Snowbound 2026 has changed venues (an ode to New England Ski Retail)

The east coast ski expo has always been in Boston.  Now, it's moving to Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT; more than 100 miles/2 hours away (without traffic, of course)

The Boston Ski Expo has been a thing since 1989. 

It was started by a guy named Bernie Weischel (who started the company called BEWI), and was staged in the old Bayside Expo Center, on the Columbia Point peninsula in Dorchester, Massachusetts, right along Dorchester Bay and Morrissey Boulevard.

In the modern vernacular, that show was LIT! 

It was known throughout the region were people from Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine would come to enjoy hte unofficial kick off to the eastern ski season.

They came seeking big discounts on outdoor gear, lift tickets and resort passes, club memberships, beer at the bar in the show, and also enjoyed entertainment and found relevant information for everything from lodging to lessons, within.

The line to get in often took hours, and snaked from the internal entrance doors to the back of the parking lot. 

Inside were shows put on by ski, snowboard, and "aggro" athletes (inline skate, BMX, tampoline, etc.) and ski movies.  There were displays, activity booths; manned by outdoor sports vendors from all over the country, beer and food vendors, ski area representatives, real estate companies, ski clubs, clinicians (everything from masseurs/masseusses to doctors, physical therapists, pedorthists, and chiropractors), car dealers, an enormous retail space, and just about anything you could think of that may, in any way, relate to outdoor (especially winter)  sports were there. 

Over time, Bayside sold to become the massive $5 billion, 36-acre mixed-use redevelopment project known as Dorchester Bay City.  So, the ski show moved to The Seaport Hotel and Convention Center, with just a little loss of momentum. 

In 2019 the show sold to  SIA (Snowsports industries America), just prior to COVID.  During COVID, there was no show, as one might imagine.
Ater Covid and under the new management of SIA, the show moved to The Menino Convention center, just down the block in the Seaport.

Through it all, the "Ski Show" (as it was colloquially referred to), was scaled down a bit, but remained in Greater Boston, where its has remained the unofficial kick off to the ski season on the east coast.

From 1989 right up until COVID, the show was absolute madness... in its heyday, somewhere on the order of 45,000 people would roam through that show during the 4 days it was on (usually the Thursday through Sunday, corresponding closest to Veterans day). The retail outlet would reportedly gross somewhere on the order of $2.5 +/- million in those 4 days. 

Ironically, the timing of the sale to SIA proved fortuitous for Bernie.  As I mentioned above, there was no show during the covid year.

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Prior to covid, several retailers had the retail space; The now defunct Ski Market (once the largest winter ski and sports retailer in the country) had it the longest, then East Coast Alpine (also now defunct) had it for 5 years or so, and then Country Ski and Sport, a smaller, family owned retailer who is still in business, South of Boston had it for 3 or 4 years. 

Up to that point, being a retailer at that show was a highly lucrative endeavor. 

Boston was not the home of the first ski show.  True to form, the concept of the ski show first started with Mount Everest Ski shop, out of New Jersey, at the Meadowlands about a decade earlier.

Upon realizing how lucrative such events could be, smaller, regional shows sarted popping up.  For example, there was the Ski Show at The New Haven Jai Alai Fronton, where Alpine Ski and Sports was the retailer (yep- I worked for them as well as having worked the Boston SKi Show, in some capacity or other, for decades).

BEWI also had a show in Colorado... but remember, this is an east coast based blog, so in the interest of keeping it relevant, we wont go there.

The advantage of retailers being able to sell at these shows was multi-faceted; it gave them a large, well attended venue where the opportunity to sell off aging goods was much greater.  These retailers could buy goods for their regular shops with a bit more impunity because there was less fear of being stuck with older gear, no matter what the snow was like that year.  Retailers also found that the demand for goods at these shows was so great that they could buy higher volumes of goods, at closeout, mostly intended for the show, and make a ton of money that way. 

Unfortunately, the downside for retailers became the fact that shoppers (especially after the busts of the .net and real estate booms- otherwise known as economic recessions) became "trained", so to speak, to wait for end of season sales.  Because of that, EVERY ski shop had to adjust.  They started putting strong emphasis on spring and fall tent sales, among other things.  We also saw the advent of online discount houses, and we found that those who could not innovate or buy smartly during the best and worst snow years could not survive. 

In the last 30 years, the industry has seen massive consolidation, with hundreds of independent and big-box shops shutting down due to the rise of e-commerce, climate-impacted winter seasons, and corporate resort pass networks (like IKON and Epic) shifting gear sales online.

The 30-year history of East Coast ski retail is defined by the high-profile bankruptcies of several major regional and national chains. 

For example:

Ski Market (2010): A massive blow to New England. This Boston-based chain, which started as St. Mortiz Sports, was once the dominant ski retailer in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and liquidated all 15 of its stores after 39 years in business.

Princeton Ski Shop (2008): A legendary institution. Founded in New York City in 1916, it grew to operate four large superstores in the NY/NJ metropolitan area. The company liquidated entirely after a string of poor weather seasons in the Northeast.

Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) & Bob’s Stores (2016–2024): These staple New England outdoor and sporting goods retailers filed for multiple bankruptcies over the past decade. While Bob's Stores liquidated entirely (I worked there too),and  EMS closed numerous regional locations, heavily reducing their brick-and-mortar winter-sports footprint.

Herman’s World of Sporting Goods: Though closing its doors earlier in this 30-year window (1996), this major East Coast "big-box" retailer was a primary destination for ski equipment, and its total liquidation permanently altered the regional ski market.

Most recently, retail duties for the ski show has been sponsored by a smaller retailer out of Springfield, MA; Colorado SKi Shop (Yes, you read that name right, and no, it has no ties to Colorado). 

The size and scope of the retail section has been greatly reduced since covid, and SIA began charging a (somewhat exhorbitant) fee for having the retail space.  For that very reason, Country Ski and Sport started having its own mini-expo, in Hanover, MA, around the same time (usually a week earlier).  Those two issues diluted the retail income at the Boston Ski Show significantly. 

So, with that, SIA has seen fit to move the ski show to Mohegan Sun, and reduce the number of days to just 2 (November 14 and 15, 2026).

With that, I have to ask, are we witnessing the end of the Boston Ski Show, or will hte mini-show in Hanover become it?  The show in Hanover has placed itself in a position to become such an endeavor, by having some vendors/booths, which helps then understand the logistics of such a show- especially after having poached one of the key players from the original BEWI show, who has the knowledge and experience to put such a thing together.

For us, only time will tell-  One shop is in a position to swoop in and take the honors of the Boston Ski Expo from SIA, because SIA decided to move the show away from Boston.

Having said that, the logistics of such a show is a year-round endeavor, for a pretty significant staff.  It would be quite difficult for a small ski shop to put all that together AND run it's retail business. 

Does that mean the (aging) former Ski Market person has the wherewithal to take the reins for such an event?

Possibly?

Are there legal implications for such a thing?

Probably.

Knowing him, he's likely made some small moves to form an LLC or "C" corp just in case. 

That's not to say there wont be competition for such an event, but this person has the contacts, and the experience to pull such a thing off. 

What will happen to the retailer who's currently in the SIA ski show? 

That also remains to be seen.  Moving the show is a big risk.  Between the reduced hours, the change of venue and the flailing economy (especially considering the price of gasoline, currently) people will likely be skiing less, and buying less.  The past few years have seen the following changes to the retail industry:

Over the past five years, ski retail profits have faced a margin squeeze. While the total revenue for the broader U.S. ski and snowboard shop market has grown at a modest Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 0.6% to hit $1.4 billion, gross margins for non-resort shops have tightened due to increased competition and unpredictable weather.

Diving deeper, using info from  to SAM  (Ski Area Management), KIRO 7 news, Grand View Research, and few other sources:

1. Margin Squeeze for Traditional Retailers

While the broader industry has seen robust growth in participation and apparel demand, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers away from resorts have faced declining gross margins. Shops are squeezed by having to match frequent online discounts and dealing with higher operating expenses (like labor, insurance, and utilities).

2. Resort-Affiliated Shops Remain Dominant

Retailers located directly at ski mountains (e.g., Christy Sports, Vail-owned shops) have maintained better overall profitability. They benefit heavily from the "captive audience" of destination skiers and pass holders who often rent gear or buy premium soft goods on-site.

3. Weather-Driven Volatility

Annual profits are highly weather-dependent. Warm winters and delayed snowpack have historically pushed the start of the retail season back, causing sharp, localized drops in early-season sales and forcing shops to rely on heavier markdowns at the end of the year

4. Shifts to E-Commerce

The growth in the ski and snowboard market has increasingly shifted online, with North American ski apparel sales through digital channels growing at an impressive 6.5% CAGR. While digital presence provides wider market access for retailers, it has driven aggressive pricing and increased price-comparison shopping.

5. Sector Growth and Premiumization

On the equipment and apparel manufacturing side, the global winter sports equipment market is valued at over $21 billion, projected to grow at a 4.5% CAGR. Premium and luxury ski clothing have been a major bright spot, with strong consumer demand for high-performance, eco-friendly, and stylish gear driving up average order values

All while ski areas have seen healthy growth recently, as reported by SAM. 

A key point in the linked article from SAM is that ski rental dollars have increased significantly.  Is that due to the fact that people are buying less ski gear?

Maybe. 

Most likely this applies to ski hardgoods, for which sales have dropped over the past few years.

Now that ski areas are offering high-end rentals and demos,  that allows people to use higher performance skis while not having to buy them outright, especially if their annual number of ski visits is less than 10 days. 

That said, given all the things I've pointed out above, anyone still making money as a ski retailer in New England should be savvy enough to be able to survive as a ski shop, even after the potential loss of income from a folded SIA show, esecially if they put an emphasis on online sales while managing a smaller retail foot print. 

In the end, who's the big loser from such a thing?

Us. 

The everyday Joe and Jane who are best served by brick and mortar shops in their region. 

The service side of the ski industry cannot be replaced by online retial.  Bindings need to be installed and adjusted.  Skis and snowbards need to be tuned and maintained, Boots need to be custon fit, repairs need to happen...

In my own little corner of the world, I've grown service dollars to accomodate these changes.  Service dollars are, by far, the highest margin dollars, and are essential to maintaining and growing business n the modern ski industry. 

Is that the best way for mom and pop shops to survive?

Partl;y- Remember, many of the services I listed above require a significant amount of expertise (boot fitting and ski tuning, for example).

Having a rental business helps as well - but that means either being closer to a ski area, or having a significant season lease business, as both Country Ski and Sport and Boston Ski and Tennis have built. 

Being in a major metropolitan area, reasonably close to New England SKi areas, Helps.  Rumor has it that BST does somewhere on the order of 10,000 season leases a year.  With their website listing prices that start at $189 for adults and $99 for kids, that a good chunk of money. 

In the end, what does moving the ski show mean?mmWell, I see several things.

SIA doesn't have the savvy of Bernie Weichel.  With the show moving, that means a reshuffle of dollars in the region.   It also leaves a bit of a void for Boston Ski sales. 

Will BST or Country ski and Sport swoop in to take advantage of the void?

They should. 

Whether they, or someone else does, remains to be seen.   

No matter how you slice it, it creates a bit of volativity for the sk industry in the Boston Area.

Hopefully, we will see some kind of return to regular retail sales with an emphasis on service,

and less of this "waiting for the big sale" miondset.  Unfortunately, that will likely take the better part of a generation, which will hurt the region, in the long run.  Additionally, a lot will need to happen for that change to take root- not the least of which is sother shos throughout the region need to stop having end of season sales at large discount percentages.    The end of season sale will never go away, but huge discounts on in-line good has to go away, or brick and mortar shops will become a thing of the past.