It all started in the basement of the old courthouse building. The year was 1963. About 20 or so people leaned their long skis, wooden poles and other ski gear against the walls and looked at what others had brought.
Then, for some years it took place in vacant storefronts on Durango’s Main Avenue.
Now in its 50th year and known as the Hesperus Mountain Ski Swap, the event fills every corner of the pavilion of the La Plata County Fairgrounds and even spills over into breezeways between buildings.
“We speak the same language,” said Buz Branch about the Durango ski community. “We’re all just looking for that nice snow.”
Proceeds from the event help fund the all-volunteer ski patrol at Hesperus Mountain west of Durango.
Branch, director of the swap and director of the Hesperus ski patrol, said he’s been at it for 30 years.
“We call ourselves the ‘Hesperados.’ If you can ski Hesperus, you can ski anything,” he said.
He said thousands of people show up to pick up good deals, trade out old gear and shop for their entire families.
Anna McBrayer said she outfits her family from the swap alone. Her son Aneas, 6, was all but hidden in a basket full of skis, boots and gear.
“We’re here to get the next size up on all the clothes and boots and jackets,” she said Saturday. “We’ve got two boys, and they grow, every single year.”
Second Avenue Sports’ Ron Thompson was roaming the pavilion, helping customers find the right sizes of anything and everything. He called the swap a kick-off to the winter season.
“There’s a line a mile long out the door, and then there’s the line to the cashier,” he said. “Everybody’s always pumped to come out to these things.”
In his 63 years with the National Ski Patrol, local Don Fritch has worked at mountains around the country. He describes Durango as a real ski town.
“It’s about the furthest south you can go, and then you hit desert,” Fritch said. “But it’s a great ski town – it really is.”
Aaron Bates, who does marketing and public relations for San Juan Untracked, was on the scene promoting the new cat-skiing operation. He said it was inspiring to show up and see the turnout.
“It’s all community here,” he said. “You get here at 7:30 in the morning and there’s already a huge line and everyone is psyched for winter. It’s all about the community.”
Branch said Hesperus makes donations to organizations that provide volunteers to help with the swap, including the Bayfield High School baseball team and the Durango High School basketball team.
The check-out lines were loaded with people holding armfuls of skis, snowboards, clothing and all sorts of goods for the winter season. Local Dave Haggen, who said he likes the warm Southwestern winters, also said he found huge bargains.
“I’m good for two pairs of skis and a pair of boots for under a hundred bucks,” he said. “You can’t beat that.”
Snowboarder Matt Ellis stood outside the pavilion, braving the chilly morning to promote the Fort Lewis College big-mountain ski team.
He said he’s ready for snow. “It’s coming,” he said. “And I can’t wait. I wish I was skiing right now.”
bmathis@durangoherald.com