Through January, total equipment (boards, boots, and bindings) sales were down 9.7% in units and specialty retail was off 8.4%. In the West, the industry’s biggest region, specialty retail unit sales were off 18.1% while alpine skis jumped 1.5%, indicating people are buying – just not buying snowboards.

The South and Midwest regions both posted gains in dollars sold. In every region but the Northeast, dollars sold took less of a hit than units – this means that prices are trending back up as excess inventory gets flushed and consumers buy in-line gear.

Pick up a copy of the March issue of TransWorld Business for a complete analysis of sales trends and a call to arms for increasing participation and retention efforts.