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As the winter season has progressed and nothing but bad news comes out about the economy, the impact of job losses and tighter consumer spending on the ski and snowboarding industry is evident.  For many people, skiing and snowboarding is a recreational hobby that is funded by discretionary incomes.  And snow sports are expensive!

From the clothing (even bigger distributors of snowboard-related clothes and brands are affected - most recently 200 layoffs at Quiksilver and 47 at PacSun), to the events (Vans Cup ‘09 cancelled?!?!) to the resorts themselves (many are reporting lower lift ticket sales vs. last year after seasons of solid growth - even Vail laid off employees in December) - we’re feeling it everywhere.

Still, the good news is that regarding the “action sports industry” obviously including snowboarding, has many passionate participants that still find a way to indulge their desire to ride.  An SIA article about this season’s snow sports sales forecast noted that snow sports participants are in the top 20% income earners, and also that “Although spending across the economy is down, the day to day discretionary income of snow sports participants has not diminished.”

If you’re a passionate snowboarder who still wants to get up to the mountain as often as your wallet allows, here are some money saving tips:

• Buy used gear.  It’s sad but true, many people have to sell their stuff to make rent money.  Scour your local Craigslist for good deals on “lightly used” boards, boots, and other hardgoods.  Juicy recently noticed a huge increase in snowboards for sale vs. when she was looking last year at this time - it’s definitely a buyer’s market. Ebay is another possibility.
• Want new gear only? Visit local shops for liquidation deals.  Most of your local shops are independently owned and are probably feeling a sales squeeze too.  They will be eager to move product out before the season’s over, so make sure to ask about any special additional discounts they can add if you’re eyeballing that new board or boots.  And it is ALWAYS good to support your local businesses.
• If possible visit resorts on non holiday weekends or on weekdays.  Condo rental and sometimes even lift ticket prices are inflated on those desired 3-day weekends. Take an extra day off work and tack a non-holiday Monday or Friday onto your trip.  Or if you can go local, call in sick on a Tuesday and do a quick day run.  (but ya didn’t hear it here.)
• Rent condo’s from owners directly, avoid the management companies.  Deal with vacation home owners who are eager to get the place rented quickly and are more willing to do a deal.  The management companies are less likely to negotiate. VRBO.com is a great site for private home rentals direct from the owners.
• Look for resort and product tie-ins with for free lift tickets.  Last year I got a free lift ticket from my friend Liz when we visited Snow Valley.  There was some deal with Ralphs where she bought a case of Vitamin Water and got some free passes. Check out your favorite resort’s web site for their promotional partners and offers.
• Sign up for resort emails, read resort blogs and/or Twitter feeds for new promotions. Oftentimes you won’t hear about a special deal unless you get in the know on the latest updates!  As an online marketer myself, I am conditioned to looking at online offers and opting in wherever I can so I’m looped in on new deals.
• Rideshare.  You probably already do this anyways, but squeeze more peeps in the car if you can to save even more $$$ and reduce your carbon footprint a little bit too.

Any other ideas?  Obviously everyone’s trying to make their money go further, so hopefully this helps a little bit… and I think that spending what you can reasonably afford both to support this sport/industry and keep your passion stoked is a good thing!  Good luck out there everybody!