Cross-country skiing saw unprecedented growth; manufacturers couldn’t keep up

Cross-country skiing is the second half of David Shribman's Daily Double. (Getty Images)

After navigating through the past couple of seasons — during which a perfect storm brought major supply chain disruptions to coincide with historic growth in the sport and unprecedented demand for new equipment — nordic retailers and trail operators across New England finally are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.

The global supply of skis, particularly cross-country skis, initially was impacted in October 2020 when fire destroyed Fischer’s factory in Ukraine. Fischer produced 60 percent of its total product at the factory, where it made around 180 models of cross-country skis, including those for other large companies such as Rossignol, Alpina, Dynafit, Scott and Hagan. The pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February continue to disrupt manufacturing, not only in Ukraine but throughout Europe, potentially impacting about half of the skis sold across the world.

These supply challenges certainly were felt by a generally flat alpine ski industry but were particularly stressful in a nordic category that, according to Nick Sargent, president of Snowsports Industries America, grew a whopping 800 percent during the pandemic. 

“The growth was tremendous,” Sargent told journalists in November during the Snowbound Expo in Boston. “It was one of those things where it is once in a lifetime that you’re going to see that kind of growth.”

Reese Brown, executive director of Vermont-based Cross Country Ski Areas Association, whose 350 North American members include cross-country ski areas, resorts, trail systems, guides, outfitters and related businesses, said everyone has felt the supply pinch. Brown said disruptions in Ukraine and Europe have caused supply shortages, but, more importantly, demand was way up as many skiers were buying for the first time or upgrading their equipment quicker than usual.

Since COVID-19, Brown said interest in cross-country skiing surged because people wanted to avoid the choke points of alpine, including the lodge, lift lines and shuttle busses.

“We also saw people who generally chose to exercise indoors come out to cross-country ski,” he said. “We also saw lapsed cross-country skiers come back to cross-country. And many of those that cross-country skied since COVID have been skiing more frequently than in the past. 

“That fall of 2020, we saw a jump in entry-level equipment sales by over 30 percent,” Brown said. “We normally do not see entry-level sales until much closer to the season. Rentals were also affected, with many ski areas entering that 2020-21 season with few to no rentals due to the regular cycle of selling off equipment every three years.”

To offset the lack of product from the major brands, Brown said many CCSAA members looked to the smaller brands that manufacture in non-China countries. “They were also able to source unsold equipment from parts of Europe that had not felt the major growth,” he said.

Jes Carter of the family-run Carter’s XC Ski Shop and Center in Bethel, Maine, said the pandemic caused a genuine shift in peoples’ interest and passion in getting outside. “People are excited to try new outdoor sports and spend time with friends doing activities that are both affordable and engaging,” she said, “not to mention fun — especially if they can include their furry friends.”

Beyond the pandemic, American women’s successes in nordic events at the past two Winter Olympics also have contributed to a surge in interest. “How wonderful it is to have positive, strong and competitive women role models in the nordic skiing division of the Olympics,” Carter said. “We have seen an increased interest in specific technical ski-wear, especially Jessie Diggins’ line of Swix lobster mitts.”

Carter said the Bethel operation has felt the pinch of equipment shortages but has expanded its options by ordering from a lot of different companies. “We have to have our orders in at the beginning of the year, even before we know what is going to sell,” she said. “Then we are waiting until the late fall to get some of our inventory, and we are currently still awaiting our rental fleet. Luckily, we order a lot of inventory, one of the biggest in New England, so we usually have something for everyone.”

In addition to selling a wide variety of equipment, Carter’s has expanded its rental offerings and provides more than 55 kilometers of groomed trails for classic, skate and ungroomed trails for backcountry skiing. “Our ski trails accommodate beginners to experienced skiers, snowshoers and fat-tire bikers,” Carter said. “We have rentals for all of those, too.”

Steve Flagg of Nordic Skier in Wolfeboro, N.H., celebrating 50 years since his parents Cal and Verna Flagg opened the shop in 1972, said the shop has managed to get its best inventory this season in several years across most categories of cross-country skis, boots and all other gear.

“We attempted to secure equipment from multiple suppliers the last few seasons with no success, with thousands of sales lost due to broken supply chains,” Flagg said. “This season is the best it has been in years. We just need some natural snow.”

Nordic Skier also serves as the headquarters for Wolfeboro Cross-Country Ski Association, a nonprofit that maintains a 30-kilometer trail system. Steve is head groomer for the system, and the shop sells trail passes, so it has seen first-hand the increase in skiers and snowshoers.

“Last season was a record year for Wolfeboro Cross-Country Ski Association,” Flagg said. “Will it continue? That’s anyone’s guess.”