Investment Buying: Treats and Extras

Once you get the hang of the Investment Buying technique and you have built your base (September 1, 2007), added some pieces to improve your wardrobe and equipment flexibility (September 24, 2007) it time to have some real fun. The third phase of Investment Buying is where you get to be a bit less practical and dash the slopes with your own style.

While ALL ski and snowboard gear is ‘practical’ in the sense that it serves some functional purpose the Treats and Extras tend to be items that are useful in rare conditions or are fashion forward pieces that will look dated sooner rather than later. Some people will spend more money in this category than others but even the most frugal enthusiasts should put a few items from this category on their list. For one thing they make great gift list items. Gift givers have far more fun picking out some splashy fashion then boring old black ski or snowboard pants. This is also the category where apres slope wear pieces should be listed. While an old pair of sweat pants is fine to drive home in, snow specific after slope wear often has special features designed with the end of a day on the hill in mind and is therefore far more comfortable, far more attractive and doubles as lifestyle pieces for everyday wear.

When making choice in the Treats and Extras category the key is to ‘treat’ yourself to ‘extras’. The idea is to add to your gear and apparel those items that really improve your performance, embellishes your wardrobe or items you may not use as often but are perfect when you do. Ski Blades or powder skis are a good example of equipment treats/extras. A great powder day can turn into an EPIC powder day on just the right pair of skis. On a day when the weather isn’t cooperating the hill can still be fun on a pair of ski blades – they are perfect for zipping around if you are skiing with kids or if you are on the hill for a festival or event. By the time you are ready to invest in extras your boots may no longer meet your performance needs. This is the perfect time to start shopping around for a great boot, set it up with custom footbeds and really ramp up your on slope performance. Apparel extras will help keep your slope wardrobe up-to-date with the current fashions while providing you additional flexibility for rare or extreme conditions. A heavy down coat is a perfect example of an Extra as it is most useful in only the very coldest of conditions or light weight gloves that are really only useful on warm spring days. A fashion forward shell with bold colors is a great example of a Treat as it will surely add personality to your snow wardrobe but you may tire of it sooner than a more neutral basic. As I have said already there are many examples of great après slope wear that would fit into the treat category as well. Great sweaters and fun fleeces may fall into this category as well as special pants and logo sweatshirts and tee’s.

So the Investment Buying steps outlined so far are 1. Building Your Base, where you acquire the most basic equipment and apparel to get you on the slopes, 2. Stage II Buying, where you start to build on that base to increase your extreme weather options and improve your base equipment performance, 3. Treats and Extras, where you really let your personality shine by embellishing your wardrobe with fashion forward pieces, add those rarely used but important pieces and crank up your equipment performance and/or options. Next time we will discuss how to maintain your investment with proper care and planned replacement of worn out items.