Winter Ski Gear Roundup: Helly Hansen, Armada Skis, Faction Skis, and DPS Skis
If you love talking gear, you’re in the right neck of the woods. Especially during the winter season, we get pretty amped up about our favorite brands, especially when they have a decadent supply of gently used, sample, and surplus gear listed on
Geartrade at the moment.
Such is the case right now, with outerwear, skis, and about-town clothing from greats like Helly Hansen, Armada, Faction Skis, and DPS Skis lining our digital shelves. Each of these brands are pioneers in their own right, creating innovative equipment that lets you go explore in your own right.
Norway-based
Helly Hansen has been around since 1877 (yep, you read that right) when Helly Hansen himself invented waterproof oil-coated clothing to protect sailors from the harsh elements. Over the many decades since, they’ve developed game-changing innovations in weatherproof clothing, insulating layers, and even sustainable waterproofing.
Today, they’re a powerhouse of premium outerwear designed down to the last detail for warmth, dryness, comfort, and style. Even better, many of their ski jackets, puffy jackets, ski and snowboard pants, and casual wear are currently listed on Geartrade. It’s an excellent time to pick up a fresh flannel button-down, fine waterproof ski shell, or cozy base layer.
One of the first ever ski brands to be skier-founded,
Armada Skis was an early key player in the freeski market, making a bold departure from traditional alpine racing-oriented ski brands. They were loud, proud, colorful, and focused on athlete-developed ski designs created by some of the very skiers pushing their sport’s progression into a new era.
Armada has grown from a tiny company run by its athletes to a global presence making some of the finest freestyle, freeride, and all-mountain skis on the market. They still call Park City home and spend as much time as possible product testing (read: shredding). They also offer a nice outerwear line that’s heavy on style points, with a progressive new-school look that turns heads from the liftline to the bar line.
At the moment you can find an excellent array of men’s and women’s skis, ski jackets and pants, gloves, and mittens on Geartrade. It’s deluxe stuff at an UnNew price, just waiting for you to take it out for fresh turns.
Based in Verbier, Switzerland,
Faction Skis was founded by a group of skiers with an appetite for big alpine lines. Their pro skier frontman, the legendary Candide Thovex, has helped them carry their dream forward with a series of signature ski models designed to enthrall the big-mountain and freeski enthusiast in us all. Faction has pushed new technologies in lighter ski cores, innovative rocker, and the use of recycled materials for a smaller footprint that doesn’t skimp on epic ski tracks.
Geartrade is currently blessed with a selection of new and UnNew skis from Faction, ranging from all-mountain park skis to freeride crushers. Snap up a pair, get in touch with your most playful ski style, and level up your ski game on the biggest terrain you can get on.
Renowned as a top-shelf primo ski brand,
DPS Skis calls the Wasatch its home and is known for its paradigm-pushing thinking in the ski design world. The diehard powder-seekers at DPS headquarters are unafraid of trying radical new approaches to ski design. In fact, they were responsible for the first rockered ski with sidecut, a three-dimensional convex shape known as the Spoon, and even a wild new permanent ski wax known as PHANTOM.
Every single detail going into each ski’s construction is oriented for the finest skiing experience, with an emphasis on surfing the exceptional featherlight powder found here in the Utah mountains. The only catch with DPS Skis is their steep price tag; they’re worth every penny but it can make the purchase a little tougher for the everyday skier. Which is why we’re delighted to announce that we’ve got a large selection of DPS Skis on Geartrade at the moment of this article’s publishing. Many even come with bindings.
Yes. It’s big news. And we don’t know why you’re even still reading this when you could be clicking through to see the DPS goodies.
Have UnNew ski gear of your own to list on
Geartrade? Get crackin’! When you sell gear you’re not using, you have more money for gear you’ll love. And don’t forget to tag and share pics of your Unnew gear out there in the wilds. We love to see how it’s doing.
Beth Lopez is a seasoned writer and creative director who loves to tell tales of adventure and discovery—and finds writing a powerful way to give a voice to people, causes, and places. Beth runs amok in the Wasatch mountains when untethered from her computer. She believes there’s no such thing as a bad ski day and considers animals her favorite people. Don’t tell her mother about her Instagram mountaineering photos.
