I went to the big ski swap at the Ski Center of Washington DC on Sunday, October 26, 2008. It was a beautiful day for bargain hunting. This event is managed by the Ski Liberty Ski Patrol and it’s my favorite ski swap in the area. It’s also one of the largest. As the head of a family of six I’m always looking to upgrade someone’s ski kit. I’ve attended this particular swap probably five out of the last six years and once again it featured a great selection of late model skis, boots, and accessories.

Shoppers pick through goods at Ski Center’s swap. Photo provided by Jim Kenney.

The Ski Center of Washington swap offers hundreds, maybe thousands, of skis and boots of all sizes and quality. It runs from approximately 9 am until 3 pm. If you’re selling, merely register with the Ski Patrol in the morning and they will sell your merchandise. Return by closing time to pick up unsold items. Later you’ll get a check in the mail for any sold items, less a 20% commission for the benefit of the Patrol.

On this visit I picked up two pairs of boots and skis for my daughters. The early bird gets the worm at swaps and by 9:30 am I’d already grabbed some Dynastar Ladies Exclusive skis, a model 8 and a model 9. These are woman-specific intermediate level skis and they were in excellent condition. They are approximately three to four years old. Both had been freshly tuned and included Look Exclusive bindings. They were in the popular ladies sizes of 148 and 142 cm and went for $129 each.

DCSki Columnist and Liberty Ski Patroller Jim Chen (in red) offers expert advice. Photo provided by Jim Kenney.

I also purchased a lower grade pair of Atomic ski boots as “back-ups” at $39 in size 26.5 (US 8.5). The highlight of the day, however, was a pair of Salomon Ellipse 8.0 Women’s ski boots size 25.5 (8) which my teenage daughter badly needed. They have an open throat shell for easy entry and appeared to be in nearly new condition. I believe they are a 2005 model. We got them for $75. Total bill for the day $372, that means about $75 to help the Ski Liberty Patrol. Sounds like a win-win to me!

I must offer a big shout out to Ski Center, located just off 49th and next to Crate & Barrel. They not only offered up their premises as host site for the day, but also seeded the swap with some great new and used ski hardware and clothing. Sometimes their personnel also join the Liberty Patrollers in offering sales advice and assistance. This is a fine public service event for the Ski Patrol and the skiing public.

The rewards of Jim Kenney’s efforts. Photo provided by Jim Kenney.