KOTO's Ski Swap Moves Online This Year, And Telluride's Favorite Gear Ritual Changes With It

The KOTO Ski Swap is back in the Wilkinson Public Library garage this weekend, starting Friday, Nov. 13, and this year the work starts earlier for sellers. KOTO has moved its consignment process to MySkiSwap. Anyone bringing gear now builds an inventory online first, sets prices and discounts at home, and shows up Friday with those choices already made.

Buyers still shop in person in the garage, and the doors open to the public at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The Tag Table Moved From Pine Street To Your Laptop

Last fall, getting ready for the swap meant a trip to the station. In Telluride News coverage of the 2025 swap, swap director Lollie Lavercombe asked sellers to stop by KOTO's headquarters at 207 N. Pine St. to pick up tags and registration forms before drop-off day. Earlier years also had a separate line for pre-registered items at drop-off.

KOTO's announcement this October said it simply: "New year, new platform!" Sellers go to myskiswap.com, search for "KOTO Ski Swap Telluride," create an account and start adding inventory. At Friday check-in, volunteers still take each item, print and attach its tag, and charge $1 per tag, so bring cash or Venmo. After the sale, sellers can log into their MySkiSwap account to see which items sold. They don't have to wait until Sunday to find out.

The same platform runs other swaps in the region. The Hesperus Mountain Ski Patrol's swap in Durango used MySkiSwap for its public sale on Nov. 7. If you've sold gear at more than one swap, the account will look familiar.

The Decisions You Now Make Before Friday

Under the paper system, a lot of pricing happened at the tag table. Under MySkiSwap, KOTO's FAQ on its swap page puts both choices with the seller, and you make them when you enter the item: "The consignor sets the price and EOS Discount. Aka YOU!"

You'll make three choices at the keyboard:

1. Your price. KOTO's guidance is plain. If you want the item gone, "Price it to sell!" If you'd rather come back for it Sunday when it doesn't sell, price it higher. If you're on the fence, "Price it in the middle with a discount."
2. The red dot. The end-of-sale discount applies during the last hour of Saturday's sale, 3 to 4 p.m., and those items get a red dot. You pick the discount amount when you register, and KOTO won't add one without your consent.
3. Whether you're coming back Sunday. Seller pickup runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Anything you don't collect in that window counts as a donation to KOTO, with no exceptions. If you'd rather donate from the start, tell the volunteers at drop-off. If you decide later, just skip Sunday pickup.

A high price with no red dot means you're planning to be back in the garage Sunday morning. A modest price with a steep red dot means you're willing to let the boots go for less in the last hour so you don't have to haul them home.

Saturday Still Happens In The Garage

On the buyer side, nothing moves online. MySkiSwap supports browsing inventory ahead of time for some swaps, but KOTO's event inventory page says browsing isn't available for this one. Shoppers still have to show up at the library garage to see what's there.

The schedule below follows KOTO's posted times. The venue is the garage at 100 West Pacific Avenue, entered from the alley.

That 8:30 a.m. pre-swap is the best deal the swap offers, and you earn it by volunteering. Shifts run Thursday through Monday. KOTO's sign-up notes that roles "will be a bit different this year," so read the role descriptions before you pick one. Last year Lavercombe told Telluride News that "volunteers find epic deals during the pre-swap." The same article put that swap at more than 100 volunteers serving more than 1,500 shoppers.

Vendors sell alongside individual consignors. Last year's lineup included local vendors Jagged Edge, Telluride Adaptive Sports Program and Wagner Skis, plus Dunn Deal and Ski Barn from Durango. The story called Ski Barn traditionally the highest-volume vendor of new but discounted socks, gloves, jackets, pants, boots and skis. MySkiSwap's calendar lists separate vendor check-in windows on Friday, 8 to 11 a.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.

Where The Money Goes, Including What You Leave Behind

The swap is the station's largest annual fundraiser, according to Telluride News. That matters more for KOTO than for most stations. KOTO describes itself as a nonprofit, noncommercial, non-underwritten community radio station that has been on the air since 1975. With no underwriting, a Saturday in the library garage carries a big share of the year.

KOTO Executive Director Cara Pallone told Telluride News last year why the event exists: "We're a ski town — we need a ski swap. Not everyone can afford new gear every year, and a bargain on boots or bibs might make or break the season for some of us."

This year MySkiSwap lists KOTO's consignment fee at 25%, plus a 3% credit card surcharge. That's higher than the 20% share KOTO took in an earlier year, as Telluride News reported. Put another way, on a $200 pair of skis, the station's cut is $50 at the current rate, compared with $40 at the old one. Keep that in mind when you set your price.

Gear that doesn't go home still helps the station. Unsold items left after Sunday pickup move to Monday's After-the-Swap Swap, where shoppers pay what they can and all proceeds go to KOTO. Whatever is still there after Monday goes to Second Chance Thrift Shop. A ski jacket you forget to pick up still raises money for the station on Monday, and if nobody takes it, it goes on to the thrift shop.

From The Garage To Opening Day

Swap weekend lands right as the ski season starts, and a few dates follow close behind:

• Sunday, Nov. 15: Telluride Ski Resort's season-pass sale deadline, with savings of up to 30%. That's the same day as seller pickup. The resort's optional Spot protection refunds a completely unused pass 100% before the season starts, or a prorated amount through Feb. 28, 2027.
• Friday, Nov. 20: The free gondola returns to winter service, running 6:30 a.m. to midnight.
• Saturday, Nov. 21: Alpine Chapel's free Community Friendsgiving, 5 to 7 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 26: Telluride Ski Resort's targeted opening day, which falls on Thanksgiving. Operating dates depend on weather and conditions.

Opening day is 12 days after the Saturday sale, and that's the window for testing boots you bought at the swap. If they pinch, you'll want to know before the lifts start turning, not in the first lift line of the season.

Eric coaches clients the way the swap rewards sellers. Decide your price and your terms before you walk in, so you aren't working them out at the table. If you're thinking about where this town fits in your next move, Eric Roark will help you plan it well before opening day. Let's coach you home: schedule a relocation strategy session.