News from National Ski & Snowboard Retailers Association!

Welcome to the NSSRA Newsletter. This publication is sent to all NSSRA members via email and be posted on the NSSRA website, www.nssra.com.

We welcome your comments and ideas for articles in future issues. In addition, if there is an issue troubling you, this newsletter is the appropriate vehicle to bring that topic to the attention of your fellow retailers.

Teddy Schiavoni, Summit Ski & Snowboard

NSSRA Chairman of the Board

Larry Weindruch

NSSRA President

Floorplan for 2019 OR + Snow Show

Now Available; Visit NSSRA's Booth

Dates for the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show are Wednesday-Friday, January 30-February 1, 2019, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. We are fortunate to have been assigned an easy-to-find booth location. Our booth number is 32001-UL, which is the same location as in 2018. When you enter the hall, make a left, and we'll be along the wall on your left near the ski hardgoods companies. The complete floorplan is available to view by clicking here .

You Are Invited to the

NSSRA Annual Member Meeting

The meeting will be held on the first day of the Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show, Wednesday, January 30, at 5:30 PM in Room 505 of the Colorado Convention Center (the same room as 2018). Meet the NSSRA Board of Directors and bring your questions, concerns and issues. This is an ideal opportunity to find out what's new in your association and to meet with fellow specialty snow sports retailers. There will be refreshments afterward for a casual networking opportunity.

Don't Get Shut Out:

Reserve Your Hotel Room Today

Go to https://www.outdoorretailer.com/travel/hotels/ or call (864) 208-2376 to make your reservations, which are provided by EventSphere, the official housing partner of the show.

Benefits of booking within the official housing block include: exclusive show rates; flexible cancellation policies; reservation relocation protection; U.S. based contact center open 24/7/365; exclusive promotions and perks; pre-arrival acknowledgement emails including a hotel confirmation number will be provided approximately seven days prior to arrival; and on-site customer support presence at the show.

For more information, contact EventSphere at [email protected].

Renew Your Membership Online

The NSSRA website can process your secure membership renewal online through Authorize.net. Check out the website at www.nssra.com. Your 2019 membership renewal notice will be mailed in January. You can renew online or by completing the renewal notice and returning it in the enclosed business reply envelope.

Mark Your Calendar

Future OR + Snow Show Dates

2019

Wednesday, Jan. 30 - Friday, Feb. 1

2020

Wednesday, Jan. 29 - Friday, Jan. 31

2021

Wednesday, Jan. 27 - Friday, Jan. 29

2022

Wednesday, Jan. 26 - Friday, Jan. 28

Winter On-Snow Demo

Set for February 4-5

SIA and Western Winter Sports Representatives Association (WWSRA) have announce the new dates of the 2019 SIA/WWSRA On-Snow demo. The event will take place February 4-5, 2019, at Copper Mountain, CO.

Traditionally the On-Snow demo has taken place on the two days immediately following the OR + Snow Show. However, with the trade show ending on Friday, Feb. 1, the demo is now scheduled for the following Monday, giving participants a two-day break after the show. The 2019 On-Snow demo will provide retailers the opportunity to test products from manufacturers from around the world on hill in prime snow conditions.

Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month And Bring a Friend Update

The Pennsylvania legislature passed a bill declaring January "Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month" according to Ski PA Executive Director Linda Irvin.

There are several special offers posted at http://www.skiandsnowboardmonth.org/special-programs/special-offers. Post your offers at http://www.ski-snowboard.org/start-lss-m/submit-offers.

All graphics now are posted in the partner toolkit at www.ski-snowboard.org. There are some new posters for the January 11 events.

Tell your customers that January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. Encourage them to tell friends and family members who want to learn. Give them the www.learntoskiandsnowboard.org web site so they can get basic information.

NSSRA proudly supports Bring A Friend and has sponsored this participation growth initiative since its inception. Your customers can win great prizes by helping newcomers sign up for lessons at a local ski/snowboard area. Prizes are arranged by "Bring A Friend" organizers, and the promotion is free. It's online at www.bringafriend.org.

For more information, please contact Mary Jo Tarallo at mjt@learntoskiandsnowboard.org

Glen Plake Revives

Down Home Tour to Small Ski Areas

Elan Skis has announced that longtime Elan athlete and ski industry legend Glen Plake is officially bringing back the Down Home Tour to small ski areas across the U.S. this season.

Unlike other tours, the Glen Plake Down Home Tour is intentionally unplanned. There is no set schedule or official way to sign up. It's about being in the right place at the right time.

Hosted by Plake and his wife, Kimberly, out of their 38-foot custom Freightliner rig, the tour route is set on a whim depending on weather and ski conditions. Their itinerary is loosely planned to travel through the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic through New England from mid December 2018 through January 2019, parking their custom rig in ski area parking lots, skiing with locals and celebrating good times on snow.

The Plake's started the Down Home Tour in 1991 where they visited 50 ski areas in 33 states and logged 13,000 miles in 68 days. Twenty-seven years later, the Plakes don't have any goals to achieve the same amount of stops or distance, but the spirit of the tour will remain. Unlike the completely unannounced stops in the 1990s, Plake has adopted the advent of modern-day social media and will be randomly updating his social media @glenplake during the Down Home Tour this winter.

For more information, stay tuned to elanskis.com.

Participation Levels Increased Slightly in 2017

The annual NSSRA Snow Sports Participation report, prepared for members by the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), showed slight improvement in both Alpine skiing and snowboarding, while cross country skiing remained flat in 2017.

In calendar year 2017, 5.9 million Americans age seven or older participated in Alpine skiing more than once, up slightly from 5.8 million in 2016. There were 2.3 million cross-country skiers in 2017, the same as 2016. Snowboarding showed an increase in 2017, at 4.1 million participants, up from 4.0 million the previous year.

An examination of Alpine skiing shows that participation frequency is balanced among participants. Frequent participation, 10 or more times during the year, accounted for 32.4% of all participants, while occasional participation, 4-9 times, accounted by 36.4%, and infrequent participation, 2-3 times, accounted for 31.4%.

NSGA research also looks at "cross participation," or in what other sports someone is likely to be a participant. For Alpine skiing, participants are most likely to also participate in water skiing, snowboarding, ice/figure skating and lacrosse.

For snowboarding, participants are most likely to also participate in are water skiing, off road mountain biking, Alpine skiing, skateboarding and paintball games. A complete chart showing cross participation for both Alpine skiing and snowboarding is included in the report.

The calendar-year report is provided at no cost to NSSRA members. Non-members may purchase the report for $190.00 by contacting NSSRA President Larry Weindruch, [email protected], or (847) 391-9825, or they may join and receive all benefits of being an NSSRA member.

Save on Holiday Shipping by Using Your NSSRA FedEx Program

The holidays will soon be upon us, and with it, the hassles of seasonal shipping. You can manage your inner Scrooge by taking back control of customer deliveries. Click here to learn more about how the NSSRA Shipping Program can help you ship smarter so you can stress less. for more info, go to https://bit.ly/2EzdaS7.

News Digest

Burton Co-CEOs Announced: Burton's current president, John Lacy, will now share the CEO role with Burton's co-owner and current CEO Donna Carpenter. The new co-CEO structure is a natural evolution for Carpenter and Lacy, who have run Burton in partnership for nearly three years.

"Jake and I have worked with John for over 20 years, and we trust him to take on more responsibility for running Burton day-to-day," Carpenter said. "In the three years John has been president, he's made a big impact on our business, brand and company culture. The timing for this new leadership structure is also ideal, as Jake and I will live in Europe next year to focus on our European business, which I helped establish over 30 years ago. With John proving to be a strong leader of Burton overall, I can focus even more on the areas where I contribute the most value."

Marker Bindings Recall: The voluntary Recall is limited to 2017-2018 Kingpin models. Sales of some models of recalled bindings began in 2017 and some in 2018. Only the toe part of the bindings needs to be replaced.

These bindings are being recalled because the Pin in the toe part can break under rare circumstances. This can result in reduced release/retention and leads to fall hazard.

Affected are all Kingpin models with a new Marker Logo on the toe part and a gold or copper color.

Burton Snowboard Boot Recall: SGB Media reported about 4,800 pairs of Burton Step On snowboard boots are being recalled. The boots can release from the binding unexpectedly, posing a fall hazard to the user.

The recall involves Step On snowboard boots from the winter 2017-2019 seasons. The recalled boots were sold in a variety of colors. The model name is printed on the inside of the boot tongue.

Burton has received seven reports of the boots releasing from the binding unexpectedly. No injuries have been reported.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled snowboard boots and contact Burton to receive a free new heel cleat. Burton is contacting all known purchasers directly.

Elan Expands In-House Team: Elan Sports USA, an independent subsidiary of Slovenian-based Elan Skis, heads into the 2018/19 winter season with a several new hires and positions focused on representing the brand in the U.S. market.

Internally, the Elan USA office in Lebanon, NH, welcomes Ben Fresco as the new marketing coordinator and Julian Jawaroski to the customer service team, while Jason Stadler has been named director of sales operations. All positions are geared towards bolstering the brand's commitment to providing the highest level of service and customer engagement for retailers and customers alike.

In Colorado, Elan USA has appointed Marc Lee and Rob Ruhl from Marc Lee & Associates to represent Elan in Colorado, New Mexico and Eastern Wyoming.