SEATTLE — There's no question that skiing and snowboarding are expensive sports.
Between the gear and lift tickets, visitors can easily spend well over $1,000. Doug Fish, the founder of Snowvana, a ski swap, said that's why he created the event: to make things more affordable and provide more access to the outdoors.
“What we’re trying to do is get more people on snow and spread the word it’s not too expensive if you know where to look," Fish said. “If you have a young family and you need to outfit kids, this is the place to do it. We have kids skis for under $100, snowboards for under $100. We can get your whole family outfitted for an affordable price.”
The event is being held in Magnuson Park Hangar 30 on Oct. 18 and 19. The event runs from noon to 8:00 p.m. Friday and 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday.
“We want to get people excited in October, getting their equipment now, getting season passes now, ticket packages and those things are all going to get more expensive," Fish said.
He said Snowvana isn't just about finding deals but also making sure gear is reused and doesn't end up in a landfill. He says his team scours the country year-round for equipment.
“Everything has been checked over by certified binding and ski experts so the equipment is very safe," he said.
As far as more equitable options for ski passes, there are several independent ski resorts in the region and at some, visitors can ski for about $50 on a weekday.