Here in North America we are in the midst of the summer heat. It is the type of heat that has one seeking shade after a few hours in sun, and ideally, popsicles. Winter may not be on your mind, but saving money should be, and summer is a great time to find sales on winter clothes and equipment.

Many stores still have winter inventory. Just last week I was in a bike shop looking for something when I discovered racks of winter ski and snowboard clothes at the back of the shop near the bathroom, all deeply discounted.

Other stores may have a backroom where you can’t see the items or a storage unit where they swap out seasonal gear. Yet it is there, and you can likely find it by asking a store employee or by browsing the store website. These days, even small stores have sites and many of them are willing to ship product anywhere.

REI (Recreation Equipment Incorporated) is a chain store located throughout the United States, and has varied inventory in its warehouse. Their online store currently has skis, boots, poles, bindings and limited ski clothing for sale.

Here are a few examples of the winter gear sale prices at REI…

Skis
K2 One Luv Women’s Skis’ with Marker 11.0 bindings are marked down to $419 from $799! Looking for early Christmas gifts? The K2 Missy girl’s ski is only $124.93, and the Rossignol Viper Junior Skis are $99.93. The Rossignol Women’s Voodoo Skis with Saphir 90 Bindings are also marked down to $349.93, from their original price of $649.

Boots
The Nordica Olympia One Men’s and Women’s boot is the lowest price of their entire boot line at $134.93, and on the higher end, the Dalbello Krpton Cross is nearly half price at $329. Junior boots are as low as $99!

Cross-country
For basement bargain cross-country touring gear, I found Madshus Erik touring skis reduced to $60, men’s and women’s Salomon boots for $95, bindings for $35, and poles for $25. For less than $250, you buy a brand new cross-country set up!

Telemark/Randonee
The K2 Schi Devil skis and the Karhu Jil are both at $349. The lowest price was for Atomic’s Kailas skis at a rock bottom price of $279.

Snowboarding
Burton’s Clash snowboards are down to $173 and their kids Feelgood snowboards are at $129. Matlock Boa’s snowboard boots are only $109 . Kid’s boots are as $60. Not surprisingly, all other snowboard gear and accessories are also on sale.

Snowshoes
Kid’s snowshoes are the great deal here, coming in around $20. For women, the Atlas Elektra is the best deal at $104. Men’s snowshoes however are only down 30% at $174.

The only drawback to summer shopping for winter gear is that the size, style, color or specific gear you want may be out of stock. Yet if you look around diligently, you’re bound to find another option that will work for you. With the great prices out there right now, save yourself some money and shop the sales so you can enjoy this upcoming winter season a little bit more!