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‘Gearing up’ for snow season — Ashland Ski and Gear Swap back to normal By Kevin Opsahl Updated: Dec 08, 2022 05:40 PM A A Willie Long, director of the SOU Outdoor Leadership Program, center helps organize gear Thursday for the Ashland Ski and Gear Swap inside Stevenson Union at Southern Oregon University. The sale runs Saturday and Sunday. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] The Rogue River Room of Southern Oregon University’s Stevenson Union was transformed into a skier wonderland Thursday in preparation for the annual Ashland Ski and Gear Swap this weekend. Colorful skis stood upright, ski boots filled tables, helmets sat perched on the top of shelves and accessories, from ninja masks to a Peru beanie, almost beckoned to be purchased by skiers eager to embrace white powder. Those skiers included Caroline Rihan and Sarah Evans, both SOU alumnae. “I like it when I’m going on a good ski — it feels like you’re flying,” Evans said. Rihan described skiing as “exhilarating and a great way to get outside.” Now, they’re both gearing up, you might say, for the snow season. “It feels like the snow came early this year — and a lot of it — and so we’re very excited,” Rihan said. “Shopping for new gear makes me want to get out and use it,” Evans said. Will Volpert, owner of the Phoenix-based Indigo Creek Outfitters, hopes to fulfill a passion for skiing by managing the Ashland Ski and Gear Swap, now 40-plus years strong. The event allows people to drop off their used skis and accessories for a sale that benefits the SOU Outdoor Leadership Program. Volpert noted this is the first year since before the pandemic that the event is operating in a normal form. In 2020, event restrictions canceled it, and in 2021, everyone attending had to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. “Last year was tough because it’s hard to turn people away at a community event,” Volpert said. “Having the dark cloud off it makes it a little more relaxing.” Even before the weekend sale began, the drop-off inventory alone seemed to lift that cloud. According to Volpert, data showed that as of Thursday afternoon, 1,652 items worth a combined $130,600 had come in. He expected those amounts would double or even triple by the end of the day Friday. Volpert said he believes the sale is a great event for families. “We see a lot of the same families year after year, who drop off last season’s gear and then buy stuff for this coming year,” he said. “Outdoor gear can be prohibitively expensive for folks. This is like a big community yard sale.” Rihan and Evans shared in the togetherness of the ski swap. They both brought clothes and ski boots. In terms of sale buying, Rihan and Evans both want cross-country ski boots. Evans added she also wants cross-country skis and ski polls. Both said the event brings both affordability and quality that many retail outlets don’t offer. “It’s such a big deal in this community,” Rihan said. “Ski gear is expensive, and so it feels like great way to acquire the gear that we want without having to pay astronomical fees.” Evans agreed. “About three years (ago), I got ski boots and downhill skis for $90, and I’m still using them to this day,” she said. Half of the proceeds from the Ashland Ski and Gear Swap will go to the SOU Outdoor Leadership Program, which offers an indoor climbing center, Pacific Northwest trips and equipment rentals, to name a few. “We do a lot,” Willie Long, assistant director of the SOU Outdoor Leadership Program and Climbing Center. Long, who’s been in his position for almost a decade, said the ski and gear swap has been of great benefit to the program he helps lead. “That could be buying equipment, repairing equipment, paying our staff, getting trips out the door — all those kinds of things,” Long said. SOU Outdoor Leadership Program typically makes $6,000 to $10,000 each year from the event. “Any year that there’s snow on the ground when a ski swap happens is above average,” Long said. “The fact that people are out skiing already definitely fuels excitement.” He noted the ski and gear swap is one of the Outdoor Program’s biggest fundraisers of the year. “It’s really cool that the past leadership of the program built it and continued to foster it to where it is today, so we have something that is a big fundraiser each year,” Long said. Volpert called the swap a great community-building event. “There’s something about bringing these outdoor-minded folks with anticipation of a fun ski season ahead,” he said. “There’s just really good energy. Even though it’s a really time-consuming and sometimes stressful event to put on, one of the most rewarding things is being around that energy.” The Ashland Ski and Gear Swap is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday for another day of gear drop-off for sellers. The sale for buyers runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 10, and 9 a.m. to noon, Sunday, Dec 11. Both days, the sale will be inside the Rogue River Room in the Stevenson Union at SOU. Cash, credit and debit cards are the only forms of payment accepted. Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.