Any recommendations for any cheep ski gear retailers around Zurich? I'm looking to start to get kitted out over the next month or so and was wondering if anyone had any advice. Preferably looking for last seasons stuff, possibly 2nd hand if its enough of a bargain! Ta.

Ochsner Sports is having currently a summer ski sale, they are selling stuff from the last year collection, skis, etc

in SportXX Brunau they are also having the ski sale, you can find Salomon Boots at reduced prices and Nike, Protest and other brands clothing.

But really the best way to buy cheap ski gear is to buy it at the end of the season.

this is the way I equiped myself. buying the stuff with 75% discount when the spring arrives...

try Sport Fabrik in Volketswil they have a huge store selling last seasons gear - most items 30, 50 or 70% off

A friend of mine got some fab stuff at an Aldi in the UK, might be worth checking them out over here - I mean V cheap jacket £15:00, my guess was it cost £150

there is normally a pre-season snow market in Oerlikon at the hallenstadium.

Its normally in November and lets people sell their stuff and buy new stuff or discounted etc etc etc

Its really good have gone there every year and got a bargin each time.

Though two items I would advise against scrimping on if you are planning to spend a bit of time in the snow.

Gloves - Cheap gloves fall to pieces quickly, and over time will cost you more than expensive gloves which can last forever. Cheap gloves also have a nasty habit of the liners pulling inside out if they get a little damp either from the snow or sweat and being impossible to put back on again. Get gloves with removable liners if possible as they are easier to dry overnight.

Boots - Not that there are really any bad boots on the market these days. What you are really looking for is a good boot fitter who measures your foot, length, width and arch height, lets you try a selection of boots rather than a fitter who stocks only one or two brands and scientifically asks "So, how does that feel?". Take shortcuts here and you will pay for it in other ways. If you are planning to go away on a skiing holiday, buy the boots at your destination so that if you have problems during the day they can sort them out overnight. If you are doing weekend trips locally then buy them somewhere that you can take them to be worked on during the week.

Could not agree more.

http://www.zumglueck.ch/

This place sorted me out - just had my second year witout any problems, previously, agony over enjoyment.

How accessible are the resorts from Zurich? is is possible to go for the day using public transport?

Yes. Many people do. "Snow n rail" by train. Several resorts about an hour away. Flumserberg, Hoch-Ybrig for example. Other threads discuss these and others.

dave

Any sign of the cheap ski gear market mentioned above?

Google is not my friend.

To add on to that. I made the mistake of buying cheapo clothes when i first started snowboarding. Granted, I didn't want to splash out if I didn't know that I would enjoy it.

I started seating profusely and because I never had the proper layers, I could never get dry and this really wore me out. As a result, this affected the fun factor.

last season I bought proper gear, from Manor. Good gloves, a good goretex jacket, odlo shirts and sweaters, snowboarding socks, helmut and goggles and an exoskeleton back protector.

Well, I would never have guessed what a difference being dry and comfortable could make, it really made a huge difference.

Bachli bergsport have a couple of outlets http://www.baechli-bergsport.ch/ and has a sale on until 10th nov. Good for gloves, jackets, pants, socks and for those of you already proficient skiers backcountry ski kit. Staff are friendly and give good advice.

I'll second the Bachli recommendation, we got all our backcountry stuff there two years ago and they gave us great advice. They have a huge shop and an outlet store in Oerlikon, and an Outlet in Uster.

Aldi ski sale starts next Thursday (for adults clothes)

Does anyone know if this is happening this year and what the dates are, can't seem to find anything about it?

The snowboard flohmarkt was last sunday

Your next best option is to go to the resorts as they will also be selling last years equiptment cheaper.

Bugger - looks like Flohmarkt was the magic word for google...

Will probably give this place a try.

www.snowboardflohmarkt.ch

That looks like a good place to check out!

Hi CK7. Have you seen this in store? i've only seen childrens ski clothes advertised on their website.

There used to be an annual sale of used skiing equipment at community-organized events called "Skibörse" all over Switzerland. These are basically flea-markets where sellers can bring their stuff in the morning and things are then sold in the afternoon.

My parents always bought our skiing stuff there - have a look at your community's event calendar, maybe they're still organizing those.

dawiz