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Overall ski visits down, but some good news for resorts

Snowboarder, skier participation up, according to Canadian Ski Council
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Opening Day Skiers and boarders flocked to Roundhouse on Whistler Mountain.

For years one of the biggest concerns of the Canadian Ski Council has been the fact that new skiers and snowboarders are not taking up the sport as quickly as baby boomers are leaving it. Compounding the concern is the fact that a growing number of Canadians are born outside the country and have no tradition of skiing or snowboarding.

According to the most recent statistics compiled from the 2006 Census, more than one in four British Columbians was born outside Canada, as well as one in five Canadians.

However, the latest Canadian Skier and Snowboarder Facts and Stats report released by the Canadian Ski Council has some good news on both fronts.

Overall there were seven per cent fewer ski visits across Canada during the 2006-07 season than the previous season, which is mostly blamed on the late start to the season in Eastern Canada. Many resorts remained closed through Christmas, or operated with just a few runs open. Spring also came early.

In B.C. and Yukon, skier visits were down from more than 5.7 million in 2005-06 to 5.2 million last year. Whistler-Blackcomb bucked the trend with more than two million skier visits, helped by the second highest snowfall ever recorded for the resort.

But while skier visit numbers are down, the number of Canadians 12 and older participating in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing or snowboarding actually increased 7.8 per cent, from 4.1 million in 2005 to 4.4 million in 2006.

In other words, almost 15.5 per cent of Canadians participated last winter, up almost a full percentage point over 2005.

Overall we still have a long way to go to get back to 2001, when 4.7 million Canadians or 17.9 per cent of the population went skiing or snowboarding.

Within the different sports the past year saw a lot of notable changes.

In 2006 the number of people who ski exclusively increased by 12 per cent to 1.65 million from a record low of 1.4 million in 2004. The number of people who ski and either snowboard, cross-country ski, or do all three increased to 2.4 million from 2.1 million in 2004.

When it comes to age groups, more than 61 per cent of skiers are between the ages of 25 and 49 years old, while 23 per cent are 12 to 24, and 17 per cent are 50 and older.

Ethnically, the majority of skiers still tend to be white, but the percentage has dropped to 86 per cent from a high of 91 per cent in 2005.

There is also a lot of movement in the snowboarder demographic. For the first time ever the portion of Canadian snowboarders aged 24 and younger dropped below 70 per cent, most likely as a result of riders getting older. Overall participation was 979,000 in 2006 compared to 912,000 in 2005, and 804,000 in 2004.

Kids still make up the bulk of snowboarders, with 36 per cent aged 12 to 17, and another 39 per cent aged 18 to 24. Participation is also up in the 24 to 34 and 35 to 49 age groups by one or two per cent. Just three per cent of Canadians over 50 snowboard exclusively.

Ethnically, snowboarding is generally more popular than skiing. Roughly 81 per cent are white, which is well down from the 90 per cent reported in 2004. The other 19 per cent is comprised of Chinese, South Asian, Filipino, Latin and black ethnic groups, although the numbers decreased for black and Latin groups.

And while the number of snowboarders in Eastern Canada is dropping, numbers are up in Vancouver, from 79,l00 in 2005 to 115,000 in 2006.

Cross-country skiing is also on the upswing, with 873,000 Canadians participating in 2006 compared to 813,000 in 2005. The majority of skinny skiers are in Quebec and Ontario (70 per cent), but numbers have grown overall in B.C. since 2003.

Women also outnumber men on the trails, accounting for 55 per cent of the total participation.

But while overall participation is up for snow sports, most participants are still only spending a few days a year on the trails and slopes.

For skiers, 48 per cent of skiers in 2006 went once or twice, while another 34 per cent went three to nine times. Only 18 per cent went 10 or more times. By way of comparison, in 2003 roughly 25 per cent of skiers went more than 10 times, 32 per cent went three to nine times, and 43 per cent went once or twice.

For snowboarders, the breakdown is slightly better with 45 per cent going once or twice, 30 per cent going three to nine times and 25 per cent going 10 times or more in the 2006 season.

Comparatively, 39 per cent of snowboarders went 10 or more times back in 2003, while 26 per cent went three to nine times, and just 35 per cent went once or twice.

Cross-country skiing has the fewest number of repeat customers, with 55 per cent going once or twice, 28 per cent going three to nine times, and only 18 per cent going more than 10 times.

In 2003, 39 per cent of Nordic skiers went 10 times or more, which is more than double 2006. Some 26 per cent went three to nine times, and just 35 per cent only went once or twice.

The good news is that ski and snowboard numbers are increasing across the board, while the larger number of people only going once or twice a year suggest that more people are trying winter sports.