Skiers and snowboarders across Albuquerque are digging through closets this week, pulling out boots, jackets and boards for a sale that has outfitted New Mexico's slopes for nearly six decades. The New Mexico Ski Swap returns to Expo New Mexico this weekend for its 59th year, with proceeds going straight to the all-volunteer Sandia Peak Ski Patrol.
The swap is the patrol's biggest annual fundraiser, according to KOB 4, and shoppers can expect new and used ski gear for sale alongside the chance to bring in their own well-loved equipment to sell. The Sandia Peak Ski Patrol describes itself as a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), all-volunteer organization, and its own materials say the two-day sale has served as its primary funding source since 1967, providing the operating budget it runs on for the rest of the year.
Rena Aragon, who KOB 4 reports was a new candidate patroller last year, said the ski swap is the patrol's main source of revenue and that proceeds go back to patrollers directly. She told the station that swap proceeds covered her training fees and additional training costs.
What's For Sale and Why It Matters
The scale of the sale is hard to miss. The event's official site, nmskiswap.org, advertises thousands of new and used items from vendors and consignors, with more than 17,000 items to choose from this year. The commissions earned from those sales fund the patrol's annual training, equipment and medical supplies, according to the site.
That mission has deep roots. The patrol has been a nonprofit since 1940 and is an all-volunteer organization with National Ski Patrol membership; the ski swap — running since 1967 — remains its primary funding source today. The swap website notes that putting on the event cost about $64,000 back in 2012, underscoring just how much the weekend sale has to generate to keep the patrol equipped.
Friday's VIP Night and Gear Check-In
The weekend kicks off Friday, Oct. 30, with public gear check-in from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., giving sellers a window to drop off their equipment before the doors open to shoppers. That evening, a VIP pre-sale runs from 7 to 10 p.m., offering first access to sale items for $20 per person. Children 12 and under get in free with a paying adult, and VIP admission comes with free parking.
Saturday and Sunday Public Sale Hours
The public sale opens Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with admission priced at $2 per person. It continues Sunday, Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., also at $2 admission; sellers can collect checks and gear from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., while the sale is still open. Parking on Saturday and Sunday costs $10, though attendees can get free admission instead of the usual $2 charge by registering through nmskiswap.org.
Anyone selling gear at the swap should plan to collect it during that Sunday pickup window. Per the swap's own selling guidelines, sellers agree to donate any items that go unsold and unclaimed after the Sunday pickup period, and the organization states it bears no responsibility for items left behind after the 2 p.m. cutoff.
The event draws heavily on its volunteer base to function, with more than 150 volunteers staffing the sale according to the swap's website. For a patrol that relies on one weekend to fund an entire season of mountain rescues and medical response on Sandia Peak, that volunteer effort — on both sides of the folding tables — keeps the tradition running for a 59th year.
