If you’re like me you’re probably thinking A LOT about the upcoming snowboard season. If you need some gear and don’t want to rent or borrow—you’re probably looking to buy. Don’t wait. Resorts are open by mid-October into November,  which means the newest snowboard technology for the upcoming season will be stocked soon.  Retail stores know that by the first frost (around October) skiers and snowboarders are typically getting amp’d-up to buy. This means they’ll be pushing last season’s gear out the door in prep for the upcoming year. So, good news for those of us looking to pick up new gear items and save some cash. Typically, I’ve found you can reliably find good deals up to 40% off. Some retailers say they discount higher but I’ve found instances where their mark-up on the original price was sketchy.

For those of you new to riding, look for snowboard shows or events. They have a lot equipment for sale. Last year while living in London, UK I was just walking in Battersea Park and saw signs to the Snowboard & Ski Show. This show cost 15 pound to get in but I got a bunch of free swag like stickers, shirts, sunglasses, etc., and got a new snowboard for 49 pounds. They also had live freestyle snowboard competitions with snow they shipped in or made. I got to network with other snowboarders and found where some good places were to ride in Europe. I also found where I could snowboard in London on a conveyor belt Chel-Ski. It’s worth checking out a snowboard show since they advertise steep discounts, you’ll get some great info and you’ll meet cool snowboarders. Personally, I always recommend that you hit up your local “mom-n-pops” snowboard shops. Here is Utah there are a ton, but I like to checkout Milo’s.  They’ve been a reliable spot for years, exclusively selling gear for snowboarders (they don’t stock skis), and their reps are real riders that know their stuff on snowboard technology. I interview a rider at Milo in some of  the gear lessons in our Pro Snowboard Training Courses.

So, if you’re looking for a good deal, don’t wait! Shop now before everything is all picked over. But if you miss out, you can always look out for demo days to test new gear at a fraction of the cost, and then wait for the end of the season deals. By March and April you can once again pick up steep discounts, sometimes even better than preseason deals. This is a snowboard tutorial on How to Size Your Snowboard. Get your gear now so you’re ready for the snow!

Okay guys this was just a quick preseason tip. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right. Our blog is up and going so check back again for more tips.