Skiers buoyed by the season’s first significant snowfall this week can count one certainty: Tariffs have already pushed up prices and worse is likely to come during the next two years.
“I’ve been doing this for some 30 years now, and this is the first time I’m seeing widespread changes in the prices,” said Nick Bove, owner of Windham Mountain Outfitters, who sources his winter season products from about 70 companies. “Almost every company has had to raise their prices. Companies are absorbing that this year and warning us that it’s going to be full price next year on tariffs.”
Bove is among local retailers who are working with manufacturers that have agreed to absorb 50 percent of the tariff this year, splitting the cost with retailers and ultimately consumers. While that means his prices will rise by a modest 7 percent this year, others say new equipment from international brands will jump by about 15 percent.
Those increases span everything from new skis, snowboards, boots, bindings, apparel, base layers, helmets and goggles made mostly in Europe, Asia and China, according to the Snowsports Industries of America, the winter sports industry’s trade association. They’re likely to rise further in coming years as manufacturers pass along the full price of tariffs.
It’s all a bit of a foregone conclusion after the Trump Administration imposed tariffs of 15 percent on most goods from Europe, 35 percent on many products from Canada, and a 30 percent tariff on goods from Mexico. Already, fluctuations in pricing have added more headaches for both retailers and their customers across a broad swath of the U.S.
Heading up the mountain with new boots and skis could cost about $40 to $80 more this year, with the more noticeable increase on high-end items, said Giovanni Holmquist, owner of The Pro Ski and Ride in Hunter. Customers could pay at least $100 more for new skis with a $2,000 price tag, although lower-cost items won’t jump as much, Holmquist said.
“Next year when everything is subject to the full impact of the tariffs, whatever that may be at the time, it’s going to be a bigger shock and a bigger question,” Holmquist said.
Alternatives do exist, said Geri Marino, owner of Snow Bird Ski Shop in Hunter.
“A lot more people are looking for used instead of new equipment this year, or they’re choosing seasonal rentals,” she said. “It keeps everybody in the game.”
At Camp Catskill in Tannersville, owner Ryan Penny said he ordered most of his stock last year, before the tariffs.
“We already placed orders for this season, almost a year ago now, so our shipments are automatic at this point,” Penny said.
Yet he’s concerned about next year, and the year after that. “It really feels like it’s going to be next season,” he said.
This early in the season, it’s pretty much business as usual for Holmquist, who says customers from the city are already dropping by to tune skis or fit boots before jetting off to Colorado or Europe.
In Hunter, Marino is already seeing families who have been making winter vacations to the mountain their yearly trip for generations. “People are upbeat and ready to burn it,” Marino said.
Barbara Reina is a contributing reporter. Reach her at reporting@theoverlooknews.com.