Mark McMorris and his mom in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Photo: Richard Lautens | Toronto Star
These days it seems hard to open the computer without stumbling on an article about the decline of snowboarding. Magazines are thinner, brick and mortar shops are closing their doors, and brands both big and little are pulling out of snowboarding. Everyone wants to know what the big mystery is surrounding the decline of snowboarding. Not just in popularity, but why as a community we have been failing to grow the sport. Official committees have been formed and studies conducted, but there is one thing missing and that’s women. Not just women in general, a certain type of woman — a mother. Unless young kids adopt snowboarding, opportunities for riders, equipment development, and regional and national events will dissipate.
If we want to see snowboarding grow, we need to start catering to the ones making household decisions. Moms play a major role in large scale financial decisions in the household. They often decide where to take a family vacation and what recreational activities children participate in. Right now, a trip to the mountains — whether it be for a weekend or a week long family vacation — seems to fall short on that list of options.
So why do moms no longer desire to take their families to the mountains? Let’s face it, for moms, this is not a vacation. It’s beyond exhausting getting their kids on the slopes; by the time moms have made breakfast, dressed their family, schlepped all the gear to the mountain, and dropped the kids off in lessons, the only thing on her mind is a nap. It’s just downright draining. For some, the idea of getting out themselves to enjoy a day on the mountain is out of the question.
If we want to grow the sport of snowboarding, we need to make it more appealing to the moms and convince them to let their youth try something new. When is the last time you saw the mother of a pro snowboarder gushing on about how the sport changed her son’s life for the better? When is the last time you saw an ad from a major snowboard company that shows a family on the mountain together? I get it, we want the kids to think we are cool and we need to be “core.” But we are cool, and we are core… and moms don’t give a crap about any of that. Moms want to know whether their child will be in a safe and fun environment that’s going to promote learning, growth, and hopefully build their child’s confidence. Take the Olympics: proud mothers are a mainstay of Olympic coverage in any sport, and in the last games, snowboarding quickly became America’s sweetheart after gaining the US its first gold medal.
We need to stop relying on a kid begging their parents to let them try snowboarding and find a way to show moms why snowboarding is right for her family. One solution is to appeal to a mother’s emotion. Let’s show mom the secrets to getting ready for a day on the mountain. Tell her how to pack for a snow vacation, what to realistically expect from a kids first day snowboarding and where the best place is to stay in a mountain town. Let’s tell mom the stories of that magical moment when your youngest finally joins the rest of the family on a chairlift. Let’s share the feeling of pride as you see your little one conquer a fear or when your little one surpasses you in skills and challenges you to try something new. Let’s show moms that they too can have a blast on the mountain, even if they’ve never stepped foot on a snowboard. For those that snowboarded before mommy-hood (and there are probably quite a few), let us welcome them back to the sport with open arms. And most importantly, ask already involved snowboarding moms what changes they wish to see and listen to their suggestions.
I’m not saying that snowboard magazines should suddenly have a section dedicated to moms, but snowboard companies can start tapping into the existing communities of women. Mommy bloggers are here to stay and are enormously popular. There are existing communities of moms, built upon the idea of helping one another and passing on the tricks they have learned. Reach out to theses women and let them help us break down these barriers we have built around our sport.
Snowboarding is growing up and it’s time to find the balance between being the “cool kid” and finding approval from the cool kid’s mom. She’s probably pretty cool too.
Mimi Lopour is the Director of Sales & Marketing at High Cascade Snowboard Camp. For more of her thoughts on snowboarding and the like, check out her website. And be sure to follow her Twitter and Like her on Facebook.
