What's Your Snow Sports IQ?

MCLEAN, Va., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- How many skis and snowboards were sold last season? What are the hottest trends in snow sports apparel for women? How many people snowboard in the U.S.? What's the ratio of new to used snowboards sold on eBay? SnowSports Industries America answers those questions and many more in the 2008 SIA Intelligence Report. This 290 page comprehensive report on the snow sports industry is available for purchase (visit http://www.snowsports.org/industry_resources/research_reports/2008_sia_intelli gence_report).

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SnowSports Industries America (SIA) releases 2008 Intelligence Report -- a compilation of all major research on the snow sports industry -- today. Celebrating its 31st annual update, the Intelligence Report provides valuable insight into retail sales and participation trends, demographics for the snow sports market, weather, and comprehensive analysis of the snow sports industry. The 2008 Report covers a variety of retail channels including snow sports specialty shops, chain stores, the Internet, and for the first time, the 2008 Report will include details on eBay sales. The SIA Intelligence Report includes easy-to-follow analysis and highlights with full reports on the women's specific and youth specific markets and snow sports products, which are available for the first time in 2008.

Sample of information that can be found in the 2008 SIA Intelligence Report:

    --  The 2007.08 snow sports season brought $2.97 billion in sales of snow
        sports equipment, apparel and accessories in specialty brick and
        mortar shops and on the Internet
        --  $834 million in equipment
        --  $1.165 billion in apparel
        --  $973 million in accessories
    --  Specialty shop sales increased 3% in units and 5% in dollars over last
        season to $1.9 billion
    --  2007.08 Internet sales increased an astounding 39% in units and 46% in
        dollars
    --  Chain store data was back in 2007.08 with snow sports sales totaling
        $616 million, 15% higher than in 2005.06, the last season measured
    --  22,635 new (but not necessarily current) alpine skis and 37,182 new
        (but not necessarily current) snowboards were purchased on eBay
        between August 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008
    --  Alpine equipment sales were flat in specialty shops season over season
        but considering the state of the economy overall, flat was good
    --  26 million people consider themselves snow sports participants in the
        U.S. but 9 million did not participate in 2007
    --  The National Ski Areas Association reported 60.5 million skier/rider
        visits in the U.S. during the 2007.08 season, a new record


    SIA's 2008 Intelligence Report features the following versions:

    --  Snow Sports Industry
    --  Women's
    --  Youth

All versions of the 2008 SIA Intelligence Report are available to SIA members for FREE. The price for non-members is $425 each for Industry, Women's and Youth versions. To order the SIA Intelligence Report or learn more about SIA's extensive research, please log onto http://www.snowsports.org/industry_resources/research_reports/2008_sia_intelli gence_report. Media should contact the SIA PR Department (PR@snowsports.org) for specific requests regarding information from the Report.

- SIA -

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 snowsports.org. SnowSports Industries America, 8377-B Greensboro Drive, McLean, VA 22102-3587. Phone: 703.556.9020, Fax: 703.821.8276, E-mail: SIAmail@snowsports.org

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