THE MOTHER OF ALL SWAPS
People have begun drooling at the thought. Texans and New Yorkers are already planning trips to Park City.
Yes, it's time for the Park City Ski Team Swap, the biggest and best ski and snowboard swap in the country. It will take place starting at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, November 2, through Sunday, Nov. 4. Lines will start forming early Friday afternoon. A tidal wave of people will rush in the very minute the doors open; so don't dawdle.
While skiers and snowboarders can score big time at this swap, it's really a paradise for racers. This is where you can snag stuff like last year's U. S. ski team racing suit for a few hundred bucks, or some junior's outgrown Spyder speed suit for $50. If you're a rec racer, this is where you can afford the kind of stuff you could only wish for before. It's actually worth driving to P. C. just to equip yourself for the season at this swap. Want a snowboard? Get one from a famous freerider for under $100, just fix up a few gouges on the base, or get some rich kid's former board, hardly used, for $50.
This is where riders on their way to the U. S. ski or snowboard roster donate their stuff to raise money for the Park City Ski Team, which is basically a feeder team for the U. S. ski team. So you've got vendors selling new goods, and racers selling last year's skis and other gear; plus a lot of donated stuff. It's a place to outfit yourself or, if you're a parent, the entire family, for pennies on the dollar.
Rob Clayton, headmaster of Park City's Winter School, once said, "You find such great ski bargains because this is the home of USSA, and more elite skiers live here than anywhere else in the country."
Ski racers can really score this year, because once again, the FIS has changed the rules about skis. The old sidecuts have been replaced with new ones, and since last year's skis are now illegal for sanctioned FIS races, higher level racers are going to be dumping their skis because they can no longer use them. You'll be able to pick up genuine race stock, with bindings, for about $100 bucks!
Some buying tips: Put the skis together to see that they aren't warped. Lay snowboards on a flat surface, like a counter or table, to check for warping. Check the bases carefully, a coat of wax can hide a gouge that may have ruined the ski or board.
A speed suit with some fraying because of gate rubbing has great character and is worth purchasing, but hold the crotch open and up to the light. If the crotch area is frayed or torn, the suit is finished, don't buy it. Check all zips and snaps to see that they work well, check all seams for rips. A seam can easily be sewn back together, a rip in the fabric itself may not be worth the bargain price.
The swap is at a new location this year: the Basin Recreation Field House in Kimball Junction. It's that big green building you see off the I-80 just past the Kimball Junction exit. For more info, go to: www.parkcityskiteam.org or call (435) 649-8749.
DATE: Nov. 2, 3, 4
TIME: Friday: 8pm . 1am; Saturday: 10am . 6pm; Sunday: 10am . 2pm
COST: Fri: $8; Sat: $5; Sun: $2; children 12 and under are free.
LOCATION: Basin Recreation Field House; New Park Center Drive, Kimball Junction