On October 23 and 24, the Montana Pavilion at MetraPark fills up with skis, boots and winter jackets for the Billings Ski Swap. The Silver Run Ski Foundation hosts it. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and it calls the swap one of its largest fundraisers. Every rule at the swap makes more sense once you know that. The consignment split, the Thursday deadline, and the Saturday pickup cutoff all exist to fund a youth program while getting used gear to the people who need it.
The swap's schedule is also tied to the ski season. It ends on a Saturday afternoon, and Red Lodge Mountain plans to open about five weeks later.
Who the money goes to
The swap page is published by the Silver Run Ski Team, and the team's history page fills in the background. Silver Run says local 10th Mountain Division Army veterans founded it in 1939. It describes itself as one of America's longest continuously running ski clubs. Today the team is based in Red Lodge. It serves athletes from Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota in alpine, freeride and Nordic skiing and snowboarding. It offers scholarships, an equipment inventory and transportation so that cost doesn't keep kids out of the sport.
The swap is where a lot of that money comes from. The foundation's 2026 page says consigning gear helps "limit barriers to access" for young skiers and riders in Billings, Laurel, Red Lodge, Cody, Sheridan and Rapid City. The event has been around for a while. A Billings Gazette listing from an earlier year called it the "sixth annual" Billings Ski Swap and placed it at the Shrine Auditorium, not MetraPark.
The 75/25 split, and where the 25 goes
Sellers keep 75% of each sale. The other 25% goes to the Silver Run Ski Foundation as a donation, and the foundation says that share pays for its programs and the cost of putting on the swap. The 2026 page doesn't list a separate consignor fee. A pair of skis that sells for $200 pays the seller $150 and sends $50 to the youth program.
Unsold gear works the same way. Anything still at the Pavilion after the pickup deadline becomes donated property of the foundation. A seller who misses that window hasn't lost the gear for nothing. It goes to the same club the 25% supports. If you would rather donate than carry the boots home, letting the deadline pass gets the same result.
The seller's clock, step by step
All of consignment happens in a little over two days, and each step has its own cutoff. Here is the 2026 sequence as the foundation lays it out:
- Set up an account. If you've consigned with Silver Run before, log into your existing account and add this year's gear. If you're new, email [email protected] and they'll set up an account for you.
- Enter each item on its own. The page asks for one listing per item, no sets, priced to the whole dollar. Items go into the Silver Run consignor portal.
- Finish online by Thursday, October 22, at 6 p.m. That's when online consignment closes.
- Don't tag anything at home. The foundation says it will help you print tags and label your gear when you arrive.
- Drop off Friday, October 23, between noon and 7 p.m. If you missed the online deadline, come to the Pavilion before 5 p.m. Friday and the foundation will help you consign there.
- Pick up unsold gear by 3 p.m. Saturday, October 24. Bring a printout or pull up your consignment page on your phone to check items off. You can follow your sales in your account during the event.
- Get paid. Checks go out by mail on October 30. You can sign up for ACH payment under "Digital Payout ID" in your account.
The 5 p.m. Friday cutoff for onsite help matters because sales open at 5 p.m. Friday. If you show up at 6 with a duffel of unregistered gear, you can still drop it off. But the help desk will have closed, and buyers will already be on the floor.
The accepted categories are winter clothing; alpine skis, snowboards and cross-country skis; ski, snowboard and cross-country boots; and outdoor recreational equipment. The 2026 page doesn't list rules on helmet age or boot type. Anyone unsure about a specific item can ask by email before entering it.
MetraPark's event listing describes registration more briefly, as email-to-register with a link sent back. Silver Run's own 2026 Ski Swap page has the full instructions and separates returning consignors from first-timers.
The buyer's side
The sale itself runs eight hours across two days. Admission costs less on Saturday, and either day costs less with canned food.
| Friday, Oct. 23 | Saturday, Oct. 24 | |
|---|---|---|
| Sales hours | 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. | 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Admission | $6, or $5 with two canned food items | $3, or free with a donated food item |
| Kids 10 and under | Free | Free |
The swap is at the MetraPark Pavilion, 308 6th Ave. N. Payment options are cash, Venmo, or credit and debit cards, with a 3% processing fee on cards. The 2026 listing doesn't mention a separate early-entry window.
Saturday's schedule fits the seller timeline. Sales close at 2 p.m., and consignors have until 3 p.m. to collect what didn't sell. Friday night gets the first look at a full floor. Saturday morning costs half as much, and whatever is still on the racks has been there since Friday's opening.
What the gear is for, five weeks later
Most of what changes hands at the Pavilion is headed up the Beartooth Highway. Red Lodge Mountain's snow report for October 7, 2026, lists opening day as Friday, November 27. That gives a buyer about five weeks to get used boots fitted or skis tuned before the lifts start.
Red Lodge Mountain's posted 2026/27 season pass prices, before tax, are:
- Adult, ages 25 to 69: $929
- Young adult, 19 to 24: $509
- Teen, 13 to 18: $509
- Child, 6 to 12: $339
- Senior, 70 and up: $449
- Ages 5 and under: $20
The resort sets pass age as of November 15, 2026. Its earlier purchase incentives were tied to fixed windows: a monthly payment plan and extra benefits for buying by April 30, 2026, and a second benefits tier for purchases between May 1 and September 30. The page doesn't name a later tier. Passes bought at Grizzly Peak Outdoors in downtown Red Lodge also carry a 4% city resort tax.
The cross-country skis and boots sold at the swap have a nearby place to go too. The Red Lodge Nordic Center, run by Beartooth Trails, sits two miles west of Red Lodge off Highway 78. It has more than 15 kilometers of groomed trails, a warming hut and a restroom. Details are on the Beartooth Trails Nordic Center page.
Every item that sells at the Pavilion on Saturday has already sent a quarter of its price to the Red Lodge-based club working to get more young skiers onto that same snow.
Fall at our house means sorting out what still fits, what goes to the swap, and what the next season needs. If you're doing the same kind of sorting with your home, Heidi Brosovich and our team can tell you what it's worth in today's Billings market before you decide what comes next. Request a Free Home Valuation.
