August 23, 2003 (Cavendish, VT) – SnowSports Industries America (SIA)
and American Hiking Society (AHS), announced the 9th annual Winter Trails
event will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2004. This program is part
of SIA's Winter Feels Good, a nationwide public awareness campaign that
promotes the health, fitness, social aspects and benefits of snow sports
participation.

Volunteer hiking trail clubs and event leaders from partnering community
parks, nature centers and public recreation lands will team with snowshoe
and outdoor gear suppliers to introduce recreational enthusiasts to the
sport of snowshoeing and winter hiking, free of charge.

The one-day event is geared towards families, hikers and fitness walkers,
recreational enthusiasts, school groups and youth organizations who are
interested in learning more about the sport of snowshoeing. Programs and
activities will include the basics on getting started, how to dress, picking
the right shoe, kids activities and more. Free, guided hikes, tours and
seminars will occur throughout the day at every event site location.

This year's trail locations include Weston Ski Track, Boston, Mass.; High
Point Center, Sussex N.J.; Michigan Snowshoe Center, Roscommon, Mich.;
Echo Lake, Idaho Springs, Colo.; Hope Valley Resort, Calif.; Snoqualmie
Ski Area, Seattle, Wash.; Waterbury Center, Vt.; and Portland, Ore.. A
later event will also be held at Estes Park, Colo., on February 14, 2004.

Winter Trails 2004 is the ninth annual national snowshoe event series
hosted by winterfeelsgood.com and AHS. In 2003, the Winter Trails event
reported over 7,000 participants, a significant increase over 2002
participation. OIA Participation Study/Leisure Trends research findings in
2002 report
snowshoeing participation now equals 5.9 million, up 8% from 2001 figures.
Snowshoeing is the only winter sport to experience 'growth' in 2002. The
five-year track on snowshoeing shows 92% growth since 1998. For more
information on the Winter Trails program, visit www.wintertrails.org.

Sponsors for the 2003 event include: Atlas Snowshoe Company, Backpacker
Magazine, Clif Bar, Little Bear Snowshoes, Kamik Boots, Mountain Safety
Research, Nike ACG, Redfeather Design, Salomon, TSL Snowshoes, Tubbs
Snowshoe Company and Yakima. The program is presented by SIA's
winterfeelsgood.com and AHS.

American Hiking Society is a national nonprofit organization dedicated
to establishing, protecting and maintaining foot trails in America.
American Hiking has 8,500 individual members and 125 affiliate organizations
representing approximately 500,000 hikers.

Winter Feels Good the clearinghouse for information about the health,
fitness and social aspects of winter sports. SIA is the national, nonprofit,
member-owned trade association of more than 600 competing snow sports
product manufacturers, suppliers and distributors working together to
promote and
develop the snow sports industry. SIA also annually produces more than a
dozen industry
research studies. For more information, check out www.winterfeelsgood.com.