How to Buy Used Ski Equipment

If you go skiing more than once a year, owning your own gear makes sense. You save gas mileage and money spent going to rent skis at a local shop or at the base of the resort. Plus, you get reliably consistent performance from the gear, which enables you to ski better. Used gear can be a great way to get a good pair of skis, or even a pair of rock skis for early season/low-coverage snow.

Instructions

    • 1

      Check with your local ski shop over the course of the year to see when it might be selling off its rental fleet. Rental skis often are lightly used, and most ski shops sell off their rental inventory every year or two.

    • 2

      Check around to see if any ski shops have consignment gear. In a consignment sale, a shop will take a person's gear, sell it for them, and split the sale profits. Usually, the gear must be in tiptop shape before a shop will take it on consignment.

    • 3

      Check places like Craigslist online to see what type of gear is available. There are usually a fair number of skis and boots being sold online at any time.

    • 4

      Call the gear manufacturers to see if they are selling off their demo inventory. Most ski and boot manufacturers carry a fleet of demo gear each year to take to resorts for demo days. They then sell this inventory off at the end of the season at great prices, and the gear usually is in even better shape than that of a local shop's rental inventory.

    • 5

      Inspect the gear carefully before buying. Most used gear is offered on an "all sales final" basis. With skis, check the edges to make sure they are intact and not separating from the ski bases. Inspect the bases to look for repair spots and core shots in the "P-tex." With boots, pull out the liner and inspect it, and ask the seller how many times the liner has been heat-molded. Most boot liners can be remolded up to six times, so if it has not been molded more than once or twice, you can have it molded to your feet.