On the Friday before Labor Day, my hubby and I went to Wachusett Mountain and did a little shopping during their huge annual Labor Day sale. The 2017 skis and snowboards, along with bindings and boots, were at deep discounts. The equipment weren’t the only items for sale, either! Every coat, pair of snowpants, base layers, mittens, gloves, and other accessories from 2017 were discounted as much as 70% off! Even the 2018 items were as much as 20% off (I ended up with a brand new pair of much-needed snowpants). It was a great event to poke around and see if anything could be replaced in our own stash of winter stuff. Wachusett turns their annual sale into a big festival, filled with food, beer, entertainment, skyrides to the summit, and all sorts of activities for the kids. It’s a great time for families to spend time together all while preparing for the upcoming ski/snowboard season. As I do more research, Labor Day weekend sales are not limited to my local mountain. I have seen deep discounts at places like Breckenridge in Colorado, Northstar California Resort, and Bolton Valley in Vermont. Also, the sales are not limited to mountain resorts. I love heading up to the mountain(s), because it’s always a fun little experience, but you can always go to local ski/snowboard stores that hold tent sales, or even online (Backcountry is a great place to start).
I know you’re thinking, “but Labor Day already happened, so what good is this info now”. I wanted to give you a heads up for next year’s sale, in case you missed it all this year. Don’t fear, though. Most of the stores and mountain resorts aren’t done with their sales just yet. I know we have a couple more months before the flakes begin to fly, which means we have plenty of time to build up our gear! Wachusett Mountain has a HUGE Columbus Day Sale & Swap. Of course, Wachusett adds beer, food, and entertainment on top of their sale, yet again, to make the entire experience fun! The best part? My local mountain isn’t the only one that holds an event like this! Just like for Labor Day, mountain resorts and ski/snowboarding stores hold all sorts of swaps and sales right around Columbus Day weekend. It is a great way to stock up on the gear you need, especially for the little ones in your life. I don’t know about you all, but my kids won’t stop growing! Why not drop off the stuff that doesn’t fit and exchange it for stuff that does??
So, get on your computers, do your research on local stores or mountain resorts, find your sales, mark your calendars, and get out there! It’s never too early to be ready for snow :).
Featured Photo by Kipras Streimikis
Blog photo by Max Kukurudziak