Snowsports Industries America (SIA) published its deep dive of the 2023-2024 Participation Study, revealing helpful insights into the demographic landscape of winter sports participants. This report highlights diversity in snowboarding and cross-country skiing, particularly among hispanic and black athletes.
Diversity patterns spanning winter sports participation included, among snowboarding participants:
- Hispanic women comprise 25 percent of female snowboard participants, representing the highest proportion of female participants in any snowsport.
- Black male snowboarders make up 13 percent of male participants, representing the largest portion of male participants across all winter sports disciplines.
- Over 20 percent of all female participants identified as Hispanic.
Portions of SIA’s Participation Deep Dive also analyzed numbers culled from the recently-released Participation Study, prior to the season, which looked at alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing and sledding, across 30.26 million participants, with 17.97 million male and 12.29 million female participants.
“This report represents important findings that the industry needs to take note of.” said Nick Sargent, president, Snowsports Industries America. “The diversity we’re seeing, especially in snowboarding and cross-country skiing, reflects the changing demographics of the U.S., as well as the efforts to make these sports more inclusive and accessible to all communities. But, most important to remember, it’s not just about numbers; it’s about creating a welcoming environment where everyone can experience the joy of winter sports.”
Other notable insights included:
- Snowboard participants tend to skew younger for both genders, with a particularly strong representation among younger females.
- Female cross-country participants are more likely to participate later in life, compared to males.
- Alpine ski participants are more likely to be white, non-Hispanic’s, than participants in other snowsports.
- Sledding shows relatively balanced participation by gender, across age groups, with peak participation among those 12 and under.
These data serve as a valuable resource for industry stakeholders, resort operators, and policymakers looking to understand and cater to the changing face of winter sports enthusiasts.
SIA members can access the full report via the member portal.
