Highlands Trailblazer Dust Em’ Off Ski Swap – 2023

The Highlands Trailblazer Dust Em’ Off Ski Swap is an annual fundraiser for the not-for-profit ski club, the Highlands Trailblazers. You will need to book a time slot to enter the ski swap. Each time slot will be for 1 hour, each person entering the swap needs to book a time slot. This allows us to control the flow of traffic and provide advice and support to customers who would like help selecting their equipment.

Tickets will become available on October 4 at 9AM.

Please note that if you are unable to find equipment in the ski swap the Highlands Nordic ProShop will be open on a first come first service basis.

Buy & Selling Equipment

• There is no cost to place equipment into the ski swap. However, if the equipment sells, 20% of the sale price goes to the Highlands Trailblazers Ski Club. All sales are processed through the Highlands Trailblazer Race Society, then money is e-transferred or a cheque is mailed.
• The Ski Swap runs from 10AM to 4PM on Saturday. Time slots will be spaced out accordingly.
• You may drop off equipment to sell during the following times:

- October 23 to October 26, 12:30pm – 3:30pm

- October 27, 12:30pm – 8:00pm

- October 28, 7:30am – 9:00am

On the evening of October 28, you will receive an email from skiswap@highlandstrailblazers.ca to indicate what equipment has sold and is unsold.

• Unsold items must be picked up during the following times:

- Sunday, October 29, 10:00am – 2:00pm

- Wednesday, November 1, 5:00pm – 7:00pm

- Saturday, November 4, 1:00pm – 5:00pm

Any unsold items not picked up by 5:00pm on Saturday November 4^th, 2023 (unless otherwise arranged) will automatically be considered a donation to Highlands Trailblazers.

• We request the children 12 and under looking for recreational equipment stay home as the swap can be a very busy environment. See Tips for Purchasing Kids Equipment below.
• Due to the high demand of service needs during the ski swap, we are unable to provide binding installs, ski waxing and other in-depth ski service “while you wait” during the ski swap. There will be service intake where we can sort out what you need. Any service equipment dropped off during the ski swap will be ready for pick up by Saturday November 4^th, 2023.

Tips For Purchasing Kids Equipment

As we are limited to the number of people we are able to allow in the swap. We suggest recreational classic skiers 12 years and under stay home, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get them set up for the season!

Here are some steps that will assist you and our volunteers to get the young skier in your life set up for the winter.

1. Trace your skier’s foot on a piece of cardboard or cardstock. This will allow us to compare their foot to the insole of the ski boot. We suggest going a little bigger to get about 2 years of use. Fill the boot with an extra insole, and put on a good ski sock. Once that gets too tight you can take the extra insole out. 
2. Measure up to their shoulder in centimetres. This will be for their ski poles. This measurement is a little taller than the typical ski pole sizing. This sizing would typically get about 2 years of use out of the equipment. If you plan on just using the equipment for 1 season measure up to their armpit. New skiers 5 years and under do not need ski poles.
3. Measure to the top of their head in centimetres. This will be for their skis. Depending on their ability we will choose a ski from head height to 10cm over top of their head. At this age having their weight is not as important. Kids skis are designed to be soft, which means the ski makes more contact with the snow to give them more control. 

How Your Equipment Will Be Prepared – we will assist you

1. Create an Intake Form on-site. Create a code to represent you; ideally your initials combined with an individual number for each item. EG. Samuel William Smith is selling 2 pieces of equipment. His code would be SWS1, SWS2

Be sure to include, clearly printed, your name, address, phone number and email address and date equipment was brought in.

2. Write out a tag for each item like the attached picture (Fig. 1). Make sure to include your code, size (European), description, and price. Repeat the same information twice on the tag. We can give you a suggested price range, however you must be the one to set the final price. Ski Swap attendees will not be able to barter with the price.

3. Tag each item. Fasten the tag securely to the item. Keep equipment together! Use an elastic to keep skis together (tape around skis will have to be cut for ski testing). Use tape to keep poles together. Use string to tie boots together, please make sure string is at least 24 inches long so that boots can easily be tried on without cutting.

4. One copy of the intake form stays with the seller, the other with the club for administrative purposes.