10 Things to Know About Skiing & Snowboarding

1. The preliminary estimate of the number of U.S. skier/snowboarder visits for the 2012/2013 season is 56.6 million. The Rocky Mountain region had the most visits, with 19.5 million, followed by the Northeast region, with 13.3 million. Source: National Ski Areas Association (NSAA)
2. There were 477 U.S. ski areas in operation during the 2012/13 season. Source: NSAA – Kottke National End of Season Survey
3. Direct spending at U.S. resorts in the 2011/12 ski season totaled $5.8 billion. Source: NSAA
4. During the 2012/13 season, 60 percent of alpine skiers were male, as were 67 percent of snowboarders and 60 percent of cross country skiers. Forty percent of alpine skiers, 33 percent of snowboarders and 40 percent of cross country skiers were women. Source: Physical Activity Council – 2012/13 SIA SnowSports Participation Report
5. Seventy percent of all skiers and snowboarders wore helmets during the 2012/2013 ski season, up from the reported 67 percent helmet use during the 2011/12 season. By comparison, only 25 percent of skiers/snowboarders wore helmets during the 2002/2003 season. Source: NSAA
6. An average of 41.5 people per year died while skiing/snowboarding over the past decade. There were 54 fatalities in the 2011/12 season, out of the 51 million skier/snowboarder days reported for the season; 36 were reported as wearing a helmet at the time of the incident. Source: NSAA
7. Serious injuries (paralysis, serious head, and other serious injuries) among skiers/snowboarders occur at an average rate of about 44.7 per year. During the 2011/12 season, there were 51 serious injuries; 30 of those were reported as wearing a helmet at the time of the incident. The rate of serious injury in 2011/12 was one per million skier/snowboarder visits. Source: NSAA
8. Most fatalities occur among a predominantly male (85 percent) population in their late teens to late 30s (70 percent). Less than 10 percent of fatally injured skiers/snowboarders are under 10 or over 50, but more than 16 percent of all skiers/snowboarders are in these age groups. Source: NSAA
9. U.S. in-store purchases of snow sports apparel, equipment and accessories from Aug. 1 through March 31 for the 2012/13 ski season totaled $1,783,772,393. Online purchases during that time period totaled $750,245,211. Source: SIA SnowSports RetailTRAK
10. As of the 2012/13 ski season, since 1973 there have been 12 deaths attributed to ski lift malfunctions. During that 40-year span, the industry estimates it provided more than 15.5 billion lift rides to skiers and snowboarders. Source: NSAA