Utah company works to provide accessibility to winter recreation

SALT LAKE CITY — Skiing is often regarded as an expensive sport. Dale Roberts, the founder of Utah Ski Swaps, has a goal to help more people afford it.

“We saw a community that just wasn’t being served,” said Roberts. “There [are] people out there [who] want to ski that don’t have $2,000 to drop on a setup.” 

Many ski-season costs have risen significantly, from lift tickets sometimes costing hundreds of dollars, to the infamous $9 hot dog.

Utah Ski Swaps works to provide a place for people to buy and sell used gear, including skis, poles, outerwear, and boots. 

New and used gear are available at events. 

“If [community members] have gear they’ve outgrown or something that’s a few years old and they want to upgrade, they can bring it, check it [in], and sell it on consignment,” said Roberts. 

Utah Ski Swaps gives people an opportunity to speak with industry experts and look at a lot of gear all in one place. The event can take the guesswork out of buying gear for the first time. 

“They have a professional that’s going to help them get … in the right size,” said Roberts. 

“We get comments from people every year that say ‘we just wouldn’t be able to do this if we didn’t have this opportunity,'” said Roberts.

Ogden’s longest-running ski swap

Roberts said that he has been organizing Utah Ski Swaps for the past 13 years. It began with an event in Ogden, where he lives. 

“I was associated with the gentleman that used to run the Ogden Ski Swap 15 years ago. He was just ready to retire and move on with his life,” said Roberts. 

After the man retired, there was a year without a ski swap in Ogden. According to Roberts, he helped pull one together at the last minute for the following year. 

The event was successful. Now, the organization hosts Ogden’s longest-running yearly ski swap.

Last weekend, Utah Ski Swaps hosted their Ogden event at the Weber Fairgrounds. According to Roberts, within the first half-hour, almost 500 people had attended. 

Annie Condon, the public relations lead for Utah Ski Swaps, compared last weekend’s event to a Black Friday sale. Roberts said the energy from the crowd was “electric.” 

Serving other areas and giving back

Utah Ski Swaps has also begun to host other events across Utah.

According to Roberts, they will be hosting an event at Thanksgiving Point on Nov. 22 and 23. Following that event, they will host one in St. George on Dec. 13. 

Utah Ski Swaps will also host an event in Denver, Colorado. 

Roberts said that a portion of the money made during each event will be donated to the Utah Food Bank. For the Denver event, they will donate to a local food pantry. 

“We like to give back to the community that is supporting us,” said Roberts. 

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