SAM Magazine—Boston, Mass., Nov. 19, 2025—The stalwart consumer ski and snowboard shows still play an important—and in some cases a growing—role in stoking excitement for winter sports in key markets of the country, and a handful of this year’s events reportedly did well in their current venues as relocation and expansion discussions are being had for 2026.

Snowvana

Snowvana is now held in three locations, with Snowvana Wisconsin making its debut outside Milwaukee, Nov. 7-9, following successful shows in Seattle, Wash. (which debuted last year), and the longstanding Portland, Ore., event, which were both held in October. 

Snowvana founder Doug Fish said attendance was flat year-over-year for the Portland and Seattle shows, but retails sales were up 15 percent and booth space sold out for both shows. 

The Wisconsin expo saw strong attendance and retail sales for its first year, said Fish. Twenty-five ski areas represented. Total attendance for all three shows was more than 18,000.

Fish said he plans to add Snowvana Chicago for 2026. Dates are to be determined, but all will happen in the traditional mid-October to mid-November timeframe. 

“Overall, I thought Snowvana Wisconsin was a great addition to the Midwest market,” said Little Switzerland, Wis., general manager Greg Fisher, adding that traffic was good and the overall vibe among attendees was positive. “It effectively filled the void left when the Windy City Show (Chicago) faltered and lost traction after the 2020 Covid season.” 

It appears that void will be further filled next year with the addition of Snowvana Chicago.

Snowbound Boston

In the East, Snowbound Boston was held at the Boston Convention Center, Nov. 14-16. Show owner Racoon Media Group reported a record 23,420 attendees over the three days, a 10 percent increase from 2024. There were 234 vendors at the expo, 14 more than last year.

This year’s event once again was centered on a big retail sale and featured several speakers including athletes Zeb Powell, Amie Engerbretson, Donny Pelletier, Shannon Dunn, and Seth Westcott. In addition to North American ski areas, international destinations were well represented. For example, France’s Les Trois Vallées, the largest interconnected ski area in the world, held a media event Thursday night to promote its offerings and had a large presence at the expo. French representatives told SAM they’ve seen a marked uptick in visitors from the United States in recent years. 

Ski area representatives were generally happy with the turnout. Gunstock, N.H., returned as a standalone vendor after a couple years attending as members of Ski NH and helping to staff the association’s booth. Gunstock marketing director Bonnie MacPherson said her team “felt it was a success.” Gunstock’s $50 midweek lift ticket special (available online-only during the show) was well-received. “We sold nearly three times the number of tickets purchased at The Country Ski Expo (in New Hampshire), held the previous weekend,” said MacPherson.

Saddleback, Maine, had a large presence at the event, and a representative said the Boston show is important since the city is one of Saddleback’s core markets. The rep said attendees went from not knowing about Saddleback a couple years ago to everyone having heard of it this year, with many interested in visiting for the first time and just needing the right nudge or offer to make it happen.  

Saddleback offered show-exclusive two-, three-, and four-day ticket packs “that sold quite well,” the rep said, and an offer through a lodging partner that people could qualify for if they bought a ticket pack.  

Jay Peak, Vt., communications coordinator Dehlia Wright said show traffic felt the same as last year. “Still solid, still engaged, just not a noticeable jump or drop either way," she said. 

Lee Cohen, leisure sales manager at Killington/Pico, Vt., echoed Wright’s sentiment that traffic seemed status quo, noting that it was much busier during the earlier parts of each day before slowing down later, and Sunday afternoon was slow despite there not being a Patriots game on, which has historically been a culprit for stunted Sunday attendance. 

Bound for Connecticut

The biggest news from the weekend is the expo familiarly known as “the Boston show,” which has been held in Beantown since 1983, is moving to Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., next year. Ski area representatives have mixed feelings about the move. 

Cohen, for one, is enthused about it, and thinks it will be easier and less costly than the Boston Convention Center. “Mohegan Sun will provide a much better experience overall for the exhibitors and guests,” he said, citing the resort casino’s free parking, ease of access, and convenient dining options for guests, and less red tape than exhibitors encounter at the Boston venue.

Others aren’t as excited. “I’m not stoked about the move to Mohegan Sun,” One New Hampshire ski area representative said, primarily because Connecticut is not the ski area’s market. The rep suspected that many other ski areas in Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire “will have a difficult time justifying the expense of marketing to an audience that is a secondary target demographic.”

Saddleback is undecided on whether to attend next year, but is leaning toward not. Another Maine ski area rep sees it as an opportunity to capture a different market and plans to attend. Cohen said Killington foresees a similar opportunity, but admits that Killington and other northern resorts would be concerned about losing the core downtown Boston crowd that has supported the Boston show for years. Rural southeastern Connecticut does not have that critical mass.  

Wright said Jay Peak understands the rationale for the move—likely a cost-saving measure for space rental (and a source also said the 2026 dates were not available in Boston). “That said, our hunch is that overall show attendance could dip with the change, while travel time and expenses for exhibitors will likely creep up. Hard to say for sure until it happens, but that’s the working suspicion,” she said. 

Another big change for the expo: it was the last show for longtime organizer and promoter Christine Donovan, who is hanging up her nametag after decades of helping Bernie Weichsel and BEWI run the Boston Ski and Snowboard Expo and then helping Racoon Media Group relaunch it as Snowbound. Racoon CEO Mike Seaman recognized Donovan for her many contributions during Friday’s pre-show media gathering followed by a well-deserved ovation from the appreciative crowd.