The only stats I have seen on the topic are that new snowboard sales are declining. They peaked about 5 or 6 years ago, when the ratio of skis to boards sold was just about 1:1. Snowboards have gotten more durable (NeverSummer boards come with a 3-year warranty), so that may be part of explanation. Another stat in the same article also stated that an average skier gets 6 days of skiing in during a year while the average snowboarder gets 11. Snowboarding is not going anywhere. Like skateboarding, its popularity ebbs and flows. These same articles come out about skating all the time, yet that never dies. It seems the people who write these articles don't like snowboarding in the first place, so they are hoping it goes away.