babyymui

so I went snowboarding for the first time recently and I was wondering how much cheaper buying equipment off season is. I was thinking of possibly getting a snowboard bindings boots package, but my friend told me to wait until early march because it goes on sale then.

jmacphee9

definetly goes on sale in march and doesnt really get anycheaper after that until it gets a few seasons old..

burritosandsnow

most stuff usually goes for 40-50% off ..alot of clothing is buy one get one free etc..

the good.. great savings

the bad .. youre picking through the leftovers

if you live in a place with alot of shops this really is a good choice imo. the savings are just too good to pass up.

the only thing id not want to pick through are boots. they are just too important to settle for clearance items.

babyymui

I guess I'm just really curious to know if it is worth the wait. I mean if they only knock off 50 bucks at most, it doesn't really make a difference to me. BTW i live in NYC, but don't know where to shop. I usually follow my friends to paragon sports, it has a lot more stuff than sports authority. Also there is a quiksilver,and burton store. Thats about all the places I know of

MunkySpunk

Your friend is right. Also, don't jump on anything without running it by the more knowledgeable folks here (i.e. Not me). Otherwise you may end up with a Lamar Ebay special that'll fall apart before you even get it on the mountain.

Prices at retailers will go down in March, and stay there. Prices on Ebay will drop even more, as those are directly impacted by demand. My wife got two big-league boards while looking for rocks boards last spring. She didn't know any better, was just looking for a beater so she didn't kill her NS Infinity. She ended up getting a used-once Option Kendra Starr Pro and a brand new Venture Zephyr. Together these boards cost more than $1000. I'm not getting into how much she accidentally saved, but she saved a LOT more than you think. She still doesn't have a beater board, but we've got two top-of-the-lines sitting in our garage collecting dust. She's thinking of selling them for lift ticket $$$.

What I'm trying to say is your best bet for a sweet board at a sweeter price is watching Ebay like a Shaolin monk during the height of summer - patience to wait for what you want, and lightning quick check out skills once you see it. There's no guarantee exactly what you want will ever come up, but something close enough will, and you'll feel like a million bucks for saving a million bucks. Don't restrict yourself to brand new equipment either. A quality lightly used setup will be of better quality and performance than a cheap new setup.

EDIT: Don't count out craigslist either. There's going to be a lot of boards from frustrated failed-to-learn-it-in-an-hour owners and parents of owners looking to unload.

DC5R

The only problem of trying to buy something in the off season is trying to find your size/colour/model. If you're late to the starting line, you may have to settle for your second, third or even fourth option.

babyymui

I didn't think about that, but you're right it is mostly leftovers. I stopped by paragon sports yesterday and a lot of the good boards gear are gone with in 1 week of my last visit. I have snowboarding clothes already, mostly interested in a snowboard. I don't know how to pick the boots at all. I am 5'4 - 5'5, avg weight and a size 6.5-7 in womens for boots. I might need to get new pants, I'm really not skinny, I bought a women's xs roxy pants, but I felt like my pants were falling off while i was snowboarding. I very welcome to suggestions about gear such as pants, boots, snowboard, and the bindings. Actually i need all the advice i can get. ty!

Triple8Sol

Depends. Some places have killer pre-season sales. Some places have awesome sales after the season is over. Still others have great sales that pop up mid-late season. If you plan to go up more this year, then def buy sooner than later. You'll get some use out of it this season, instead of borrowing/renting until next season.

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Dawg Catcher

uhhhhhhhhhhhh wouldnt that be exactly what you are looking for. someone who only rode a couple times and got pissed so getting rid of it cheap.

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jimmerjammermrk

End of season deals are probably going to be about equivalent to current sales on 2008 gear.