 120 pound woman, 30 minutes of elliptical exercise: 310 calories

General Estimates of Calories Burned (According To Elliptical Manufacturers)

• Elliptical manufacturers claim you can burn up to 720 calories an hour with an elliptical workout.

Factors that dictate how many calories you burn include:

• Workout Duration
• Interval Training
• Elliptical Tension Settings
• Body Composition (Muscle to Fat Ratio)
• State of Cardiovascular system (regular exerciser or new to exercise)
• Weight
• Sex
• Upper Body Arm Usage

And for those of you who want to burn the maximum amount of calories on your elliptical machine, here are 4 tips to increase your calorie burn:

• Build in Intervals

Most elliptical trainers offer incline and or tension that you can increase or decrease while workout out. Try building in 30 second incline intervals every couple of minutes to your workout.

This will not only push your body further and burn more calories during your workout - but it can also elevate your calorie burn for up to 24 hours after your workout.

• Use Upper Body Arms

Many ellipticals offer you upper body arm bars that you can use to build your arms muscles into your workout. More muscles worked = more calories burned. If there are no upper body arms, grab a couple of 2 - 5 pounds handweights and swing your arms while striding.

• Take Advantage of the Forward and Backward Directions

Using more muscles (and ones you may not have used before) also increases your calories burned, even after your workout. So take advantage of the fact that most ellipticals allow you to go forward and backward. Switch up your routine every few minutes to rev your calorie burn.

• Break up your Workout

Experts are now telling us that 2 mini-workouts may even be better than 1 long workout as far as fat burned. Why

Any exercise will temporarily rev up your metabolism - so if you can do 15 - 20 minutes in the morning, and 15 - 20 minutes in the afternoon, your metabolism will stay charged up for a longer time. (If you can’t do this, don’t worry - remember that a 30 minute workout will still burn more calories than a 15 minute workout!)

So these are some tips to skyrocket your calories burned on your elliptical. Remember however that the best workout is one you enjoy - since it increases the likelihood that you’ll want to do it again!

Kathryn O’Neill is chief editor for Elliptical Review offering unbiased elliptical trainer reviews, best buys & tips. Read the rest of this entry »

Published: Wed Oct 31, 2007 2:00 AM MDT

Updated: Wed Oct 31, 2007 8:27 PM MDT

November 24 - December 2, 2007

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary

Join the Fun!

Saturday, November 24

10:00am -2:00pm Manufacturer sponsored Demo & Ski Free at Sovereign Lake Nordic Center Come out and try a full range of the newest and greatest equipment. Skis, Boots and Poles for all skill levels will be available. (contact the Lodge at 558-3036 or info@sovereignlake.com)

5:00pm 9:00pm National Ski Team Banquet/Auction at Silver Star Club Resort, Cost $40.00/seat (contact Silver Star Club Resort 549-5191 - Clara)

Sunday, November 25

10:00am 2:00pm Manufacturer sponsored Demo at Silver Star Mountain Resort / Tube Town Adventure Park. Come out and try a full range of the newest and greatest equipment.

9:00- 11:30am Race starts @ 10:00am I beat you can do it Loppet 7.5 kms or 15 kms registration race day at Tube Town sponsored by Rossignol

9:30am Kids race at around the pond sponsored by Rossignol registration race day at Tube Town

Monday, November 26

Free night relax and enjoy what the resort has to offer!

Tuesday, November 27

7:00- 8:30pm - Peak Performance Mental Coaching Seminar with Dirk Stroda (contact stroda@shaw.ca / 1.250.317.3022) Learn h ow his “Leading Athletes to Greatness and True Success” Program is helping and inspiring Olympic athletes…

Wednesday, November 28

5pm to 8pm Lantern ski at Sovereign Lake Nordic Center - Come out and enjoy and early season evening on the trails with lanterns to light your way and hot chocolate to keep you warm.

7:30pm Swix Wax Clinic at Silver Star Mountain Resort National Altitude Training Center presented by Phil Villenueve of x-c.com @ prville@telus.net

Thursday, November 29

9:00-11:00am Ladies Day sponsored by SWIX contact Phil Villenueve @ prville@telus.net

7:00-7:45pm Training and your immune system National Altitude Training Center- a Natural Health and Sports Medicine presentation by Dr. Chris Spooner

7:45pm 9:00pm Ski Expo National Altitude Training Center- Meet Canadian National Ski Team, X-C.com, indi 2010, Silver Star Race Team media open for interviews.

Friday, November 30

Odin Gallery Art Show

Kal and Maria Molnar from Gallery Odin at 215 Odin Road, invites the participants of the Nordic Festival to their special Open House to view an all British Columbian Art Show, mostly from the Okanagan Valley, on Friday November 30th from 4:00pm to 10:00 pm. Refreshments and finger foods will be offered.

Saturday, December 1 Nor Am Race at Sovereign Lake www.sovereignlake.com

Sunday, December 2 Nor Am Race at Sovereign Lake www.sovereignlake.com

*For more info and exhibitor booth reservations at Silver Star Mountain Resort please contact:

Glenn Bond, Nordic Manager, Silver Star Mountain Resort, (250) 558-6085 gbond@skisilverstar.com

* For more info and exhibitor booth reservations at Sovereign Lake please contact: Scott Lemon , Club Manager, Sovereign Lake Nordic Club, (250) 558-3036 scott@sovereignlake.com

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