Damaged Gear Got You Down?
Don’t Ditch It, Fix It!
On Sunday, January 21st, Bogus Basin’s Environmental Education Team hosted the mountain’s first FREE winter gear repair workshop, equipping mountain goers with the hands-on skills needed to extend the life of their winter gear.
Nate Collins, Bogus Basin’s Sustainability and Stewardship Supervisor, shared that the Bogus Gear Urgent Care Clinic is all about making gear repair more accessible and more approachable.
“Our Gear Repair event is proof that repairing your gear is actually pretty easy. Better yet, it doesn’t take much money or much skill to extend the life of your gear, which is good for the planet, and good for your wallet.”
-Nate Collins, Bogus Basin Sustainability & Stewardship Supervisor
Workshop attendees learned from Bogus Basin Tune Shop staff and volunteer gear repair clinicians how to:
- Repair jacket, pant, and glove tears
- Restore busted jacket and pant zippers to like-new condition
- Replace broken ski baskets
- Wax skis/snowboards
- Waterproof gear with free product samples provided by Nikwax
From backpacks restored to like-new condition with the replacement of a zipper, to ski basket replacements prepped for powder– there was a tangible joy to be felt at the weekend event as folks experienced their own resourcefulness in community with others and extended the lives of their pre-loved gear.
The Bogus Basin Gear Urgent Care Clinic saw an inspiring turnout of guests engaged in preserving the life of their favorite winter equipment. A wide variety of items were brought to our gear repair workshop, from busted gear bags to damaged equipment.
“Events like this are an awesome opportunity for people to learn about how re-using the gear that they already have is a great waste reduction strategy. Instead of buying new gear, people can keep their gear in-use for longer and reduce the amount of materials, energy, and all of the inputs that go into making new gear.”
-Catherine Milner, Workshop Volunteer
Every piece of winter gear brought in was refurbished, keeping non-biodegradable materials out of the landfills and saving guests’ wallets from spending on expensive replacements. Our event collectively saved participants an estimated $2,600 by repairing instead of replacing damaged items.
Gear Repair REsources
Missed out on last weekend’s workshop? We’ve got you covered! Check out the following resources for information on how to extend the life of your gear– it’s good for you and good for the planet.
D.I.Y Winter GEAR REPAIR TUTORIALS
- REI Care & Repair Tutorials– Step-by-step guides on getting the most out of your gear, from jackets to bikes.
- Patagonia: Care & Repairs Hub– From de-pilling fleece, to fixing buttons, Patagonia’s repair and care tutorials will help you learn to extend the life of your apparel.
- Backpacker Magazine’s Complete Guide to Outdoor Gear Maintenance & Repair– This 200-page book comes complete with step-by-step tutorials and everything you need to know about gear repair.
GARMENT & OUTDOOR GEAR REPAIR
- Flying Needle | Phone: 208-972-0775 | Location: S.E. Boise, Idaho
- Sew Crazy | Phone: 530-409-9509 | Location: Meridian, Idaho
- Rainy Pass (Offers ship-to-repair shop options for outdoor clothing and gear) | Location: Seattle, Washington
SHOP FOR USED GEAR
- Outdoor Exchange– Consignment shop offering everything from skis to clothing and everything in between. Location: Downtown Boise
- Play It Again Sports– Used equipment for biking, skiing, water sports, and more. Location(s): Boise, East Boise, Nampa
- REI Re/Supply– REI’s used gear hub. Shop low-cost items in need of repair, and nearly new items too! Location: In-Store at Boise and online
- SCORE Outdoors– Offers a wide range of second-hand outdoor equipment and apparel. Location: West Boise
- Geartrade– Online marketplace for all things outdoor gear!
- SidelineSwap– Another online marketplace offering a wide variety of outdoor gear.
Upcoming Environmental Education Events:
Stay tuned for these upcoming Environmental Education programs and events! For a complete list of scheduled events, please visit Bogus Basin’s events page.
- Trivia Night(s)– Thursdays from 6:30 pm –7:30 pm @ J.R.’s T-Bar in the J.R. Simplot Lodge
- Themed Snowshoe Programs– (RSVP Required)– Saturdays (beginning 2/10) from 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm @ Frontier Point Nordic Lodge
- SnowSchool STEM Camp for Kids (Registration Required– info on pg 24) – March 18th – March 22nd from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm @ Frontier Point Nordic Lodge
About Bogus Basin
Opened in 1942, Bogus Basin winter operations offer 2,600 acres of daytime skiable terrain and 200+ acres for night skiing; eleven lifts – including four high-speed quads – and three people-mover surface lifts; an 800-foot tubing hill. The Nordic Center offers 37 kilometers of groomed trails. Environmental education and community outreach programs serve over 20,000 individuals annually, primarily youth. Bogus Basin is located 16.5 miles north of Boise, Idaho, and operates under a special use permit with the Boise National Forest.
Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area is one of the largest non-profit recreation areas in the country. It is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to engaging the community to provide accessible, affordable, and fun year-round mountain recreation and education. Bogus Basin summer activities include a challenge course, mountain coaster, summer tubing, climbing wall, bungee trampoline, gem panning station, The Basin Gravity Park, cross-country mountain biking and hiking, free community events and educational programs, chairlift service to access hiking and biking trails, and guided nature hikes.
