In 2021, outdoor recreation—pretty much anything not done under a roof—contributed $454 billion to the U.S. economy, or 1.9 percent of gross domestic product. It rebounded nearly 19 percent from pandemic lows, three times the rate of the economy as a whole.
Since March 2020, the number of new and returning outdoor recreationists has jumped 26 percent.
Men outnumber women 53.5 percent to 46.5 percent, but women are gaining ground: Since 2015, 20 million new females have adopted outdoor activities compared to 19 million males.
New outdoor enthusiasts are more diverse in race and age, but overall the outdoor sports culture remains mostly white—72 percent of participants.
Photo: Tim Foster
Ski touring is going bonkers, according to Snowsports Industries America. Front country, side country, and backcountry alpine touring participation doubled between the winter of 2020-21 and 2021-22, from 1.1 million tourers to 2.2 million.
It’s not just skiers. Snowboard touring jumped from 1.4 million riders to 2.1 million.
Who split-board tours the most? The Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Pacific regions each contributed
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