Budget Skiing and Other Oxymorons

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There’s no shortage of ways to get your ski gear. Below, I’m talking primarily about skis (or snowboards), boots, and poles, but there are plenty of other necessities like a helmet, goggles, weatherproof jacket and pants, balaclava, and the like.

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You can also splurge for heated gloves, socks, and insoles, and there are always the air-activated heat packs that get the job done one day at a time. Let’s look at the different ways to get your major ski equipment.

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Acquiring Gear

Buying new gear year after year would be aggravatingly costly, so some retailers offer trade-in programs where you pay for the first set and can trade up to larger gear for a relative small fee from the time they’re toddlers until they’re nearly full-grown.

As an example, a place near us called Boyne Country Sports has the wryly titled Junior Has a Fit program that gives you annual upgrade opportunities until your child weighs over 100 pounds, needs skis longer than 140 cm, or wears a snowboard boot of size 7. Spending a few dozen dollars per kid rather than a few hundred reduces the likelihood that Daddy Has a Fit each fall.

Similar discounts are made on all sorts of gear, including ski and snowboard gear. If you rented equipment a few times and have decided to make a hobby of your winter sport of choice, try shopping in the spring rather than the following fall. You may find some good deals on model-year-end closeouts.

First, you may be able to try out a bunch of different skis for the price of a deposit that will be applied toward the purchase of the skis you end up deciding to buy. Second, those lightly-used demo skis can often be bought late in the season or afterward at a substantial reduction as compared to the cost of buying brand new.

“Swap” isn’t the best term here, since you can show up empty-handed to one of these and walk away with some good used gear trading nothing but greenbacks for your skis, boots, poles, or board.

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Budget Skiing and Other Oxymorons

There’s no shortage of ways to get your ski gear. Below, I’m talking primarily about skis (or snowboards), boots, and poles, but there are plenty of other necessities like a helmet, goggles, weatherproof jacket and pants, balaclava, and the like.

You can also splurge for heated gloves, socks, and insoles, and there are always the air-activated heat packs that get the job done one day at a time. Let’s look at the different ways to get your major ski equipment.

Acquiring Gear

Buying new gear year after year would be aggravatingly costly, so some retailers offer trade-in programs where you pay for the first set and can trade up to larger gear for a relative small fee from the time they’re toddlers until they’re nearly full-grown.

Trade-in Programs

Similar discounts are made on all sorts of gear, including ski and snowboard gear. If you rented equipment a few times and have decided to make a hobby of your winter sport of choice, try shopping in the spring rather than the following fall. You may find some good deals on model-year-end closeouts.

End-of-Season Deals

Demo Skis

“Swap” isn’t the best term here, since you can show up empty-handed to one of these and walk away with some good used gear trading nothing but greenbacks for your skis, boots, poles, or board.

Ski Swaps

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