Ski and Snowboard News, Deals, and Events

Fred Zedeck's annual rites of winter begin Oct. 17 at the newly renovated Capital City Mall in Harrisburg's western suburbs.

The event opens at 4 p.m. Friday Oct. 17, runs through the weekend, and wraps up at 6 p.m. Sunday Oct. 19.

It's the first of his three small shows across Pennsylvania, all based in malls, all offering a look at ski and snowboarding equipment and area resorts.

"They're small shows because the economy is taking a toll. Ski areas are hurting. There's almost a sense of doom about the price of gasoline and the high price of airline tickets," Zedeck said.

He's combating the economic conditions with aggressive advertising.

"We're doing eight-page full-color inserts; half a million of them are being inserted into regional papers advertising the shows. We've got 3,300 TV spots for the three Pennsylvania shows, with a little picture-in-picture of the '09 Jeeps," he said.

Next on the calendar is the National Ski & Snowboard Expo in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Penn., Oct. 24-26 at the newly renovated Wyoming Mall.

The first two shows are both sponsored by Jeep/Chrysler.

The National Ski & Snowboard Expo in Philadelphia, Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at the Plymouth Meeting Mall, finishes the run of Pennsylvania expos. The mall, located in Philadelphia's Main Line suburbs, has just undergone a million-dollar renovation.

The Philadelphia show is sponsored by the Eastern Pennsylvania Ski Council, a coalition of 36 member clubs, as well as Jeep/Chrysler.

The Philadelphia show features a ski and snowboard swap, in addition to equipment, resorts and cars. For more information, visit the National Ski & Snowboard Expo Web site.

Zedeck's traveling road show leaves Pennsylvania for the nation's capital, combining Nov. 7-9 with the Northern Virginia/DC Travel Show.