This weekend was the Ski & Snowboard Expo at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY. I decided to hit up the expo with my father in-law and unexpectedly had a better time than last year. We began our day by having a nice discussion with Kirt Zimmer from Wyndham Mountain. Lots of good stuff going on for then! If you get a chance, check out their mountain this season to see the goodies!



The New York and Massachusetts row of resorts




From there we made a quick stop at some other places and also spent some time talking to the guy from West Mountain. Although not a big mountain, it really is a great place to go for a quick day of riding!! And you can't beat $17 lift tickets on Monday's and Tuesday's!!


After walking through and talking to a few other people, I caught a quick glimpse at what some kids were doing at the skate set-up The Shelter had going on.





There wasn't a lot of action at first while we were there but as the day went on you could hear the skaters having a good time!!


And on I went to check out more stuff. Plaine's Bike and Ski Shop was there having a blowout sale. They mostly focus on buying and selling used items but what they had wasn't bad!! $25 kids boots was definitely something to keep an eye on. Other than that, they had a decent amount of outerwear and were advertising hard for Maple Ski Ridge in Schenectady.



View of Plaine's set up



Some of the boards Plaine's had for sale


The biggest retailer at the expo was definitely Alpin Haus. I spoke with Jaime Georgelos prior to the expo and got some insite on what's selling for this year. If you want to know what he had to say.. well you'll just have to read my article in Shred Betties to find out!!! Over-all, Jaime said that Burton, Gnu, and Libtech were selling pretty well for them.



Burton Feather and Feelgood and Roxy Silhouette they had for sale



A random box of decent boards they had availble


Jaime was really patient with me when I asked to try on a pair of boots. I tried on the Burton Mint's and really liked how they felt. Although I like them I'm not sure how they are going to fit with my board and bindings. I'll probably make a trip out to the shop this weekend to see what we can figure out. I wish I had more time to try on more boots but that was a no-go.



The Burton Mint's I tried on



Last year's Burton Mint's they had available


A lot of the boots Alpin Haus had at the expo were last year's models. Not a bad thing if you're looking for last year's gear at a lower price.



Alpin Haus's set-up


From Alin Haus it was on-ward and up-ward to the Zumiez retail area. They had a lot going on and some good people working there. Some of the guys looked at me funny because I was taking pictures but we made a good laugh out of it.



Some of the outerwear Zumiez had to offer


I was slightly more impressed with how Zumiez had their outerwear displayed and even found some things I might pick up for the season. After looking through what they had, I also found that a lot of their stuff was last year's gear. Again, not a bad thing if that's what your looking for. I found 2 pairs of ThirtyTwo Prion's that I want to try and get my hands on and see if I like.



ThirtyTwo Prion's


I've had my eye on those for a while so I'm really hoping I can hunt them down!


After leaving Zumies it was on to "Vermont Row" as the guys from Stowe called it. They were really great guys and I'm looking forward to hopefully getting a day or two up there. They have a lot going for them, so again, check out the mountain!! Or at least, find them on Twitter and see what they have going on ;-)


I quickly stopped by the Bromley Mountain booth and had a quick conversation with Michael and found out the best time to ride the mountain is between December and January because that's when they get the most sun.


Then it was on-ward to Stratton where I found out they discontinued their Stratton10k.com promotion and replaced it with another dicount program. They are running a 2-for-1 special but you need a special card they were handing out to get the deal. Not a bad plan though, I'll take 2-for-1 any day!


Okemo was my next to last stop and was pleasantly surprised by what the mountain is offering this year. Not only did you get a discount coupon, but after reading through their mountain magazine, they are running a lot of great discounts this year as well. For instance, April 1st they are having a food drive. If you bring 3 non-perishable canned food items, you get a lift ticket for $10.


Before we left, we talked to Emily over at Gore Mountain and found out they have quite a few changes for the season. They made their terrain park wider and even added new trails for the year. A new shuttle system was implemented to allow skiers and riders quicker accessibility to things around the mountain. Emily also talked about how she is giving Liftopia a try so keep an eye on that site for some great deals. Also, Gore is still having Coca Cola Wednesdays. Bring a Cocoa Cola Product and get a discounted lift ticket!


There are honestly a lot of great deals out there that I fully intend on taking advantage of. After going to this expo, I'm more stoked then ever for the season to begin. 19 days and counting!!! Who's as excited as I am?!