Snowboarding continues to gain participants in the United States, while alpine skiing participation has remained relatively steady, according to new research from Snowsports Industries America (SIA), the national trade association representing the winter sports industry.

SIA’s 2025–2026 Participation Study, released in October 2026, estimates that 31.96 million Americans participated in snowsports during the past winter, an increase of approximately 3% over the previous season and the highest participation level in six seasons.

Snowboarding accounted for much of that growth, reaching 10.6 million participants, an increase of approximately 9%. Alpine skiing participation, meanwhile, remained near 13.2 million.

The longer-term trends show a similar divergence. According to SIA, snowboarding participation has increased from 7.1 million in the 2017–2018 season to 10.6 million today, while alpine skiing remains below its 2018–2019 peak of 14.9 million participants.

The gap between the two sports is particularly narrow among younger Americans. Among those under age 25, SIA estimates that 5.5 million participated in alpine skiing and 5.3 million in snowboarding during the past season.

Snowboarding also attracted more new and returning participants than it lost. SIA estimates that 4.2 million people entered or returned to snowboarding, compared with 3.3 million who stopped participating. Alpine skiing saw approximately 6 million new or returning participants, offset by a similar number who left the sport.

Despite the overall increase in participation, Americans reported spending fewer days on the slopes. Self-reported alpine skiing days declined nearly 6%, while snowboarding days fell approximately 3%. SIA noted that poor snowfall in parts of the western United States contributed to particularly substantial declines in skiing days.

For Mid-Atlantic ski areas, the findings raise questions about how participation is evolving among younger visitors and newcomers. Resorts throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia have invested in beginner programs, lessons, and terrain parks, although SIA’s publicly released findings do not establish whether the region is experiencing the same trends.

The study is based on approximately 15,000 nationwide surveys conducted in late 2025 and early 2026 among Americans ages six and older. Participation figures count individuals who took part in an activity at least once during the season, rather than total visits to ski resorts. Someone who snowboarded once and someone who snowboarded 30 times would each count as one participant.

The findings were published in an October 7, 2026, announcement by Snowsports Industries America, based on its 2025–2026 Participation Study. The full research report is available through SIA’s member research program.