Free lift tickets and giveaways will make the 42nd Annual Ski Swap appealing to many. The event will be hosted by the Sacramento State Ski and Snowboard Club from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 21 in the University Union Ballroom.

The event, put on by one of the oldest clubs on campus, has helped local shops sell their old gear and allowed the community to buy good conditioned name-brand equipment for a discount price.

Stephanie Peterson, treasurer of the Ski and Snowboard Club at Sac State, said this event has been going strong because a lot of people in the Sacramento area love to ski and snowboard.

Peterson also said there will be tons of reasons for people to come out this year to the event.

More than 3,000 people are expected to show up to the affair where the first 800 paid guests will receive a free lift pass to Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Tahoe.

Representatives from Heavenly and North Star ski resorts, which are both in Tahoe, will also be present at the event, Peterson said.

It’s not just a swapping of skis either, she said.

Peterson said there will be a lot of high-end, name-brand gear for skiing and snowboarding like helmets, jackets, goggles and pants.

There will be small prize giveaways and some of the earnings made that day will go toward the 2010 recreation center for Sac State, Peterson said.

Ski Swap is the annual big fundraiser for the Ski and Snowboard Club. People – from beginning skiers to families to expert snowboarders – who are looking for new gear at a fair price attend the skiing event.

Patrick Jennings, a senior finance major and the president of the club, said the event is good for novice skiers.

“We bring a lot of vendors that sell last year models of snow equipment for a discounted price,” Jennings said.

Ski shop representatives like Hughes Ski Hut, Shoreline and Ski Doctor, will also be in attendance at the event.

People who are just looking to sell a helmet or snowboard on the day before the swap will be able to do so, but the gear has to be in good shape.

Many students said they are excited about the event.

Patrick Turner, senior business marketing major, said he didn’t attend last year’s event but he is definitely going this year.

“I want to look nice when I hit the bunny trail in Tahoe this year,” he said.

Matthew Banks, junior art major, has a different reason he’ll be attending the event. Since he heard the event will give away free lift tickets, he’s definitely going.

Families have also shown interest in the event. Melanie Brantley, a skier and mother of two, said she is thinking about going to the event.

“I saw an advertising board right by Washington Mutual and it seems pretty interesting because I am trying to teach my kids how to ski,” Brantley said.

That may be because the members of the club and the school have done a lot to promote the event as well.

Peterson said the club sent out press releases and video premieres. The club will also have some radio airtime with local media outlets in Sacramento, she said.

Jennings also said members of the club are adding their own twist to promoting the event with advertising on their cars.

This event hopes to build future recreational opportunities for Sac State, Peterson said.

Peterson said the Ski and Snowboard Club is receiving a total of 19 percent of the total earnings from the whole event, but it is donating 1 percent of the earnings to the 2010 Recreation Center.

“We want to see our campus grow so we can have bigger and better facilities so there can be more events like ours on campus,” Jennings said. “So we are trying to help out as much as we can.”

This has been a successful event for a long time and the Ski and Snowboard Club is proud of it.

Peterson said she is proud to say that the club is the original ski swap of the Sacramento area.

“In the past there have been other groups that tried to have a ski swap like what we do, but it nobody can pull it off,” she said.

For more information on the Ski Swap, visit www.sacstateskiswap.com/08/.

David Green can be reached at [email protected]