SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., Apr. 27, 2010-Preliminary SIA Snow Sport RetailTRAK data show that snow sport retail sales increased 13 percent in March 2010 compared to March 2009, at the height of the recession. The sales spurt pushed sales for the entire 2009-10 season up 4 percent over 2008-09, according to the Leisure Trends Group.

Nearly every major category in all three retail channels recorded double-digit gains for the month. Total online snow sport sales leapt 18 percent, with chains growing 13 percent. Regionally, persistently cold temperatures pushed Southern specialty store sales up 22 percent, while snow helped Western specialty sales increase 16 percent. Helmets, one of this season's hottest product categories, finished the season with a record 1.2 million units sold, a 23 percent increase.

As a whole, specialty store sales increased 11 percent in March and 4 percent for the season. More significantly, specialty retailers cleaned out the back rooms and regained much of their profitability. At the end of March, retailers had 15 percent fewer equipment and 18 percent fewer apparel inventory units in stock. Smaller inventories meant that March carryover or clearance dollar sales plunged 29 percent, retail prices bounced up 10 percent, and retail margins surged a profit-boosting 14 percent.

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