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Amer Sports Lifts Q3 Outlook as Pickleball Hits 24.3 Million US Players: Q4 Sourcing for Snowsports and Court Gear

A weekly sourcing briefing for outdoor gear brands, distributors and private-label retailers.

Two headlines landed inside 24 hours this week, covering the two halves of almost every outdoor accessory programme we see. On September 16, Amer Sports raised its third-quarter outlook. The same day, Sports & Fitness Industry Association data put United States pickleball at 24.3 million players. Both point to one conclusion: the September order window is where Q4 margin is decided.

Amer Sports lifts Q3 guidance as Salomon takes the Investor Day spotlight

SGB Media reported on September 16 that Amer Sports, Inc. raised third-quarter guidance and now expects year-over-year revenue growth of 20% to 22%, up from a previous range of 18% to 20%, with adjusted operating margin slightly above the high end of the previously guided 13.5% to 14.0%. The upgrade landed one day before an Investor Day webcast from Annecy, France, built around the Salomon brand.

Chief executive James Zheng said the group’s “unique portfolio of premium sports & outdoor brands continues to deliver great financial results in a challenging marketplace, led by continued strong growth across all three segments.” Amer’s brand list reads like a map of the categories our factory builds accessories for: Arc’teryx, Salomon, Atomic, Armada, Peak Performance and Wilson.

The group reiterated a five-year algorithm of low-double-digit to mid-teens annual revenue growth with 30 to 70+ basis points of annual adjusted operating margin expansion. The function-led end of the outdoor market is still growing, and the brands attached to it are planning volume rather than retreating.

Trail runner on a high alpine ridge line above a mountain lake, carrying a hydration vest

Vail Resorts confirms the 2026/27 countdown as Super El Niño talk builds

Vail Resorts announced planned 2026/27 opening dates across 37 North American resorts. Keystone hopes to open as soon as possible in October, Breckenridge follows on November 6, Vail Mountain on November 13, and Whistler Blackcomb, Park City Mountain, Heavenly and Northstar on November 20. Beaver Creek and Crested Butte are set for November 25, with Kirkwood and Stevens Pass on December 4.

Bill Rock, president of Vail Resorts’ Mountain Division, said the company is “taking an aggressive approach to snowmaking,” with more than $100 million invested across its portfolio since 2015. Opening dates are the clearest signal of when retail reorders begin, and snowmaking is what protects those dates when natural snowfall arrives late.

Pickleball reaches 24.3 million US players — and 193 new equipment brands

SFIA’s participation research records 24.3 million American pickleball participants in 2025, roughly 479% growth against the approximately 4.2 million players recorded in 2020 and a 171.8% increase between 2022 and 2025 — the fastest growth of any US sport over that period. Participation runs 57% male and 43% female.

USA Pickleball’s 2025 Annual Growth Report adds the supply-side detail: the Pickleheads court database passed 18,258 locations and 82,613 known courts, and membership grew to 104,828. Most revealing: 790 new paddle and ball submissions were tested and approved in 2025 — 718 paddles and 72 balls — and 193 new manufacturers and brands registered with the governing body in a single year.

That number is the real story for sourcing teams. Demand is no longer the constraint; approved supply and the accessory layer around it are. Bags, paddle covers, edge and grip tape and ball carriers sit adjacent to a market adding players faster than it adds approved brands.

Pickleball player in branded apparel returning a ball during a rally on a blue and green outdoor court

Soft goods caution, hard goods opportunity

SGB Media reported that BMO Capital initiated coverage on Nike, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Deckers Outdoor and Lululemon with “Underperform” ratings, expecting trends to shift toward fashion and away from athletic footwear and athleisure. Two days earlier, Morgan Stanley was reported to have turned “cautious” on sportswear stocks.

Set next to Amer’s upgrade, a pattern appears: shelf space is rotating out of fashion-led soft goods and into function-led hard goods and the accessories that make them usable. Ski carrier straps, hook-and-loop equipment straps, padded protectors and gear bags carry no fashion risk and are reordered season after season.

What to lock in before October

Sourcing these programmes factory-direct

Vertasport is the export brand of Shenzhen Hongxiangwen Hook & Loop Co., Ltd., a manufacturer with more than 16 years of production experience in hook-and-loop fastening systems and outdoor tie-down accessories. We build ski and snowboard carrier straps, equipment straps, motorcycle tie-downs, neoprene protectors and bags as factory-direct OEM/ODM programmes — low MOQ, private label, custom colours and webbing widths, sample service and a 24-hour quotation response. Materials can be supplied with REACH and RoHS compliant documentation, and we can arrange BSCI audit or ISO 9001 recertification on request.

If your 2026/27 accessory plan is still open, send us your spec, drawing or reference sample for pricing, lead time and a material data pack.

Email: sales@vertasport.com
WhatsApp: +86 134 80606826

Sources: SGB Media; Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA); USA Pickleball; Vail Resorts / PR Newswire.