Swapping before shopping: Giving old ski gear new life is a great way to help keep waste out of the landfill
Special to the Daily
Walking Mountains Science Center/Courtesy photo
Each year, the world produces 92 million tons of textile waste sent to landfills, with the United States contributing about 17 million tons alone. With the accessibility of online shopping, the surge in microtrends and fast fashion, and the ski industry reinventing the wheel with new releases of (probably) the same ski in new colors, it’s likely that this number will continue to rise.
Have you also noticed that some newer gear or clothing from your favorite brands is just not holding up like it used to? This isn’t a coincidence. To keep up with demand, some brands have opted to use cheaper materials, resulting in the need to buy products from them more frequently.
Yet you go through your dad’s closet and find a “vintage” jacket or piece of gear that is in pristine condition, despite being more than 20 years old. Gear just isn’t made like it used to be. While we can’t hold a candle to the bonfire that is fast fashion and new ski releases, we can start locally and make a difference in how we choose to update our closets and gear rooms.
Enter thrifting and gear swaps.
While they aren’t the golden ticket to solving all of our textile waste problems, they are a step in the right direction. Keeping clothing and gear in circulation reduces the demand for newer products, helps us to lower carbon emissions by an average of 25%, and also helps us keep cash in our pockets. Now that you know why gear swaps are so wonderful, here is a guide to some upcoming swaps around the valley.
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The Vail Ski and Snowboard Swap will be returning for its 56th year on October 10-12. The gear drop-off period is Oct. 9 from 12-5 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt Alpine Hall where the swap will be held the following day. It is a great way to bring life into something that wasn’t getting much use. This event offers an assortment of gently used and even new items at a discounted price.
The swap will feature rows upon rows of gear for the whole family. In a community full of kids growing their love for being outside, this is a great opportunity to find great gear to grow with them. For all of us who maybe aren’t growing that much anymore, there is still ample opportunity here to spice up our own ski kits sustainably, without the sticker shock of a brand-new item.
In addition to clothes, there will also be hard goods like skis, snowboards, and boots to peruse. This event is a great way to support the community and Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, which is Vail’s original nonprofit.
The Avon Public Library is hosting a clothing exchange on Nov. 8. To find more information on this, check the Eagle Valley Public Library website.
If you can’t make these dates or just want an excuse to throw a party, the third secret option for a gear swap in the valley could be hosted by you! Invite your friends to go through their closets, and have a sustainable summer send-off!
This could be an awesome new way to hang out, shopping through your friends’ closets. At the end of the night, you can gather up what is left and take it to one of the Vail Valley Cares Thrifty Shops, keeping clothes out of the landfill and in our community where they belong.
Additional resources include the green textile bin located at both Eagle (1050 Chambers Avenue, town of Eagle Public Works Facility) and Vail’s (75 South Frontage Road, West of the community development building) recycling drop sites, and special mention to the Vail drop site for skis, where skis are often left and free to grab anytime. These green textile bins are another great resource that recycles the clothing donated to them.
Your local thrift shops, consignment, or even Facebook Marketplace are other ways to breathe new life into items in your life you no longer need, or score a sweet deal on a gently used piece of gear. Repurposing old gear into art or furniture can also be a great way to divert those items from the landfill. Some brands will even offer programs where you send them your used item and they will either repair the original, or give you credit towards a new item in an effort to give that piece of clothing or gear a refurbished, second life.
All of this to say, every bit of reducing what we buy new, as well as reusing and recycling what we already have, is helping to keep our earth a little greener. Happy swapping!
