The annual Ski Swap is no more.

The Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club has announced that after 25 years, it is ending the fall tradition that saw many would-be skiers buy their first cross country gear at the swap.

Many used it to trade up every now and then.

Each mid-October, the swap was on. But not next month.

With the rise of internet services to buy and sell along with the prevalence of social media, the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club was seeing less and less reliance on the Ski Swap, says club president Bill Curtis in an interview this week.

As a long-serving member of the board of directors, Curtis has seen its heydays.

Such was it’s rising popularity that the ski club began taking other second hand sporting equipment to sell, such as hiking boots, tents, downhill gear and what have you.

Local retailers started setting up shop to offer new equipment.

The club initially levied a charge of 10 per cent on the sale of used gear, and gradually raised it to 15 and then 20 per cent. It also began charging $1 for each piece of equipment put into the swap and then $2, regardless if it sold.

In times of plenty, the event would generate in the neighbourhood of $3,000 that went into general revenue to cover costs, such as trail maintenance.

It was not without substantial effort to organize and host the swap.

Curtis says it would take some 70 volunteers to pull it off.

There was organizing the displays, tagging the equipment with prices, tracking the sales and then making sure whatever didn’t sell got back to the owner – and keeping track of who was owed what.

“Even the book keeping was quite a handful,” says the club president.

Lots and lots of people – maybe even 100 or more – would line up before the doors opened at the Mount McIntyre Recreational Centre to make sure they were among the first to get a crack at the sales.

But the ski swap was more than just a chance for deals, it was a harbinger. The season is here.

Curtis recalls one year when they skiing the day after.

As time went on and other avenues to sell used equipment opened up, the club was seeing less and less gear coming through the doors, he says, adding they were also seeing a decline in the quality of equipment for sale.

Used, was turning into well used.

“I guess the return on our effort wasn’t what it was 10 or 15 years ago,” Curtis says.

“We have contemplated the demise of the ski swap for the last four or five years. We could see it coming but everybody wanted it.”

Curtis says they’re already discussing new ideas for fundraisers, something the general membership of 1,300 or so can get involved with.

And the club has created a Facebook link to help its members sell their used equipment, he says.

Curtis also points out they’ll be hosting a Coast Mountain Free Ski Day on November 19. There’ll be free skiing, free rentals, waxing demonstrations, clothing displays and such, he points out.

Perhaps, Curtis suggests, it will become the new harbinger of the season ahead.

Curtis says it’s time for him to move on too, after serving 26 years on the board of directors. He won’t be letting his name stand at the club’s annual general meeting on Oct. 11.

He’ll remain on the board for another year as past president, but he has other interests he wants to devote more time to, says Curtis.