When Do Ski Prices Drop? What Our Price Tracking Shows So Far
Two weeks of US shop prices for 2026–27 gear: how often prices changed, how far they fell, and how wide the gap is between this season's models and last season's.
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Everyone wants to know when ski gear gets cheaper. Our guide to when to buy ski gear walks through the usual retail calendar. This one sticks to what we have measured ourselves: the prices US shops showed for skis, boots, bindings and snowboards in the second half of October 2026. We'll add to it as the season goes on.
The short answer
- This season's gear mostly sells at full price in the fall. For current 2026–27 skis and snowboards with an in-stock US offer, the typical lowest price on 31 October was the maker's list price.
- Last season's models are where the discounts are. In most categories the typical 2025–26 model was 30–40% under its list price, and about four in five were at least 20% off.
- Prices hardly moved in late October. Of roughly 157,000 shop-and-size prices we followed from 19 to 31 October, fewer than 3% changed at all.
How we measured
Every offer on SkiTrader is one shop's price for one model in one size. From 19 to 31 October 2026 we followed about 157,000 of these US offers, all in US dollars, and kept every change. For the season comparison further down, we took each model's lowest in-stock price on 31 October and set it against the list price its maker publishes, wherever we have one.
Two limits are worth keeping in mind. List prices come from the makers, and a few of them don't line up with what US shops charge, so read the percentages as a guide rather than an exact figure. And two weeks is a short window: it shows what early-season pricing looks like, not what happens on Black Friday or in spring.
Late October: very few price changes
| What happened to an offer between 19 and 31 October | Offers |
| Stayed at the same price | about 152,900 |
| Changed at least once | 4,361 |
| Finished lower than it started | 1,122 |
| Finished higher than it started | 1,659 |
| Changed, then came back to its starting price | about 1,580 |
When an offer finished lower, the typical cut was about 11%. When it finished higher, the typical rise was about 5%. More prices went up than down, which is a good reminder that a fall sale price isn't guaranteed to stick around: a rise can simply mean a short promotion ended.
This season vs last season
The table compares each category's current models (2026–27) with last season's (2025–26). "Typical discount" is the median gap between a model's lowest in-stock price and its list price, so half the models sit above it and half below.
| Category | 2026–27: typical discount | 2026–27: 20% or more off | 2025–26: typical discount | 2025–26: 20% or more off |
| Skis | 0% | 21% | 37% | 81% |
| Ski boots | 7% | 22% | 40% | 82% |
| Ski bindings | 5% | 13% | 27% | 78% |
| Ski packages | 11% | 8% | 34% | 80% |
| Snowboards | 0% | 28% | 30% | 78% |
| Snowboard boots | 21% | 52% | 40% | 89% |
| Snowboard bindings | 0% | 38% | 32% | 80% |
The pattern is the same everywhere: last season's gear is discounted far more often and far more deeply. Shops' own sale tags agree. About a quarter of the in-stock offers on current skis (26%) were shown as marked down, against two thirds (67%) on last season's skis. For snowboards the split was 5% against 63%.
Snowboard boots are the one oddity, with even this season's boots typically 21% under list. Some of that gap may come from makers whose published list prices run higher than US shop prices, so we wouldn't read too much into it yet.
What the gap looks like on real models
Lowest in-stock US prices on 31 October 2026:
| Model | 2026–27 version | 2025–26 version |
| Nordica Enforcer 94 | $799.95 at 39 shops | from $479.95 at 24 shops |
| Salomon QST 94 | $749.95 at 39 shops | from $419.95 at 13 shops |
| CAPiTA D.O.A. | from $579.95 at 44 shops | from $405.96 at 11 shops |
Notice how many more shops carry the new version. Last season's stock is spread thinner, and it shrinks one size at a time. Some models barely change from one year to the next apart from the graphics, while others get a new shape or construction, so check what changed before you buy. Our guide to last season's models goes through how to tell.
What this means if you're buying now
- Want this season's model? In late October there was little sign that waiting a few weeks would save much. The typical current ski and snowboard sat at list price, and four in five current skis were less than 20% off.
- Happy with last season's version? The savings right now are large: the typical 2025–26 ski was 37% under list, and the typical 2025–26 ski boot 40%. The catch is size. Older stock sells out size by size, so check that your length or boot size is still offered before you set your heart on a deal.
- Compare before you buy. Even when prices are steady, shops don't all charge the same. Each product page lists every shop we know of, and its price history chart shows whether today's price is unusual.
You can browse everything discounted in one place on our deals page, or go straight to last season's models.
What we'll add next
We'll come back to this guide after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, after the holidays and again at the end of the season, using the same measurements. That way you can see for yourself whether the usual retail calendar holds up, category by category.