In one of the few recent positive statistical signs for the British ski and snowboard industry, figures just released by trade body Snowsport Industries of Great Britain (SIGB), show a significant jump in sales for last season, compared to the previous winter (and indeed the previous five winters).
Snowboard boot sales were up a whopping 21% and ski boot sales by 10% from winter 2012/13 to 2013/14, the first growth in the market since 2008.
"This reversal of the five year downward sales trend demonstrates that skiers and snowboarders place huge importance on the buying of good-fitting boots in the UK, and that boots are the single most important purchase for participants, where ownership is a better option than renting. The growth in boot sales is also shown in the junior market with ski boots up 25% and snowboard boots up 1%," said an SIGB statement.
The downward trend in ski sales is still continuing but has slowed, with a 4% drop (in 2012/13 the reduction was 16%), which the SIGB hopes means a return to growth is not far away.
commented: "In what continues to be a tough retail market, our figures shows some sign of recovery for the snowsports hardware market. It is encouraging to see that people continue to place importance on the purchasing of properly fitted boots for both skiing and snowboarding, and see the benefits of buying these boots in the UK from expert retailers," said Sam Noble, President of SIGB, who continued,
"With the continuing buzz around snowsports following Sochi 2014, we hope to see a return to positive growth in ski and snowboard sales this winter. After a tough few years, the outlook looks more promising and the UK snowsports industry may well have turned a corner."