It’s that time of year again to get equipped for the upcoming ski season, and the Black Jack Ski Club is offering a way to do just that this weekend.
That’s because the club is holding their annual ski swap.
Drop-off of equipment is from 8:30-10:30 a.m. And selling begins at 11 a.m.
Diana Wilkes, an organizer with Black Jack, said people should get there early as there is generally a line up in the hallway at the Prestige Mountain Resort before the doors open.
“Then we kick open the passageway and it’s like a mob scene,” Wilkes joked. “We’re doing it a bit earlier this year so that people will be ready for the coming season and have their memberships and passes purchased. We want to get the buzz started early in the season.”
Wilkes said she suspects it will be an interesting event this year, as there is another big event going on in the vicinity, that is the grand opening of the Rossland downtown.
“I think it will have that social buzz about it. People have already been skiing, so you’ll hear those stories of so-and-so went here and so-and-so went there,” she said.
The club encourages people to bring out equipment that they’re not using or have grown out of.
“It’s a great opportunity to move that stuff along,” Wilkes noted. “Kid’s stuff is always highly desired, so if people have kids that are growing out of their sizes, I know the club always appreciates having a lot of kids’ sizes, because a lot of people come looking for used equipment for kids.”
While the swap is mostly tailored to Nordic skiing, clothing and equipment from backcountry and even downhill is sometimes available.
“It’s nice to have a Nordic focus, but certainly clothing is always welcome, jackets ski pants, toques, gloves,” she said. “There’s quite an array of stuff, but it tends to focus on boots, skis, bindings, poles.”
The Black Jack Racing Team will also be nearby to wax cross-country skis.
There will also be the chance to enter the Black Jack early bird prize competition.
Buy your season pass to the Black Jack Nordic groomed ski trails at the early bird price to be eligible for the next three drawings: Nov. 10, 20, and Dec. 1 (the last day for early bird pricing). Prizes in the November 10 draw include:
An adult season pass at Black Jack, Skate ski lesson with Lesley Beatson, Women on cross-country ski clinic with Andy Morel and a Handbag from Red Pair shoe store
If you don’t win a prize this time: you still remain entered for prizes in subsequent draws. To purchase your pass, go to the website and follow the directions there: www.skiblackjack.ca. The last day of early bird pricing is Dec. 1.
The Black Jack ski trails are a quick five-minute drive from downtown Rossland, and offer 40 km of machine-groomed track for skate and classic skiing, providing a great way to build and maintain fitness, have fun, enjoy the winter landscape and views, and socialize with friends, family, and neighbours.
The trails and facilities are maintained and operated by the mostly-volunteer Black Jack Ski Club.
The trails generally open earlier than Red Mountain Resort, so skiers can start to get their ski legs under them before the big pow hits. Black Jack also offers a 2.5 km night skiing loop; a doggy loop; a large trailhead cabin; two trailside cabins; a biathlon range; and more.
An adult pays off a season’s pass in ten or eleven visits at the early bird pricing. Owning a pass makes it easy to throw skis on and get outside, whether it is for a day or even just half an hour before or after work.