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Ski gear is expensive. A good jacket could set you back hundreds of dollars. That doesn’t seem like a good investment if you only wear it for one or two weeks each year.
If 2018 is your first year skiing, and you’re not sure if your family will like it, it’s probably not worth spending a fortune on ski clothes. You could rent ski clothing, but it will probably cost you just as much to buy it.
So what are the options? Here’s five ways to get ski gear for your family super cheap.
1. Aldi Ski Sale.
The reason why this sale is so popular is because the ski gear is good-enough quality at a great price point.
Most kids at Thredbo will be wearing similar Aldi jackets. It makes for a good ice-breaker in the chairlift line.
The grocery giant sells thermals, ski jackets, ski pants, helmets, socks, gloves – everything that you will need. For the price of one jacket at a fancy ski shop, you can deck out the whole family.
Get in early if you want to get everything at Aldi. Or be prepared to visit several different shops to collect everything you need. Some sell out faster than others.
2. Swap and borrow
Most families with ski gear will only use it a few weeks per year. The rest of the time, it’s sitting in storage.
Put a friendly post on Facebook asking if any one of your friends has size 9 ski pants you could borrow for a week and someone will lend you something. Most borrowed gear is great quality, because it is used so little.
If your kids have outgrown their gear, you can exchange it with other families for different sizes.
3. Buy second-hand
If you want to get cheap gear for the kids, buy it second-hand on Ebay, Gumtree or Facebook marketplace.
Most kids grow out of their ski gear having only worn it for one week. So second-hand gear is often great quality.
You can also make a little extra cash on-selling your old ski gear once you are finished with it.
4. Ebay warehouse sales
Many retail stores have a discount Ebay page.
Quicksilver and Roxy, for example, offer new discounted ski gear for sale on Ebay. Many are old or discontinued lines and you can pick up a great bargain.
We’ve found great quality jackets for around $80. It’s more than Aldi. But we use these ski jackets for the kids’ winter jacket, particularly for cold sport mornings. That way we save money on buying a winter jacket.
5. Check out the Northern Hemisphere sales
One of the best ways to get great quality gear at discount pages is to buy online from US or European retailers such as Snow Inn.
These days, many will ship to Australia with free returns. As the Northern Hemisphere season winds down, retailers will sell off their stock for a much cheaper price – sometimes up to 70 per cent off.
One last thing. If you are looking for ski gear for kids, look for bright colours. That way, it’s much easier to find them on the slopes. By the second year of skiing – they will be faster than you.
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Travel allows you to get outside your bubble. It makes you realise there are other ways to do things, and that’s OK. Plus, I am a huge fan of skiing and for the best powder – you need to head overseas.