One of the vendors who will display goods at the Oct. 24-25 swap was in Flagstaff, Ariz., recently for a similar sale. "Their numbers were way up," she related, relieved the financial crisis apparently was not discouraging people from gearing up for recreating in the winter of 2008-09.
"The economy is a huge elephant out there," Getzelman acknowledged, hopeful that difficult times will influence would-be purchasers to look for deals at one of the many ski and snowboard swaps held annually in northern Utah.
Even more than the economy, her main concern for Rowmark's big weekend is weather.
"If it's warm weather, we don't make as much," Getzelman said. "If we have lousy weather, we tend to get more people coming in on Saturday," the second and closing day of the swap.
Like the Park City Ski Team Swap that takes place Nov. 7-9, Rowmark's swap requires sellers to bring their gear to the sales site in advance. If their stuff sells, they also must expect to share the profits. Rowmark takes a 25 percent commission to support its elite youth ski program; Park City takes 30 percent for its racers.
Other swaps, including the St. Lawrence Thrift Store's annual sale in Heber City, do not take a cut. And unlike the two ski team fundraisers mentioned above, the thrift store charges no admission fee.
Consequently, said thrift store director Sue Carlton, "we will have the best prices anywhere. To us, it's more of a community service. We want to provide everyone in the community with affordable snowgear. We want to make sure that even if you don't ski, snowboard or ice skate, you can get everything you need to stay warm if you have to be outside during the winter."
Proceeds go largely to "Ninos on Skis," a 10-year-old program that pairs English-speaking families around Park City with Hispanic children who don't have the resources to ski or snowboard.
Each swap is a little different. Black Diamond's swap is like a giant garage sale: People show up and sell anything and everything, keeping all the money. Rowmark, for instance, is not accepting snowboard equipment or clothing, except for ski-racing speed suits and protective gear. But it will have an abundance of Alpine equipment, Getzelman said, as well as telemark gear.
For people uncertain about what they should be looking for, Rowmark's cadre of fast young skiers will be on hand to answer questions. Don't be afraid to ask, Getzelman stressed.
"Skiing is why they're here. It is something they love to do," she said. "Sometimes you can't get them to stop talking about it."
Who can blame them?
