FACTS+STATS

SKI AND SNOWBOARD INDUSTRY 2014-15

 TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Alpine Skier/Snowboarder Visits - Historical ..................................................................... 1
2. Estimated Number Of Ski Areas In Canada ...................................................................... 2
3. Canadian Snowsports Participation ................................................................................... 2
4. Demographics Of Snowsports Participants ....................................................................... 4
Skiers ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Market Size....................................................................................................................... 4
Age Profile ....................................................................................................................... 4
Gender Profile................................................................................................................. 4
Language Profile ........................................................................................................... 4
Household Income ........................................................................................................ 5
Employment Profile ....................................................................................................... 5
Snowboarders.............................................................................................................................. 6
Market Size....................................................................................................................... 6
Age Profile ....................................................................................................................... 6
Gender Profile................................................................................................................. 6
Language Profile ........................................................................................................... 7
Household Income ........................................................................................................ 7
Employment Profile ....................................................................................................... 7
Cross-Country .............................................................................................................................. 8
Market Size....................................................................................................................... 8
Age Profile ....................................................................................................................... 8
Gender Profile................................................................................................................. 8
Language Profile ........................................................................................................... 8
Household Income ........................................................................................................ 9
Employment Profile ....................................................................................................... 9
5. Appendix .............................................................................................................................. 10
Skier/Snowboarder Visits By Province.................................................................................. 12
Metropolitan Participation Rates ......................................................................................... 12
Regional/Provincial Shares .................................................................................................... 13
Occupation................................................................................................................................ 13
Education.................................................................................................................................... 13

The Canadian Ski Council’s Facts and Stats document outlines the latest demographic research
on Canadian skiers, snowboarders, and cross-country skiers and is based on data collected by
the Print Measurement Bureau (PMB). PMB conducts surveys with Canadians 12 years of age
and over, with a sample size of over 22,000 surveys. The 2014-2015 Facts and Stats are compiled
from the PMB 2014-2015 - year database, with surveys collected with Canadian consumers
between April 2013 and March 2015.

1. Alpine Skier/Snowboarder Visits - Historical

Alpine skier/snowboarder visits measure the number of times in which they visited ski areas,
therefore measuring the volume or frequency of visits in a season (as opposed to the number of
people who ski/snowboard). For a detailed breakdown of historical skier visits, please look in the
appendix, which can be found on page 12.

Skier/Snowboarder Visits by Province

03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15
8,000

7,000

6,000

5,000
Visits (000)

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

0
BC/YT AB MB/SK ON QC AT

Total Canadian Skier Visits

25,000

20,000
Visits (000)

15,000

10,000

5,000

0
03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15
Year

Facts & Stats 2014-2015 1

 BC/YT AB MB/SK ON/ QC AT

2.6%

31.4%
33.8%
Canadian
Skier Visits
2014-2015

13.2%
17.8%

1.3%

2. Estimated Number of Ski Areas in Canada

Source: Regional Ski Area Operator Associations including Atlantic Ski Area Association, Association des
stations de ski du Quebec (Quebec Ski Areas Association), Ontario Snow Resorts Association, Canada West
Ski Areas Association.
3. Canadian Snowsports Participation

Facts & Stats 2014-2015 2

The following chart shows the participation rate for all skiers and snowboarders by
province/region. Please note that this data may include some cross participation or those who
participate in more than one sport. The data that is included on the following pages of this
document has been collected from Spring 2015 Print Measurement Bureau 2 year report.

PMB 2 year data - includes participation in all three sports (skiing/snowboarding/cross-country) and possible
cross participation.

Alpine skiers – participation rate %

Province
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
AT 3.9% 3.6% 3.7% 3.5% 4.0%
QC 8.8% 8.2% 8.9% 9.0% 9.4%
ON 6.3% 6.2% 7.2% 6.2% 6.3%
MB/SK 8.2% 6.8% 4.9% 6.4% 7.0%
AB 9.7% 7.8% 5.4% 6.7% 7.0%
BC 8.7% 10.2% 10.8% 7.9% 6.0%
CA 7.4% 7.1% 7.4% 6.9% 7.0%

Snowboarders – participation rate %

Province
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
AT 3.5% 1.8% 1.8% 1.9% 1.7%
QC 4.7% 4.1% 4.5% 5.0% 4.0%
ON 4.0% 4.4% 4.6% 3.6% 3.6%
MB/SK 6.7% 6.6% 4.7% 5.0% 5.1%
AB 7.2% 6.4% 5.2% 6.0% 5.8%
BC 6.9% 6.3% 6.3% 5.0% 4.4%
CA 5.0% 4.8% 4.6% 4.2% 3.9%

Cross-Country – participation rate %

Province
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
AT 3.3% 3.9% 3.2% 1.8% 3.2%
QC 5.4% 6.7% 6.8% 6.1% 6.3%
ON 3.1% 3.9% 4.4% 4.0% 3.5%
MB/SK 3.8% 5.2% 4.6% 4.4% 4.0%
AB 4.1% 5.7% 4.7% 4.7% 4.4%
BC 3,0% 2.8% 4.2% 4.1% 2.6%
CA 3.8% 4.6% 4.9% 4.4% 4.1%

Facts & Stats 2014-2015 3

4. Demographics of Snowsports Participants

SKIERS

MARKET SIZE
 7.0% (2,146,000) of Canadians over the age of 12 downhill ski (2015), which is nearly the same
as was reported in 2014 (2,110,000 or 6.9%).
 34.3% (737,000) of all alpine skiers live in communities with a population between 100,000 and
2 million (2015), compared to 35.0% (738,000) in 2014.
 22.7% (487,000) of all alpine skiers live in communities with a population less than 100,000
(2015) compared to the same percentage (22.7% or 479,000) in 2014.

AGE PROFILE
2014 2015
65+ 86,000 99,000

55-64 239,000 261,000

45-54 366,000 468,000

35-44 408,000 359,000

25-34 412,000 354,000

18-24 252,000 267,000

12-17 347,000 337,000

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

 52.8% (1,134,000) of all alpine skiers live in households with children under the age of 18
(2015), compared to 57.5% (1,214,000) in 2014.

GENDER PROFILE

42.9 41.7
2014 2015
57.1 VS. 58.3

Male Female Male Female

 57.1% (1,225,000) of alpine skiers are married or living together (2015), compared to 54.2%
(1,143,000) in 2014.
 3.3% (71,000) of all alpine skiers are divorced (2015), compared to 2.9% (61,000) in 2014.
LANGUAGE PROFILE

Facts & Stats 2014-2015 4

 62.5% (1,341,000) of skiers speak English at home (2015), compared to the same percentage
(62.5% or 1,318,000) in 2014.
 27.9% (598,000) of skiers speak French at home (2015), compared to 26.3% or 554,000 in 2014.

HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Skier Household Income
2014 2015

> $100K 1,038,120

1,105,000

$75-100K 472,640
406,000

$50-75K 350,260
326,000

< $50K 248,980

309,000

0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000 1,000,000 1,200,000

 83.8% (1,799,000) of all alpine skiers own their dwelling (2015), compared to 88.8% (1,748,000)
in 2014.

EMPLOYMENT PROFILE
Skier Employment Status
2014 2015

Not employed 567,000

593,000

Part time 272,000

244,000

Full time 1,271,000

1,308,000

0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000 1,000,000 1,200,000 1,400,000

Facts & Stats 2014-2015 5

SNOWBOARDERS

MARKET SIZE
 3.9% (1,211,000) of Canadians over the age of 12 snowboard (2015), compared to 4.3%
(1,295,000) in 2014.
 41.7% (505,000) of all snowboarders live in communities with a population between 100,000
and 2 million (2015), compared to 40.2% (521,000) in 2014.
 20.9% (253,000) of all snowboarders live in communities with a population less than 100,000
(2015), compared to 25.9% (335,000) in 2014.

AGE PROFILE

2014 2015
65+ 12,000 14,000

55-64 30,000 59,000

45-54 71,000 106,000

35-44 187,000 202,000

25-34 339,000 352,000

18-24 339,000 277,000

12-17 318,000 202,000

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

 39.6% (479,000) of all snowboarders are between the ages of 12-24 (2015), compared to
50.7% (657,000) in 2014.
 52.0% (630,000) of all snowboarders live in households with children under the age of 18
(2015), compared to 55.0% (712,000) in 2014.

GENDER PROFILE

44.7
39.0
2014 61.0 2015
55.3 VS.

Male Female Male Female

 Snowboarders tend to be young, single males.

 52.0% (627,000) of all snowboarders are single, divorced, separated, or widowed (2015),
compared to 63.6% (820,000) in 2014.
 48.1% (582,000) of all snowboarders are married or living together (2015), compared to 36.4%
(471,000) in 2014.

Facts & Stats 2014-2015 6

LANGUAGE PROFILE
 70.9% (859,000) of snowboarders speak English at home (2015), compared to 65.7% (851,000)
in 2014.
 18.8% (228,000) of snowboarders speak French at home (2015), compared to 23.6% (305,000)
in 2014.

HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Snowboarder Household Income
2014 2015

> $100K 577,000

546,000

$75-100K 215,000
223,000

$50-75K 195,000
148,000

< $50K 310,000

293,000

0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000

 75.7% of all snowboarders have annual household incomes over $50,000 (2015), compared
to 76.2% in 2014.
 74.3% (900,000) of all snowboarders own their dwelling (2015), compared to 72.9% (944,000)
in 2014.

EMPLOYMENT PROFILE
Snowboarder Employment Status
2014 2015

Not employed 429,000

323,000

Part time 239,000

206,000

Full time 627,000

682,000

0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000 800,000

Facts & Stats 2014-2015 7

CROSS-COUNTRY

MARKET SIZE
 4.1% (1,259,000) of Canadians over the age of 12 cross-country ski (2015), compared to 4.4%
(1,337,000) in 2014.
 39.5% (497,000) of all cross-country skiers live in a community with a population between
100,000 and 2 million people (2015), compared to 38.1% (509,000) in 2014.
 28.4% (358,000) of all cross-country skiers live in a community with a population less than
100,000 (2015), compared to 31.0% (415,000) in 2014.

AGE PROFILE
2014 2015
65+ 116,000 139,000

55-64 226,000 284,000

45-54 266,000 216,000

35-44 252,000 223,000

25-34 166,000 157,000

18-24 142,000 107,000

12-17 170,000 133,000

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

 45.0% of all cross-country skiers live in households with children under the age of 18 (2015),
compared to 43.7% in 2014.

GENDER PROFILE

53.5 53.7

2014 2015
VS.
46.5 46.3

Male Female Male Female

 61.6% (775,000) of all cross-country skiers are married or living together (2015), compared to
58.4% (776,000) in 2014.
 38.0% of cross-country skiers are single, divorced, separated or widowed (2015), compared
to 41.7% in 2014.

Facts & Stats 2014-2015 8

LANGUAGE PROFILE
 62.8% (791,000) of cross-country skiers speak English at home (2015), compared to 63.9%
(854,000) in 2014.
 30.8% (388,000) of cross-country skiers speak French at home (2015), compared to 30.7%
(410,000) in 2014.

HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Cross-Country Household Income
2014 2015

> $100K 614,000

600,000

$75-100K 209,000
217,000

$50-75K 259,000
200,000

< $50K 256,000

242,000

0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000

 80.8% of all cross-country skiers have annual household incomes over $50,000 (2015),
compared to 80.9% in 2014.
 84.4% (1,063,000) of all cross-country skiers own their dwelling (2015), compared to 81.4%
(1,088,000) in 2014.

EMPLOYMENT PROFILE
Employment Status
2014 2015

Not employed 445,554

427,000

Part time 191,334

129,000

Full time 701,112

702,000

0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000 800,000

Facts & Stats 2014-2015 9

 Regional Participation Totals
2013 Cross-Country 2014 Cross-Country 2015-Cross Country
2013 Snowboarders 2014 Snowboarders 2015 Snowboarders
2013 Skiers 2014 Skiers 2015 Skiers

4.9%
4.4%
4.1%
4.6%
Canada 4.2%
3.9%
7.4%
6.9%
7.0%
4.2%
4.1%
2.6%
6.3%
BC 5.0%
4.4%
10.8%
7.9%
6.0%
4.7%
4.7%
4.4%
5.2%
Alberta 6.0%
5.8%
5.4%
6.7%
7.0%
4.6%
4.4%
4.0%
4.7%
Man/Sask 5.0%
5.1%
4.9%
6.4%
7.0%
4.4%
4.0%
3.5%
4.6%
Ontario 3.6%
3.6%
7.2%
6.2%
6.3%
6.8%
6.1%
6.3%
4.5%
Quebec 5.0%
4.0%
8.9%
9.0%
9.4%
3.2%
1.8%
3.2%
1.8%
Atlantic 1.9%
1.7%
3.7%
3.5%
4.0%

0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0%

Provincial Participation (%)

5. APPENDIX

Facts & Stats 2014-2015 10

Snowsports participation question, as asked in the Print Measurement Bureau Survey.

Facts & Stats 2014-2015 11

 SKIER/SNOWBOARDER VISITS BY PROVINCE
Participation Rates 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15
BC-Yukon Alpine 4,327 5,574 5,858 6,434 5,667 5,323 5,942 6,028 6,049 5,583 4,450
BC Nordic 200 200 193 252 241 211 288 306 328 258 179
Heli-Cat Ski 90 96 97 102 87 80 86 88 94 103 98
BC-Yukon Total 4,617 5,870 6,149 6,787 5,994 5,614 6,316 6,422 6,472 5,944 4,727
Share of Cdn Skier Visits 25.0% 31.0% 32.0% 33.0% 32.0% 30.0% 33.0% 35.0% 34.0% 32.0% 27.4%
Share of NA Skier Visits 6.1% 7.5% 8.3% 8.4% 7.9% 7.2% 7.9% 9.3% 8.5% 8.0% 6.7%
# Ski Areas/Resorts 45 45 45 47 46 46 46 46 46 46 45
# Heli-Cat Ski
43 43 41 41 41 33 40 40 40 40 40
Operations
Alberta Alpine 2,273 2,340 2,612 2,495 2,300 2,448 2,345 2,383 2,486 2,375 2,184
Alberta Nordic 63 63 51 69 68 51 96 75 75 75 283
Alberta Total 2,336 2,403 2,663 2,564 2,369 2,499 2,441 2,458 2,561 2,450 2,467
Share of Cdn Skier Visits 12.7% 12.7% 14.0% 12.4% 12.7% 13.6% 12.6% 13.5% 13.4% 13.0% 14.3%
Share of NA Skier Visits 3.1% 3.1% 3.6% 3.2% 3.1% 3.2% 3.1% 3.6% 3.4% 3.3% 3.5%
# Ski Areas/Resorts 32 33 31 31 31 31 31 32 32 32 32
Manitoba /
226 215 181 242 236 275 290 272 279 229 244
Saskatchewan
Share of Cdn Skier Visits 1.2% 1.1% 0.9% 1.2% 1.3% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.2% 1.4%
Share of NA Skier Visits 0.3% 0.3% 0.2% 0.3% 0.3% 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 0.3% 0.3%
# Ski Areas/Resorts 16 16 16 13 14 14 14 15 15 15 15
Ontario 3,520 3,252 3,275 3,594 3,443 3,418 3,362 3,028 3,070 3,370 3,420
# Ski Areas/Resorts 65 65 65 63 64 65 64 63 63 63 63
Quebec 7,164 6,773 6,357 7,064 6,168 6,101 6,438 5,583 6,226 6,048 5,879
# Ski Areas/Resorts 82 75 80 80 79 78 75 75 72 72 74
Atlantic 529 476 434 506 508 515 494 440 450 450 510
# Ski Areas/Resorts 14 13 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 12
Total Canada 18,392 18,989 19,059 20,758 18,718 18,423 19,340 18,203 19,058 18,369 17,247
Source: Regional Ski Area Operator Associations including Atlantic Ski Area Association, Association des
stations de ski du Quebec (Quebec Ski Areas Association), Ontario Snow Resorts Association, Canada
West Ski Areas Association.

METROPOLITAN PARTICIPATION RATES

Skiers Snowboarders Cross-Country
City
2013 2014 2015 2013 2014 2015 2013 2014 2015
Montreal 395,000 409,000 393,000 162,000 161,000 150,000 230,000 208,000 223,000
Toronto 368,000 359,000 425,000 199,000 165,000 183,000 168,000 137,000 134,000
Vancouver 195,000 126,000 104,000 164,000 114,000 120,000 61,000 68,000 47,000
Source: PMB 2014-2015 2 year data.

Facts & Stats 2014-2015 12

REGIONAL/PROVINCIAL SHARES
Skiers Snowboarders Cross-Country
Province
2013 2014 2015 2013 2014 2015 2013 2014 2015
BC 439,000 325,000 245,000 257,000 206,000 180,000 169,000 169,000 107,000
Alberta 178,000 226,000 246,000 169,000 203,000 202,000 154,000 160,000 153,000
Man/Sask 77,000 117,000 144,000 79,000 65,000 84,000 90,000 77,000 67,000
Ontario 842,000 730,000 753,000 542,000 428,000 423,000 515,000 461,000 418,000
Quebec 626,000 639,000 673,000 315,000 353,000 288,000 475,000 434,000 448,000
Atlantic 77,000 72,000 84,000 38,000 39,000 35,000 67,000 37,000 66,000
Source: PMB 2014-2015 2 year data.

OCCUPATION
Skiers Snowboarders Cross-Country
Occupation
2013 2014 2015 2013 2014 2015 2013 2014 2015
Professional 10.4% 11.3% 9.4% 3.9% 5.7% 7.2% 9.1% 10.5% 11.4%
Owners/Management 4.7% 6.4% 6.4% 1.9% 2.6% 5.0% 4.5% 5.8% 6.1%
Tech/Sales/Teaching 14.7% 14.7% 13.8% 10.6% 12.4% 11.8% 15.9% 14.0% 13.7%
Clerical 8.2% 8.2% 7.2% 10.3% 10.1% 10.1% 5.5% 6.8% 5.8%
Skilled 9.2% 9.1% 10.4% 13.1% 11.8% 12.9% 8.2% 7.7% 6.1%
Unskilled 7.7% 7.8% 8.7% 16.1% 15.4% 15.6% 9.4% 10.0% 7.8%
Other 28.9% 26.5% 27.1% 34.7% 33.1% 27.2% 33.5% 32.8% 33.0%
Source: PMB 2014-2015 2 year data.

EDUCATION
Skiers Snowboarders Cross-Country
Education Level
2013 2014 2015 2013 2014 2015 2013 2014 2015
No Certification 20.6% 18.5% 17.5% 31.5% 27.3% 20.6% 18.8% 18.6% 14.5%
High School Grad 19.0% 16.8% 16.9% 28.4% 25.0% 27.1% 18.8% 16.5% 15.0%
Trade Diploma 10.2% 12.2% 9.7% 7.6% 7.8% 10.2% 8.5% 9.5% 9.1%
University
38.0% 38.5% 43.1% 28.1% 34.8% 36.0% 41.3% 41.4% 43.4%
Grad/Other Cert.
Post Graduate + 12.1% 14.0% 12.8% 4.4% 5.2% 6.3% 12.6% 14.1% 18.1%
Source: PMB 2014-2015 2 year data.

Facts & Stats 2014-2015 13