National Ski & Snowboard Retailers Association Announces Changes to Board of Directors

The National Ski & Snowboard Retailers Association (NSSRA) has selected Phillip Howard of Troy’s Ski Lubbock (Lubbock, TX) as its new Secretary/Treasurer of the NSSRA Board of Directors and has made three additions at its annual Board meeting on February 17, 2026.

Howard has been a member of the NSSRA Board and will serve a two-year term as secretary and treasurer. Joining the NSSRA Board in At-Large positions are Chris Bunch of Alpine Ski Shop (Sterling, VA), Nathan Otteman of Angles Ski, Board and Fly Shop (Longmont, CO) and Scott Paton of Arlberg Sports (Wenatchee, WA). Each has a three-year term that begins with their appointment and lasts through January 2029.

• Brad Nelson of HiTempo (White Bear Lake, MN) was re-elected to an at-large NSSRA Board position for a three-year term through January 2029.

• Robb Shepherd of Shepherd & Schaller Sporting Goods (Wausau, WI) and Stefan Hausberger of Zimmermans Skis, Boards & More (Nashua, NH) will continue to serve as NSSRA Board Chair and Vice Chair, respectively.

• Other members of the NSSRA Board are Matt Leonard of Ski Country Sports (Banner Elk, NC) and Gary Fleming and Tyler Lockard of Winter Sports Retailers.

• Tom Fuerst of Pedigree Ski Shop (White Plains, NY) is leaving the NSSRA Board after serving since 2013, including a term as Chair from 2024/25.

“Tom has been an outstanding contributor to NSSRA,” said Julie Pitts, NSSRA president. “For over a decade, his leadership helped to grow NSSRA as the voice of specialty snow sports retail. We thank Tom for his dedicated years of service and commitment to NSSRA and the industry. We wish him continued success.”

Founded in 1988, NSSRA is the retail voice for the ski and snowboard industries and provides information and services specialty snow sports retailers need to operate more successfully.

For years following the formation of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Committee on snow skiing, several independent shop owners worked to represent retailers’ interests. By 1987, it became apparent that a separate organization was needed to represent retailer interests in the ski industry on a nationwide scale. The National Ski Retailers Association (NSRA) was born.

To better represent the changes taking place on the slopes, the association changed its name in 1996 to the National Ski & Snowboard Retailers Association (NSSRA).

The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) has managed NSSRA since its inception in 1988 and provides a variety of services to specialty snow sport retailers such as corporate advocacy and legislative advocacy efforts including:

• tax policies affecting small businesses

• managing employment-based costs

• trade and tariffs

• anticompetitive behavior and marketplace fairness

• loss prevention

• sustainability/protection of the outdoors

• sports participation

NSGA’s Research Department also provides data to help NSSRA retailers succeed in their store operations. All retail members of NSSRA enjoy dual membership in NSGA.

NSSRA is working with other snow sports industry stakeholders to help grow participation in skiing and snowboarding.