February 19, 2008

OnTheSnow.com Captures Half of Snow Sports Market in Latest Web Rankings

Number One Visited Snow Sports Web Site Delivers More Than Five To One Audience, According To Nielsen//Netratings And Hitwise Competitive Intelligence

OnTheSnow.com has again established its industry dominance as the number one visited snow sports Web site, capturing 49.6 percent of the snow sports portal market share by logging nearly 1.2 million unique viewers in January 2008 according to Nielsen//NetRatings. The ranking, certified by Hitwise Competitive Intelligence, increases OnTheSnow.com’s market share from 34.61 percent a year ago.

OnTheSnow.com is visited by more people to research and plan their ski trips then any other ski Web site because they cover nearly every ski area in the world’s daily snow reports, cams, trail maps, and important statistics. The site is published in 7 languages year-round.

“OnTheSnow.com continues to be the go-to place for snow sports enthusiasts interested in getting the most up-to-date information including ski reports, news and user reviews,” said Rob Brown, president and publisher of Mountain News Corporation. No other ski Web site or ski media outlet has as large an audience and reach world-wide as OnTheSnow.com. “We probably send more people skiing around the world then all ski Web sites combined.”

By capturing half of the snow sports market, OnTheSnow.com furthers its leadership position ahead of their competition. The next closest ski Web portal has an audience share of 8.21 percent. Hitwise Competitive Intelligence, an online measurement company, ranked the top 11 snow sports portal Web sites in its market share report released this month.

OnTheSnow.com’s content is syndicated in more than 1,000 media sites around the world, including Yahoo!, Weather.com, AccuWeather.com, Microsoft Search, Travelocity, Expedia, Clear Channel Interactive and many more through its parent company, Mountain News Corporation. “Media outlets rely on Mountain News for their ski reports because we are an objective, independent media company with no vested interest to promote a ski area or region,” added Brown.

About OnTheSnow.com and Mountain News Corporation
OnTheSnow.com is a consumer Web site published by Mountain News Corporation now in its 40th year. Mountain News is the global, year-round source for news and information on mountain recreation and ski travel. They also publish Industry Report and MountainGetaway.com.