ORCA Reports Human-Powered Sports are Big Business

December 21, 2000

The Outdoor Recreation Coalition of America, the trade association of the outdoor industry, reports that human-fueled outdoor recreation generated more than $17 billion in retail sales of gear and apparel in 1999. 53% of Americans, or 111 million people, participated in one or more such activity.

ORCA tracks the following human-powered activities:
Backpacking, canoeing, car camping, cross-country skiing, hiking, kayaking, paved road bicycling, rafting, rock climbing, single track bicycling, snowshoeing, telemark skiing, trail running, wide dirt bicycling.

The report is generated from the more than 1100 retailers who belong to the Coalition. With the exception of rock climbing the average age of participants in these sports is over 30 years of age.