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Re: Do ya think US is biggest XC market?
Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2017 1:43 pm
by Johnny
Yeah I already visited these sites yesterday too...
Any TeleTalker from Russia willing to arrange shipping for me?
Re: Do ya think US is biggest XC market?
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2022 7:37 am
by JeffXCD
bump. ... the reason i asked if ppl thought or knew if US was a big xc market is that i've heard two diverging views on it from experts. one was that the trade doesn't do PR in the US because we're not worth it. another is that we're the biggest market. maybe those 2 views can coexist: maybe the bulk of our market is a gimme for the trade and they don't need to do PR. the regulars at the dozen or show big shops (online) have their fan base and that works well enough w no PR. apparently our youth sector is growing, thankfully. i don't know how they're finding out about XC w no PR. (Jessica Diggins won her first gold a few yrs ago and it wasn't trumpeted at all except in insider media.) i was concerned XC wd fade out as boomers fade out. ...it seems like this still might happen. let's hope not! (cool Russian wood ski! let's find some!)
Re: Do ya think US is biggest XC market?
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2022 6:49 pm
by randoskier
Coolwhip wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2017 12:27 am
JeffXCD wrote:My impression is that US XC is steadily shrinking. Gets zero PR or marketing. So how could it be big?
Americans have some of the highest incomes in the world, many spend more money than they earn, and there's lots of them, so it would be surprising if they weren't high on the list of buyers of something people purchase out of discretionary funds. I don't know if people on this forum would call themselves big spenders, but how many have 5 or more pairs of skis?
The linked article suggests that Russians might account for a large amount of ski purchases, but on average they only make about 20% of American wages. I expect they're more frugal in purchasing ski gear. What I've seen on Russian websites suggests that the backcountry touring gear especially tends to be based on older designs and costs less, and even the more familiar stuff is lower cost there.
Gear used by a Siberian ski touring company:
Siberian Expeditions
zubiya-foto-6.jpg
Some store links:
Skis, skates
Крепления с плавающей платформой Абакан-2
Akkord Premium - Универсальные тросовые лыжные крепления с качающимися щечками
e1fcf8af80096784cfe303d89176de2a.jpg
f6dc2e7edf5871aa965c59950cecd7b8.jpg
A lot of European countries are far richer than America per capita (Norway springs to mind). I think Europe is the biggest Nordic ski market by a wide margin.
Re: Do ya think US is biggest XC market?
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2022 7:09 pm
by 12gaugesage
Speaking from a perspective of local observation, XC is more popular than it was (10?) years ago when I started out.. Parking lots at Nordic centers are often packed and I never seem to have the trails to myself anymore, and these last 3 years have been terrible in terms of conditions.
I also tend to think the development of a new binding standard and continuing revisions to product lines suggest that XC/XCD is doing alright.
High lift ticket prices and crowded mountains probably make XC more attractive.
Can't say I have any real data to back up my claims though
Re: Do ya think US is biggest XC market?
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2022 7:15 pm
by エイダン.シダル
Nordic took off in Southern Ontario since Covid shut down our skill hills for much of the 20/21 winter. Doubled the customers, or just about. I don't expect it to last, but this winter was also busy. I'm sure sick of the alpine experience, and price - for three decades now.
Re: Do ya think US is biggest XC market?
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2022 4:04 am
by randoskier
12gaugesage wrote: ↑Mon Mar 14, 2022 7:09 pm
Speaking from a perspective of local observation, XC is more popular than it was (10?) years ago when I started out.. Parking lots at Nordic centers are often packed and I never seem to have the trails to myself anymore, and these last 3 years have been terrible in terms of conditions.
I also tend to think the development of a new binding standard and continuing revisions to product lines suggest that XC/XCD is doing alright.
High lift ticket prices and crowded mountains probably make XC more attractive.
Can't say I have any real data to back up my claims though
The Nordic product manager at Fischer, Austria told me that they had forecast that there would be extremely sluggish demand for Nordic-backcountry skis during the Covid pandemic, but that the exact opposite occurred with an unprecedented demand for this equipment during this period. This was pretty tough for Fischer as it coincides with their factory in Ukraine burning to the ground. They did a good job rapidly sourcing what manufacturing capacity they could find in CZ. They rebuilt their new factory from scratch in 16 months, just in time for the Russian attack on Ukraine. This is very unfortunate for skis, but Fischer's focus is quite rightly on the safety of their 3,000 employees in Ukraine and safety of the Ukrainian nation in general.
Re: Do ya think US is biggest XC market?
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2022 4:06 pm
by bauerb
the size of the market does not always dictate the advertising budget. Coke, Macdonalds, etc spend billions advertising in the US. are soda drinkers going to forget about Coke if they stop advertising? yup, awareness will age-out. can't ever stop the advertising machine. all of that said, I cannot remember the last time I saw an ad for nordic racing gear, or Skimo race gear, or racing snowshoes. I must not hang around in the right places.
Re: Do ya think US is biggest XC market?
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2022 4:37 pm
by FourthCoast
bauerb wrote: ↑Fri Mar 18, 2022 4:06 pm
the size of the market does not always dictate the advertising budget. Coke, Macdonalds, etc spend billions advertising in the US. are soda drinkers going to forget about Coke if they stop advertising? yup, awareness will age-out. can't ever stop the advertising machine. all of that said, I cannot remember the last time I saw an ad for nordic racing gear, or Skimo race gear, or racing snowshoes. I must not hang around in the right places.
I quit watching any advertising supported TV many years ago. It wasn't so much the ADs, but the TYPE of ADs. So many prescription drug commercials. It seems to be even worse now that online sports betting is legal here. All the commercials are for drugs or gambling.
If I could watch broadcast TV that had commercials with ski gear that would change everything.
Re: Do ya think US is biggest XC market?
Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2022 4:57 pm
by mca80
How much advertising is there for other sporting goods in the US? Have you ever seen an ad in non-specialty outlets for Louisville Slugger or Easton baseball bats? CCM skates? Tennis rackets? Stirrups and bridles? Football padding manufacturers? About the only thing that would get major ad dollars for a mass audience is Air Jordan shoes, so I don't think ad budget has any value in this discussion.
Anecdotally, I have heard of people taking up xc due to effects of covid restrictions etc. Also heard on local Wisconsin Public Radio a couple months ago an interview with a local author who recently wrote a book about some aspect of xc and it was his opinion that the past decade has seen a resurgence of younger people getting into it.
Re: Do ya think US is biggest XC market?
Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2022 8:20 am
by oliveroe
Advertising procedure depends on interest. Its a complete algorithm that determines advertisements to show you according to your interest and search queries. I am fond of badminton so I commonly encounter tennis rackets or other
sporting goods ads related to badminton.