Lessons learned at the Ski Swap

For half a dozen years, I haven't missed one Park City Ski Swap. This year, as it was the 46th anniversary of the event, I noticed less attendees and a poorer selection than usual. Maybe online sales, end-of-ski-season sales, and stuff found around places like Costco, are somehow cutting into the interest skiers had for this kind of event.

At any rate, I was intent on buying a new pair of ski and had clear specs in mind: no more than 180 cm long, as lightweight as possible, and around 80 mm at the waist. I found all of this in a pair of 180 cm, Dynastar Legend X80, that I paid $428.35, versus some $600 at retail, but that was until I discovered, later on, that I could have bought it today, online, via evo.com for only $323.97 including shipping!

Okay, I made a mistake, but don't regret the entry fee that goes to the Park City Ski Team. Next time, though, I'll make sure to use my smart phone and the check current prices for the product I've found and want to purchase.

This said, much more than shopping for skis, ski swaps are fabulous for trying on a wide variety of ski-boot models and taking as much needed time to do so. The brand and model selection at these events is huge, and certainly much larger than at any ski retailers. The procedure should be the same as for ski. Find the model and size needed and compare with what's available on the web.

This way you can't lose. Have fun shopping!