The annual Ski and Skate Sale put on by the Capital Ski and Outing Club has been a holiday fixture in Concord for more than 30 years.
Every year on the first Saturday of December, people line up hours in advance for the chance to score some gnarly snow gear – skis, snowboards, skates, snowshoes – at a big discount. There’s a mix of new equipment sent in by dealers and used goods submitted by members of the community. And all of it is good stuff, for cheap.
But one big thing is changing this year: the location.
The sale had always been held at the Green Street Community Center, but the city needs that space for storage this year and so the sale had to find a new spot, said Cheryl Haydon, president of the Capital Ski and Outing Club.
“This is a big deal because we moved out of the Green Street Community Center,” she said.
So this year, you can snag your gear at the Steeplegate Mall, where Circuit City used to be.
How did they land that real estate?
“One of the other directors worked two or three jobs at the mall, so she knew about the location, that the space was available,” Haydon said. “She talked to someone at the mall and they said we could use it.”
With the new location comes more space – a lot more. Haydon said they’ve gone from about 7,000 square feet at Green Street – “space was always tight,” she said – to about 30,000 square feet at the former Circuit City. That means more product and more room for people to walk around without worrying about knocking over an entire rack.
“It’s great,” Haydon said. “We will have more items for sale. Dealers have been invited to bring more items to the show.”
There are about eight to 12 dealers supplying product this year, Haydon said, including a couple new dealers. And of course, there will be plenty of items supplied by the community.
“Maybe 80, 85 percent (of items) are from dealers, about 20 percent from the public,” Haydon said.
And if you want to finally get rid of those skis you used once in your life, there’s something in it for you, too: cash.
All private sellers (people like you) get 80 percent of the sale cost back. So if your skis sell for $100, you’ll get a cool $80. If they don’t sell at all, better luck next year.
While we’re talking about math, it’s worth noting that 20 percent of the proceeds will go back to the Capital Ski and Outing Club. That money helps the club pay for things like trail grooming – “We groom the trails at Carter Hill,” Haydon said. It also helps pay for the cost of the sale.
If you do have gear you’d like to sell, there’s still time. You can drop off your items at the location from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday or 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. You’ll just have to fill out a sheet with your information.
As far as what kinds of items you can sell?
“We take whatever,” Haydon said. “There’s not any one thing that we’re looking for.”
Staff members will check the bindings of all skis and boards to make sure they’re in good enough shape to sell. Other than that, it’s basically a free-for-all. Bring down whatever you have. The worst that can happen is they say they can’t sell it.
Although most items are modern and can actually be used on the snow or ice, Haydon said there are always some antique or strictly decorative items, like old-fashioned snowshoes people like to hang above the fireplace. So bring those, too.
Also new this year is the ability to use credit cards.
“That’s a really big deal,” Haydon said.
Now you can buy winter gear for the whole family without having to worry about paying for it right away. It’s just $25 a month for the next 12 years!
