Every few years, someone announces that snowboarding is dying.
Usually it’s because a big brand is struggling, another snowboard shop has closed, or someone reckons there aren’t as many riders on the mountain as there used to be.
I’ve been snowboarding for over 15 years, including working as an instructor, and I’ve heard some version of this argument for most of that time. Apparently, we’ve been on our last legs for quite a while.
Well, some new figures have just come out, and they’re pretty encouraging.
According to Snowsports Industries America’s 2025-26 Participation Study, 10.6 million Americans went snowboarding last season. That’s up 9% from the year before and nearly 50% since 2017-18.
Not exactly the death spiral we’ve been hearing about.
Is snowboarding actually growing?
Yep. And by quite a bit.
Back in the 2017-18 season, there were an estimated 7.1 million snowboarders in the US. By 2024-25, that had climbed to 9.7 million, and the latest figure puts us at 10.6 million.
Snowboarding has now grown in seven of the last eight seasons, which is a pretty solid run for a sport that supposedly went out of fashion twenty years ago.
US snowboarding participation grew from 7.1 million in 2017-18 to 10.6 million in 2025-26. Source: SIA Participation Study.
The other interesting figure is that 4.2 million people either tried snowboarding for the first time or came back after taking at least a season off. That’s comfortably more than the 3.3 million who stopped participating.
Now, these figures don’t mean 10.6 million people are out there riding every weekend. The study counts anyone who snowboarded at least once during the season, and that’s an important distinction. In fact, the same research suggests the average number of snowboarding days actually dropped by around 3% last season.
Still, more people are getting involved, and that’s ultimately what keeps the sport going.
What about younger riders?
This is probably the bit I’m most stoked about.
Of those 10.6 million snowboarders, around 5.3 million are under 25.
For comparison, alpine skiing has roughly 13.2 million participants, but only 5.5 million of them are under 25.
US snowboarding and skiing participation by age group, 2025-26. Source: SIA Participation Study.
So despite skiing having a noticeably bigger overall audience, snowboarding is almost level with it among younger people.
I’ve spent enough time teaching beginners to know that getting someone through their first few days on a snowboard isn’t always pretty. There are bruised asses (and egos), spectacular edge catches and plenty of people questioning why they’ve paid good money to spend the morning falling over.
But when someone finally links those first few turns, you can usually see why they’re going to stick with it.
That’s why these younger participation numbers matter more to me than whether a particular snowboard brand is having a good financial year.
If people are still keen to learn, there’s a future for snowboarding.
But isn't the snowboard industry struggling?
This is where I think people get a bit mixed up.
There’s a difference between snowboarding as a sport and the (often evil) companies trying to make money from it.
We’ve seen brands struggling, shops disappearing, equipment getting ridiculously expensive and plenty of corporate nonsense over the years. None of that is particularly encouraging if you work in the industry.
But it doesn’t automatically mean fewer people want to snowboard.
You can have a growing number of riders while snowboard companies struggle with margins, competition, unsold stock or the cost of running a business.
And snowboarding isn’t exactly cheap anymore.
By the time you’ve paid for a lift ticket (especially in North America), accommodation, transport and equipment, a week in the mountains can cost a small fortune. If you’ve got kids, multiply that pain accordingly.
I’d argue affordability is a much bigger threat to snowboarding’s future than whether the sport is still considered cool.
We need people to be able to afford to learn, progress and keep coming back. If every beginner trip requires remortgaging the house, eventually that’s going to become a problem.
Has snowboarding lost its cool?
Maybe a bit, depending on who you ask.
When I started riding, snowboarding still had that rebellious image. The clothes were baggy, the video parts were ridiculous and being a contest rider wasn’t always considered particularly cool (sorry, Shaun White).
These days, snowboarding can be a legitimate career. Olympic medals, corporate sponsorships and even “snowboard influencers”. Among amateurs, plenty of us are older, have jobs, mortgages and kids, and spend more time discussing knee pain than the latest park tricks.
I’m not sure that’s a sign the sport is dying. We’re just getting old and passing the torch.
Besides, I’m quite happy seeing snowboarding become more welcoming and less obsessed with looking a certain way. You don’t need to ride park, wear a particular brand or throw yourself off cliffs to be a snowboarder.
As the old saying goes, “The best snowboarder is the one having the most fun.” Obviously that’s nonsense, but I like the sentiment.
My take
I don’t think snowboarding is dying. Not even close.
The numbers are genuinely encouraging, particularly when you look at how many younger riders are coming through and how many people are trying the sport for the first time.
That doesn’t mean everything is rosy. Lift ticket prices are painful, the snowboard business is tough and getting people onto the mountain regularly is still a challenge.
But after years of working and riding in this sport, I’d much rather see millions of new and returning snowboarders than another flashy brand launch telling us they’ve reinvented the snowboard (ahem, Clew…).
I’ve heard snowboarding is dying for most of my riding life, and I’m sure I’ll hear it again next season. But with 10.6 million people getting out on snow in the US alone, I’m not particularly worried.
See you on the mountain.
