Qz.com brings us this look at the declining number of alpine skiers in the United States.
Skiing appears to be headed downhill in the US—traditional, alpine skiing, anyway.
The number of alpine skiers fell from over 11 million in the 2010/11 season, to just over 8 million last year, according to data from Snowsports Industries America (SIA). That’s barely more than the roughly 7.4 million snowboarders who hit the trails in the 2012/13 season.
A closer look at the ski sector, however, shows that the shrinking number of alpine skiers is actually being met with an equal but opposite push toward freeskiing, which includes both half pipe and park skiing, which is more focused on jumps and other tricks. Freeskiing has risen by 100% since 2008, and boasted some 5.4 million participants last ski season.
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