Computer Savvy Skier Creates Online Winter Sports Bazaar

Author: Amy Brais Staff Writer

Instead of using fall break as a period of relaxation in the midst of a busy semester, Drew West '04 opted to do something a little more productive. He went home to Loudonville, N.Y., and started a Web site called U.S. Ski Trader, which allows visitors to buy and sell skis through auctions. This innovative site, www.USskitrader.com, will open on Nov. 16 and will accommodate the trade of winter sport accessories, apparel, bindings, boots, race suits, alpine skis, nordic skis and snowboards.

The concept for U.S. Ski Trader evolved out of West's long-term involvement with skiing and trading. He began skiing at age four and is currently a member of the Middlebury College Ski Team. While a student at the National Sports Academy, West noticed that many students would purchase new equipment on a yearly basis and had difficulty selling their old gear.

He began purchasing sports equipment from his peers in high school and selling it on eBay, the Internet's most well-known auction site, for a small profit. Since he received most of his equipment from serious ski racers, West dealt primarily with race stock skis, which are hand-made and of a higher quality than regular skis. He observed that eBay did not cater very well to ski racers, and saw the market opportunity for a trading site geared specifically towards winter sports. West contacted several friends and athletes to gauge the overall interest in his project and received a very positive response. With this impetus, the sophomore decided to go ahead and start USskitrader.com.

"Because ski racers, snowboarders and Nordic skiers alike frequently purchase new high-end equipment, they are constantly looking for potential buyers. U.S. Ski Trader allows athletes to distribute their equipment to other athletes in a relatively affordable manner," he explained.

To start his trading forum, West used his knowledge of Web design and networking skills. He attributes his knowledge of web design to the CX103 class he took with Mathematics and Political Science Professor Bob Martin last year. "The course showed me how capable any person today can be of producing good sites and subsequent companies," West remarked.

He contacted several Internet hosting companies and compared prices. West also spoke with representatives from multiple credit card companies to find out how to incorporate realtime credit card processing on a secure Web site with relative ease. He funded this project with money he made over the summer waiting tables and earnings from his other business, Bootopper Inc., a company he recently started that installs boot lifts on racers' boots that facilitate turning.

West has also arranged for an advertisement in Ski Racing Magazine, which he hopes will help spread public awareness about his Web site. The magazine has a circulation of 38,000, and all members of the U.S. Ski Snow and Nordic Association receive copies. He plans on putting his future profits into more advertising.

U.S. Ski Trader's design presents many elements in an accessible fashion. Potential buyers set up a username and can browse any of 36 different categories of items and place bids. People wishing to sell an item can click on the "sell" link where they have the option of customizing their ads with photos before starting an auction. Sellers set the duration of the auction, which can last up to 30 days. At the end of an auction, the top bidder and the seller receive emails making them aware of its close and their proposed trade.

The site will soon expand to incorporate an "Athlete of the Week" section and a "Favorite Links" section. West hopes that this will allow successful athletes, particularly those in the collegiate spectrum, to receive much-deserved publicity.

Although West initially considered waiting until next season to begin his site, his preliminary successes have made him pleased that U.S. Ski Trader will be in operation in time for this winter. West has enjoyed his work with his project thus far, and notes the service it will provide for many avid athletes. He concluded, "This site has tremendous potential for college students, kids and adults to get good deals on great equipment. I hope that people will take advantage of this opportunity."