For Skiers, It's a Buyer's Market This Year

The fuel shortage may seriously cripple the ski industry this winter, but anyone who has entertained the thought of investing in ski equipment for Christmas should not be swayed by this bleak prospect. Even if the dearth of fuel closes your favorite resort or prevents you from getting to the slopes very often this season, you would do well to check out the Boston ski shops just the same.

It's a buyer's market in the ski equipment industry this year; the best opportunity in years to get new, top-notch equipment at drastically reduced prices. The sales of recent weeks have been phenomenal and they are continuing. A lot of factors have led to the creation of this market, not the least of which is the overflow from the tremendous flood of new equipment models and accessory styles in the last few years.

The ski manufacturers completely redesign their ski models each year, thereby forcing dealers to unload surpluses at reduced prices. But this year, because of the general tightening of money and the dim fuel prospects, manufacturers and dealers have found themselves sitting on huge inventories of both last year's and this year's equipment.

Sales have become increasingly better since the summer--usually the dealers can unload all left-stock before getting their new lines in, but since they couldn't this year, they have been forced to keep on lowering their prices.

The huge discounts have created an interesting situation for the shopper. List prices of manufacturers' comparable skis are generally within a few dollars of each other and the consumer often goes through a series of agonizing and conflicting measures to decide between them. But this year the consumer might come out best by simply letting the market decide because the discounts for similar models are highly uneven.

Many ski shops still have large inventories of last year's models--still guaranteed and unused--and these provide the opportunity for the best savings, if one is content to forego the dubious distinction of having the "very latest." Look for name brand equipment which is marked way off the list price and choose the best discount. This can easily be done by shopping the ski shop advertisements in the Boston papers.

The same procedure with a little less price discrepency can be followed for new equipment. It is unusual to get the latest styles at sale prices, but recent weeks have seen an outbreak of a price war between ski shops trying to pawn off their overstocks of 1974 models.

Except for the most advanced skiers, the differences between recreational skis in similar price ranges are not all that important. Some may develop a particular preference for metal, fiber glass or epoxy skis, but this is more a personal matter. Consult with the expert at the ski shop to decide which models are best suited for you and then compare the prices.

The same goes for other skiing accessories, except even more personal preference as to color, style and model is involved.

To help ease the prognosis of dwindling skiers this winter--especially the weekend droves--many areas are providing daily buses from Boston to the slopes. Waterville Valley has already announced the schedule for its daily buses which start Dec. 8. They will leave from six pick-up points in the Boston area and arrive at Waterville Valley at 10 a.m. The cost for the round trip ticket is $9.

For years Boston area skiers have been more inclined to drive a few hours longer to get to Vermont's "biggies"-- Stowe, Mt. Snow, Killington, et. al.-- leaving New Hampshire as the Green Mountain State's little sister. But last year, the ski operators in New Hampshire intensified their campaign to pull a larger chunk of the New England ski dollar into their coffers.

This campaign included one of the best deals ever offered to Eastern skiers. Most of the areas joined together and offered a whole booklet of discount coupons for skiing, lodging, food and even equipment. The booklet cost $5, but the cost could literally be made up in one day. The coupons enabled weekday skiers at some areas to get discounts of 50 per cent. The booklets are available at most ski areas, all New Hampshire information booths along interstates 93, 89 and 95 and from the Ski 93 Association. Get them and ski New Hamphire for less--it's worth it.

Every article about skiing for less makes a major point of the advantages of mid-week skiing. Double goes for this article. Ski mid-week. Ski mid-week. And leave the work, the studying and all else for the weekends.

And a word about ski reports. Don't. They aren't. Recently Killington, probably one of the more reliable areas in New England, called their morning report in to Ellis Ski Information. They made no mention of the fact that it was raining; only that the snow conditions were excellent--on a 75ft. swath of snow. Ellis (800-243-6600 is their toll-free number) tries to keep up with all the weather and latest changes, but many tired fools have arrived after a five hour drive to find a big puddle of a sheet of ice at the base of the slopes. A 75 cent investment for a three minute phone call may be the best one you've ever made if it saves you from this fate