Winter is still weeks away, but Saratoga Springs is about to fill up with skis, snowboards and snowshoes anyway. The 62nd Northeast Winter Expo returns to the Saratoga Springs City Center this Saturday and Sunday, drawing gear vendors, ski clubs and resort reps under one roof for a free, family-friendly kickoff to the season.
The expo runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the City Center, located at 522 Broadway, according to news10.com. Admission is free and the event is open to the whole community, the outlet reports. As Saratoga TODAY newspaper notes, the show covers alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, with gear and clothing sales, interactive demos, films, motivational speakers and après-ski food and drink rounding out the weekend.
Exhibitor and Attendance Figures Vary Across Promotional Materials
Organizers' own promotional pages don't agree on exactly how big this year's show will be. WNYT reports the expo will bring together more than 100 exhibitors and 8,000 attendees, a figure that matches one version of the Upstate Sports expo page describing 100 exhibitors and resorts with 8,000 active attendees expected. But other Upstate Sports listings tell a different story: the organization's calendar of events page cites 200 exhibitors and 10,000 attendees, while its exhibitors page lists 150 exhibitors and resorts with 10,000 active attendees expected. The discrepancies haven't been reconciled, but the scale of the event is clear regardless of the exact count.
Inside, expo booths will offer information on club memberships, activities, events and races, and clubs and organizations will offer sign-ups for day, weekend and weeklong alpine and cross-country ski trips, per the Upstate Sports Northeast Ski Expo page. Ski resorts will also offer special deals at their booths, Saratoga TODAY reports, and local vendors will sell skier-friendly food and drink, including local craft beer. A Saratoga photobooth company is offering a free souvenir photo from the event as well, according to the same account.
Free Ski Passport and a 40-Prize Drawing for Adults
Families with young skiers in the house should take note of the Ski & Ride Passport, which is available to any third-, fourth- or fifth-grade student and provides free winter access at most New York resorts when the student is accompanied by a paying adult, Saratoga TODAY reports. More information on the program is available at iskiny.com. Separately, applications for the 2026-27 SKI NY Free for Kids Passport Program open in early November, according to the program's own site, iskiny.com. Program rules posted for the prior season state that passport lift tickets cannot be transferred or resold, with misuse risking revocation, and that passport holders must be accompanied by a paying adult to redeem a complimentary one-day lift ticket.
Every expo admission comes with a ticket for entry into a drawing for one of 40 prizes, according to the Upstate Sports expo page, though entrants must be 18 or older to participate. Prizes include lift tickets from alpine resorts, cross-country trail passes, season passes, a snowboard, ski-and-binding packages and snowshoes. Winners will be drawn after the show and notified directly by organizers, the site states.
For those planning the trip downtown, free street parking is available, with paid parking also offered in the City Center garage, per WNYT. Between the gear sales, club sign-ups and a shot at free lift tickets, the 62nd Northeast Winter Expo is shaping up as Saratoga Springs' traditional starting gun for ski season.
