Bridging the Inclusion Gap in the Winter Outdoor Community Snowsports Industries America (SIA) launches Inclusive Leadership Playbook

May 3, 2021

SIA creates The Fresh Tracks Playbook, an inclusive leadership training guide for industry leaders on their journey to a more inclusive winter outdoor community.

Park City, Utah — Snowsports Industries America (SIA) is honored to launch an inclusive leadership training playbook for the winter outdoor community. Developed in partnership with PrismWork™, a national consulting firm on leadership and change management, the SIA Fresh Tracks Playbook seeks to enable and empower leaders from across the winter outdoor community to embrace the changing dynamics in the world at large and lean into a new kind of leadership that facilitates positive change both on and off the snow.

In the wake of Black Lives Matter, MeToo, LandBack and many more movements, we saw a rush of solidarity from many in the winter outdoor community. However, solidarity is not enough. The Fresh Tracks Playbook was created as a vital stepping-stone for SIA members on their path from solidarity to creating positive change. The Playbook uses language and metaphors that are relatable and relevant to the winter outdoor community. This design enables leaders of all levels to better understand and put into practice actionable tactics and tools necessary to foster a more inclusive winter culture.

“More people are getting outside, including new participants across multiple demographics. There has never been a better time to capture and embrace these new and potential winter sports and recreation enthusiasts. But it demands a new way of leading. The Fresh Tracks Playbook provides insights into a new model of leadership and the resources and tools for developing and strengthening your inclusive leadership skills.” says Maria McNulty, SIA’s Chief Operating Officer.

The opportunity to create a more inclusive winter outdoor industry is one we cannot afford to miss. It is not just a moral imperative; it’s a business imperative as well. Research shows the winter outdoor community is experiencing a near plateau in participation rates year over year. While the trends have historically been slightly on the rise overall, the overwhelming market is still predominantly white (67.5%), wealthy (51.6%), and male (59%). The research also shows a diversity of participants are equally excited to be a part of the winter outdoor community. In a recent SIA participation study of winter enthusiasts, 42% of BIPOC participants were excited for snowsports, which nearly matched their white counterparts (44%), and lower-income participant excitement surpassed that of middle-income participants. By ignoring the importance of diversity and inclusion in all aspects of business (from product design to marketing to workplace culture to customer experience), the winter outdoor community is missing a crucial opportunity to attract, grow and retain participants. Inclusive leadership is a foundational building block in welcoming new participants to the winter outdoor community and your business.

“We’re experiencing a tectonic shift that is disrupting all aspects of our lives. What used to work at work and in life no longer does. Your employees, your current customers, and your new consumers are demanding a new way of experiencing work and leisure, and that means a new way of leading.” states Corey Jones of PrismWork.

The Fresh Tracks Playbook is part of SIA’s inclusion initiatives, including Inclusivity training, Town Halls, discussions, and readings offered to SIA members. To learn more about the critical work SIA is doing to change the winter outdoor community, please visit the SIA inclusion page https://snowsports.org/inclusion/ or contact Maria McNulty at SIA – mmcnulty@snowsports.org

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About SIA

Founded in 1954 and based in Park City, UT, Snowsports Industries America (SIA) is a nonprofit, member-owned trade association representing the winter outdoor community including suppliers, retailers, sales reps, resorts and nonprofits whose mission is to help the winter outdoor community thrive. SIA provides value to its members through continuous education, insightful research, creating a path for an inclusive winter outdoor community, growing participation in winter outdoor sports and developing consumer events (Snowbound Festivals) that drive business, while advocating for pressing issues that face the winter outdoor industry such as climate change and tariffs. We are United By Winter. For more information and to become a member, visit snowsports.org.

About PrismWork

At PrismWork™, we partner with our clients to make culture their competitive advantage. We are a strategic consultancy that believes smart decisions begin with data and end with empowered communication to all stakeholders. Our data-driven insights, DE&I tools, employer branding solutions, and 21st-Century Leadership Labs™ fuel companies to create highly inclusive, highly productive, and highly profitable workplace cultures.

Our diverse team of experts in marketing, branding, people management, culture change, DE&I, and leadership uses our unique Workplace Culture Roadmap to help companies navigate the new world of work and prepare their leaders to encourage inclusive cultures of purpose and productivity using our proprietary HEARTI™ framework.