Category: Eco

My drive to the ski slopes by EV

As our old diesel car limped us back from the ski slopes in early 2024 (with SIX stops for oil top-ups), its chances of getting through another MOT were slim. But when we decided to swerve the hybrid option and go full hog for an eco EV car, we had one niggling worry: could we drive to the ski slopes by EV – and back – without running out of charge?

Here is what we learnt from our first ski trip by EV:

Pre-departure

  • Our insurance company covered us to drive in Europe – phew.
  • We absolutely made sure we had a breakdown cover that INCLUDED charging our EV.
  • We certainly didn’t do enough homework (more on this below).
  • Our battery offered a maximum of 240 miles, so we knew we would have to stop around six times during our drive to the ski slopes at Wengen: little and often, as all EV car drivers will tell you (ie do not drop to below 20% charge and do not charge above 80%).
  • We decided to Airbnb it on our way to Switzerland to break up our drive, but go full hog on the way back.
  • We were warned that the cold would drain our battery, as would winding up a mountain road by EV. Neither occurred.

our Journey to the ski slopes

First charge stop en route to the ski slopes: Folkestone. A disaster. The chargers were not taking debit or credit cards, the QR code the charger asked us to scan did not exist and when I called the European operators (on the line for 23 minutes and counting. Argh) they could not assist.

Thank goodness for helpful and experienced EV driver Toby, who lent us an RFDI charging card. So nice. This lifted our spirits until we realised the car wasn’t getting out of initialising to charging. (LeShuttle Flexi Plus travellers can use a dedicated charger; we looked on in envy.)

Another group of EV drivers turned up and experienced similar problems. One person had around 10 different charging cards, one of which worked.

Driving south through France, as electric vehicle range anxiety kicked in, we had to revisit our stops. The car’s system weirdly directed us away from the motorway, on a drive of between five and 10 minutes, usually to a Lidl or Aldi. Do this six times and it adds an hour and a half onto your journey.

Overall, the drive through France was a good experience, helped immensely by our 19-year-old son who was a whizz at getting the car charging (I lost count of the amount of apps we had to download).

For our overnight stay on our way to the ski slopes, we chose somewhere with a charger. However, the host was strange about us using it, so we plugged our EV into the mains to give us enough charge to get us to a super charger next morning. That supercharger was in a McDonald’s, where the breakfast was really rather good, AND it wasn’t in throw-away packaging. Well done, Swiss McDonald’s.

Survive the drive: tips on driving to the ski slopes

At the ski resort

We were staying in Wengen, Switzerland, a ‘no-car’ resort, so we parked our EV in Lauterbrunnen and took a relaxing, quick cogwheel-rail journey up the mountain. Lauterbrunnen has an easy-access, multi-storey car park with around 10 excellent EV chargers. We popped down the night before our departure and charged our car overnight – simples.

The drive home

We drove away from Wengen around 8am with a LeShuttle crossing booked for a later than usual 10.30pm (we would normally plan to be at the Channel for 8.30pm). We didn’t quite make it. Five minutes late and the check-in machine told us the next available crossing was 01.15am. Thankfully, I tracked down a member of staff who said ‘just get on the next crossing in 30 minutes’, saving us a two-hour wait. You might not be so lucky in the school holidays.

Cruising in EV ECO mode, not using the heated seats, saved us around 10-20km / charge; keep the heating on, but maybe bring a jumper or blankets.

Our drive back from skiing was pretty seamless, except for a long charger queue at a motorway service station somewhere near Strasbourg, where other drivers were parking in the EV charging points. We had a lucky break and managed to slip into a space just as a vehicle was leaving.

My tips for a drive to the ski slopes by EV:

  • Get an RFID card before you leave.
  • Download the Charge Global app in advance, it was a life saver and had really good up to date info on so many chargers en route (weirdly, it doesn’t seem to have the same accuracy in the UK).
  • Use motorway service stations to charge where possible (but do remember during the day these can be busy). They may be slightly more expensive, but it saves that extra drive.
  • Remember to budget for the coffees and snacks you will be buying your whole family at every EV charging stop.
  • Travelling by EV is not cheaper than using diesel. Charging prices varied between about 60 and 80 pence / kwh.
  • Allow for C6 charges and remember the 20:80 rule (little and often).
  • Take a teenager to get the charging under way while the driver/s you sip a frothy cappuccino.
  • We are glad we factored in an overnight stop on the outward journey, especially as you lose an hour crossing the Channel.
  • If the LeShuttle machine tells you there isn’t an available train for a couple of hours – check with a human being.
  • Travelling by EV does get easier and, yes, range anxiety does pass.

Our latest ski trip partner : North47

A big welcome to our latest school ski trip partner North47, putting sustainability at the heart of its operations – just like WhoSki.com. We were delighted to hear about the company’s suite of eco commitments, and look forward to welcoming their clients to the ever-growing WhoSki.com community.

Not only is North47 encouraging all its clients to think second hand first when buying ski clothing and equipment – using WhoSki.com, naturally. It also puts nature and the environment front of mind in all its ski business operations.

From recycling to litter picking, transport (choosing bus and coach over air travel) and gastronomy, North47 is committed to sustainability. As a business, it strives to take – and offer – the most eco-friendly choice in as many fields as possible.

SMALL STEPS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

It’s an approach that, of course, WhoSki.com is 100% in favour of. We take the view that whatever your habits, acting mindfully and positively is the best way to make the small differences that can reduce your carbon footprint and help encourage behaviour changes in other areas of your life.

WhoSki.com is popular with skiers across age and demographic groups. We find families in particular love using our marketplace to pick up quality, good value ski clothing. Our website is easy to use and offers a wide range of ski kit for adults and children from all age groups.

School ski trip essentials

By looking for second hand ski clothing and equipment at WhoSki.com before you buy new, you can save money on your next wintersports trip. From an eco angle, you will also help keep durable, hard to recycle kit in active usage. This helps reduce global consumption and reduces the chance of items like ski jackets, ski pants and base layers ending up in landfill where they can take potentially 100s of years to bio-degrade.

WHOSKI.COM : ALWAYS OPEN

Visit the North47 school ski trip website for information about their ski travel options – and the WhoSki.com marketplace to buy and sell your pre-loved ski kit.

WhoSki.com is open for business all year round, so if you are having a summer clear-out or getting ready for next ski season, register as a user for free and start greening up your wintersports habit right now.

Visit the WhoSki.com partners page

Fresh tracks at WhoSki.com in 2023

Happy New Year to all! Here’s a round-up of some of the ‘fresh tracks’ we made at WhoSki.com in 2023:

fresh tracks: Growth

  • Registered WhoSki.com users rose month-on-month, with increasing quantities of good-as-new kit finding a second life in every corner of the UK, Ireland & Europe. Thanks to you all.
  • We rank No1 in Google organic search for secondhand ski wear. That makes it easier for even more people to find our preloved ski clothing shop online: good news for sustainability and the circular economy.
  • We expanded WhoSki.com beyond winter sports wear to include all kinds of outdoor clothing and equipment. By buying and selling your secondhand outdoor kit you are helping keep even more durable, hard-to-recycle materials in active usage, reducing their carbon footprint and helping ease pressure on the world’s resources.
Boots, backpack and more: the kit you need for an outdoor adventure
Boots, backpack and more: all outdoor kit now available via WhoSki.com

Fresh tracks: events

  • WhoSki.com co-founders Nicola and Sally hosted two live workshop sessions about ‘Easy ways to ski green’ at the NEC Birmingham and London’s ExCel for National Snow Week. Many thanks to guest eco experts Iain Martin, Sarisher Mann and Matthew Sexton for joining us on stage to share their insights and expertise.
  • We attended the super-useful LISTEX – London International Snowsports Trade Exchange in London. It was inspiring to meet so many like-minded movers and shapers in the ski sector. Thanks to Mountain Trade Network for organising.
  • We enjoyed a fun couple of days at The Snow Centre , Hemel Hempstead, for ‘Get your kit out’ winter launch weekend, spreading the word about sustainable ski fashion and hearing about customers’ ski plans. Looking forward to similar later this year with a WhoSki.com stand at Chill Factore, Manchester, too.
Ski wear from the Alps with ZERO carbon footprint
One Tree at a Time ski wear from the Alps – with ZERO carbon footprint

Fresh tracks: support

  • We were delighted to see the WhoSki.com brand gain increased exposure, with press coverage in outlets including The Guardian, Evening Standard and Time & Leisure Magazine. WhoSki.com was a finalist for two business award categories in the fields of Best Sports Brand and Sustainability.
  • Thanks to Protect Our Winters UK for supporting our learning in all things eco via your Carbon Literacy course: we recommend. A big cheer too for the ongoing support and inspiration from our participation in the Re-Action Collective.
school ski trip packing tips
Skiers increasingly care about the environment

And finally… In a WhoSki.com survey, more than 95% of skiers said that making their ski trips more eco-friendly was ‘very’ or ‘quite’ important to them. Which is a good reason for us to feel positive about the year ahead, look forward to even bigger things in 2024, and embrace the host of opportunities ahead.

Thanks, of course, go to the many other individuals, organisations, businesses and customers who continue to back us in our mission to increase circularity and sustainability in the active outdoor sector. You’ve all helped us make fresh tracks at WhoSki.com in 2023. Don’t hesitate to get in touch throughout the year ahead with your ideas and opinions: we love to hear from you .

Ski wear from the Alps – with ZERO carbon footprint

Ski resort workers wear technical, branded ski clothing through the season – but what happens to it when the snow melts? This year, some of those ski clothes have been repaired, refreshed, refurbished and will be back in active usage – thanks to a zero carbon footprint collaboration between WhoSki.com and our Alpine eco-partner One Tree at a Time.

All logos have been obscured or removed, with the ski jackets, fleeces and tops – all little-used and good as new – washed and refurbished before making their way back to the UK from the Alps this summer with ZERO carbon footprint.

One Tree jackets. Eco ski wear from the Alps
One Tree ski jacket. Ski wear from the Alps - with zero carbon footprint
One Tree mid layer ski jackets. Eco ski wear from the Alps

Aren’t they gorgeous? Bright, stylish, rescued and repaired. And now on sale at WhoSki.com.

a secondhand success story

A secondhand success story. But just a few months ago, they were end of season cast-offs from seasonal ski resort workers in the Alps.

You’ve probably never thought about what happens to the branded ski clothing used by saisonnaire staff when the snow melts. Barely used but no longer required, most corporate ski jackets, fleeces and mid-layers are probably headed for landfill or incineration.

It’s a story that our eco-partner One Tree at a Time is working tirelessly to re-tell. One Tree is a grassroots organisation based in the hamlet of Bozel in the French Alps, nestled between Courchevel and La Plagne. With their help, we are extending the life of these valuable textiles by enabling re-sale of their pre-loved and 100%-perfect ski clothing via our UK marketplace.

Like WhoSki.com, One Tree at a Time is among the sustainable outdoor activity organisations which belong to the Re-Action Collective, an international group of second handers, renters, repairers and individuals sharing ideas and resources to support and promote the messages of re-sale, re-purpose and re-use.

Here’s the story of how our range of One Tree at a Time refurbished eco ski wear made its way from the Alps to the WhoSki.com marketplace, where you can buy it now…

January 2023
In the Alps, One Tree starts sharing photos of the ex-ski company wear that is being donated for re-use. Good as new or unused items like ski jackets, fleeces, salopettes and woolly hats that are surplus to requirements and will never be used again.

February 2023
WhoSki.com co-founder Sally starts to wonder whether there is a sustainable way to extend the market for One Tree’s pre-loved and refurbished ski wear range to the UK. Selling it on via the WhoSki.com marketplace would help promote the re-use message, highlight the issue of winter sports sustainability and make top-quality ski clothing more affordable and accessible to a wider audience in the UK.

March 2023
Workers at One Tree are busy repairing and refreshing ski wear ready for re-sale. This entails removing all branding and logos, replacing travel company slogans with flashes of reclaimed fabric, making sure zips are in working order and that all items end up good as new.

One Tree workers repair and refresh the ski clothing
Image: Gwilym Thomas
One Tree seamstress in the Alps brings ski clothing back to life
Image: Gwilym Thomas

Manon, Justine and the rest of the talented One Tree at a Time repair team work at their sewing machines from home. A cottage industry of passionate, creative people working to provide circularity solutions. Their motivation? To keep textiles in active usage as long as possible.

The results are stunning: high quality, good as new ski and winter wear ready for re-use.

April 2023
Sally calls Gavin: “Any chance we can bring some of your ski gear to the UK? But we need to do it in as low-carbon a way as possible.” WhoSki.com and One Tree start working out how to transport the clothing back to the UK without generating emissions.

June 2023
Bingo! One of Gavin’s repairers will be driving back to the UK next month and has space in her car to bring over a batch of refurbished ski wear. It’s a journey that she will be taking anyway, so zero carbon footprint for our clothes.

July 2023
Justine arrives in Warrington with a couple of boxes of One Tree ski clothing. WhoSki.com co-founder Nicola’s sister lives nearby and is visiting the area anyway so agrees to collect the boxes and stash them at her home. So far: no extra miles.

Boxes of ski wear from the Alps - brought to the UK with zero carbon footprint
Boxes en route

August 2023
Arrival day! Nicola’s sister travels south for a family occasion, bringing with her the two boxes brimming with One Tree’s brightly coloured, expertly refurbished ski wear. It’s fabulous: unique, sustainable, perfect.
Next step: upload the pre-loved clothing – base layer fleeces, mid-layer puffers and ski jackets – to WhoSki.com ready for re-sale.

Boxes of ski wear from the Alps - brought to the UK with zero carbon footprint
Unboxing ski wear from the Alps - brought to the UK with zero carbon footprint

September 2023
Sustainable One Tree at a Time refurbished ski wear goes on sale at WhoSki.com. By buying one of these unique items of clothing, you are keeping an unrecyclable item in active usage, out of landfill and reducing its and your own carbon footprint. Ski wear from the Alps to the UK with zero carbon footprint: a circular economy success story.

If you live anywhere near SW London, visit the WhoSki.com stall in Wimbledon on Saturday September 16. We have a presence at the open-air Love Wimbledon Sustainable Market outside the Odeon in central SW19 – so you can get hands on with the refurbished clothing we are selling through our collaboration with One Tree. Please pop by for a chat and to find out more.

Are you a travel or sports business that would like to see end of season branded items refurbished and put to good use? Get in touch – we would love to help you normalise re-use for discarded winter sports wear. It’s good for sustainability and the environment, good for consumers, good for the industry and great for your corporate profile.

Check out the One Tree items for sale at WhoSki.com here.

“I spent £1k on kit – most will never get used”

How much does it cost to kit your kids out for an expedition? And what if that kit never gets used?

The 2023 World Scout Jamboree – oh dear! We feel so sorry for those Scouts who had worked so hard for so long to get to South Korea, only for a series of organisational and climactic mishaps to make it a trip to remember for all the wrong reasons.

Costly kit lists

Here at WhoSki.com we were also struck by the words of one parent, who told The Times, “You get a big kit list… I spent about £1,000 in Decathlon. Most of it will never get used.”

If you’ve ever signed up a child for a Duke of Edinburgh expedition, an adventure trip or a Scout or Guide camp, you’ll sympathise.

Kitting out your kids with the necessary equipment for every eventuality – rain, wind, heat, insects, snow – is essential. The official kit list is lengthy. The cost is high.

But much of that expedition gear, which ranges from waterproof jackets to mosquito nets, Camelbak hydration carriers to gaiters, walking trousers to rucksack liners, barely gets used. Let’s face it, some of it never comes out of the bag.

Unused kit: perfect for re-sale

A lot of equipment is used only briefly because your teenage kids grow out of it before their next adventure. Which makes it perfect for secondhand re-sale. And WhoSki.com is the perfect place to sell it on.

We have expanded our categories beyond ski to include a wider range of pre-loved outdoor clothing and kit.

So rather than stuffing that outdoor gear in the loft, why not sell it on via our secondhand marketplace? It’s your chance to recoup some of your initial outlay and help make someone else’s DofE expedition a bit more affordable and sustainable.

Image by Freepik

What happens to old wellies?

I’ve lost count of the number of welly boots my family has churned through over the years. Which set me wondering: what happens to old wellies once you don’t want or need them any more?

We’ve all owned a pair of wellies. My current Hunter wellies have been going strong for about 15 years – and my daughter has inherited their predecessors.

Meanwhile, a cheapo Decathlon pair are doing sterling service as my rowing wellies, and shorty Joules wellies keep my feet dry while gardening.

Wellies are hard to recycle

Even when your wellies are made from certified eco-sourced rubber, mixing rubber with other materials during manufacture unfortunately makes them difficult to recycle when discarded.

It’s even worse for old wellies made from materials like PVC. Recycling of synthetics is still in its early days; they take hundreds of years to decompose in landfill and emit toxins when incinerated.

So choose carefully when you buy. Purchase pre-loved if you can, and never put old wellies in the bin: waste dumps are among the worst places they can end up. If there’s any life in them – no leaks, intact tread – try selling them via WhoSki.com or donate to a worthy cause.

Are your old wellies fit for re-sale?

If you are selling on or donating your unwanted old wellies, check that they are in good condition without cracks or damage that might leak. Make sure the soles are still in good shape, with tread robust enough to prevent slipping in mud or on wet surfaces.

Check welly tread is fit for purpose

When taking pics of your wellies for listing on WhoSki.com, photograph these details. If they are patterned, make sure the image is clear with no background clutter, to help bring your listing to life.

Eco-rubber boots

Remember: rubber comes from plants. Choosing wellies with FSC (Forest Stewardship Certification) means you can be certain the rubber comes from a sustainable source.

Wellington boot manufacturers which use FSC-certified natural rubber include Hunter Boots (which, sadly, went into administration earlier this year) and Lakeland.

Welly recycling options

If your wellies are too clapped-out to sell on, then check out local recycling point options. Try the recycle now site.

The French brand Aigle is a spendy option – warning, expensive! – but their boots are among the most sustainable you can buy and are guaranteed to last. Find out more.

Buy well to avoid welly waste

Keeping old wellies in active usage as long as they are fit for purpose is always the ‘greenest’ option. Recycling takes energy, and incineration produces toxic pollutants.

To reduce your environmental impact, consider investing in high-quality wellies that are made from sustainable materials and designed to last for many years. For kids, make sure their wellies are kept in active usage for as long as possible before they need to be thrown away. Sell them on via WhoSki.com or swap with friends and family to avoid buying new where possible.

Get creative with your old wellies

Once your wellies are really no longer wearable, perhaps you could repurpose them? Cut them down to use as shortie wellies, or transform them into planters.

Some schools and community groups use old wellies to plant up herbs and flowers, creating a fun and colourful display. It’s a good way for the kids to learn a bit about gardening as well as the impact of their wellies on the environment.

Got wellies you want to sell on? Visit the footwear section of the WhoSki.com marketplace to list your old wellies. Remember, we donate to charity on every sale.

Green up your watersports habit

Outdoors, on the water, in the fresh air – we love marine activities. Simple steps will help you keep on the right side of the environment, to green up your watersports habit this summer.

CHOOSE BIO-FRIENDLY SUN SCREEN

It was established in the early 2000s that the chemicals in some sun screens are harmful to coral reefs. Further research indicates that protective sun creams can also damage other marine organisms including wildlife.

Oxybenzone and octinoxate are among the culprits, and sunscreen containing these chemicals is banned in certain sensitive marine environments and resorts. Check the ingredients in your sun cream: choose marine-friendly and biodegradable formulations.

Fresh water in lakes and rivers also suffer pollution by sunscreen, scientists now believe. Harmful side effects include the water surface ‘sun cream slick’ that can prevent aquatic insects from laying eggs, thus depriving other river and lake dwellers of food supply.

Chemicals in sunscreen can harm fish, mussels and algae too. Research continues, but in the meantime, opt for eco sun protection when you swim, surf, paddleboard – whatever your watersports habit.

LEAVE NO TRACE

Most of us are aware of the need to leave only footprints – but how about going one better, and heading home from the beach / riverbank / lakeside with MORE than you brought by doing a quick litter pick every trip?

Take a 10-minute walk up and down the waterside between paddleboard outings and gather whatever bits of rubbish or general manmade debris you find. Stick them in a bag and put them in the bin / recycling when you get home.

Look out for local clean-up initiatives while you are water-side and do your bit. Plastic Free North Devon, for example, runs a series of green action days to deal with the rubbish that is clogging our shores.

Surfers Against Sewage provides advice on organising a beach clean as well as listings for local beach clean up activities.

PASS IT ON

Look for secondhand watersports equipment before you buy new – and sell on any pre-loved outdoor activity items you no longer need.

For example, watersports kit like boogie or body boards, essentially a sheet of polystyrene wrapped in a thin layer of nylon decorated with a cartoon character or similar, are cheap to buy but an eco nightmare. Surfer Today calls them ‘a silent environmental disaster’.

Rather than buying a cheap single use board, bucket or spade for the kids that won’t even last the weekend, invest in quality equipment that you can use repeatedly, then pass it on to another family member or sell on via WhoSki.com.

Reducing consumption is key to reducing your carbon footprint, reducing air miles and preserving valuable resources.

RENT BEFORE YOU BUY

Not sure whether paddleboarding is really for you? Think you’ll only go surfing once a year? Maybe you don’t need to clutter up your shed / loft / garage with a large piece of watersports or outdoor activity equipment you’ll barely use.

However cheap it is to buy, it is much less costly to the environment to hire or rent your watersports gear where possible. Stuff like wetsuits, kayaks and canoes requires a lot in the way of (often unrecyclable) raw materials to create, and most are used very little.

Green up your watersports habit. Try hiring on the spot from local providers and check their eco credentials. Or take a look at our circular economy friends KitUp who are building a UK-wide network of outdoors equipment owners willing to rent out their equipment on demand.

Why new neoprene is a no-no: what happens to our unwanted wetsuits

What happens to unwanted wetsuits?

An estimated 8,380 tonnes of neoprene, much from unwanted wetsuits, ends up in landfill globally every year. Wetsuits and other neoprene products have traditionally been impossible to recycle.

The only option has been to dump or shred them. The best way to prevent this eco disaster? Keep your unwanted water sports wetsuits in use as long as possible.

Selling on any wetsuit that is in good condition is the least polluting option, especially children’s wetsuits as they are generally little used and perfect for re-sale. As with other outdoor clothing, re-sale keeps no longer needed wetsuits out of landfill and in active usage. However cheaply you can get hold of a new wetsuit, for paddleboarding, surfing, a water sports course or whatever, buying one secondhand is the more eco option.

Wetsuits are exceedingly slow to deteriorate, depending on how they are stored and looked after. They do not break down in landfill.

Care about the environment? Keep your old wetsuits in active usage: sell them on.

Re-use and extending the usage of your wetsuits and other outdoor clothing and equipment beats recycling every time. Why? Because re-use saves the energy required to re-manufacture it into another product, reducing wastage and pollution at the same time.

Can you recycle neoprene?

Alternative plant-based materials are being developed, but right now pretty much all wetsuits are made from neoprene, a non-biodegradable synthetic rubber derived from petroleum or limestone: both non-renewable resources.

Until recently, there was no way to recycle neoprene.

Instead, the neoprene was shredded or simply re-purposed into other items such as laptop bags or mouse mats. The reason neoprene is used for wetsuits is because it is temperature resistant. It is also chemically inert, with a low oxidation rate and high sun and ozone resistance. Hence neoprene wetsuits are tough. They degrade very slowly and make a perfect secondhand purchase.

Be confident: that wetsuit you bought for your child when they were aged eight will most likely still be perfectly wearable at least a decade later. I am still using the wetsuit I bought for dinghy sailing back in the 1990s: 30 years on and it is still as good as new. Luckily, it still fits. If it didn’t, I would be passing it on to a younger family member or selling it on WhoSki.com.

What to do with your secondhand wetsuit?

Selling on a good condition, unwanted wetsuit is obviously the most environmentally friendly way to keep it in active usage and minimise its carbon footprint.

If you are looking for a wetsuit, think pre-loved before you buy new. Check out the outdoor clothing section of WhoSki.com to buy or sell secondhand wetsuits.

However, if you are looking for alternative ways to dispose of an unwanted wetsuit, the good news is that sustainable technologies are evolving.
A company called Circular Flow is working on a process to effectively and sustainably recycle neoprene for re-use.

The amount of neoprene it can cope with is limited, but some retailers have already partnered with Circular Flow to ensure their returned wetsuits are recycled using their proprietary technique.

Alpkit, Finisterre and Boardshop are among UK outdoor shops that will pass on unwanted neoprene wetsuits for recycling.

As with all outdoor wear, maximising its usage is the most eco way to ensure it causes least damage to the environment.

Think WhoSki.com next time you are having an outdoor clothing clear-out, and when you are stocking up for your next adventure.

Image by pressfoto on Freepik

Buy and sell ALL your outdoor kit at WhoSki.com

NEW: Our marketplace just got bigger. You can now buy and sell all your secondhand outdoor kit at WhoSki.com.

From wetsuits to walking boots, kagoules to camping equipment. Buying and selling secondhand clothes and outdoor kit at WhoSki.com means you are helping keep even more durables in active usage within the circular economy.

As regular WhoSkiers already know, re-sale and re-use beats recycling every time, being less costly in terms of energy and materials than buying new or throwing away items you no longer use.

Keeping kit in active usage

Many thanks to all who have bought and sold ski kit via the WhoSki.com marketplace this season. Your actions have helped keep heaps of ski and snowboard clothes in active usage, reduced their carbon footprint and earned you useful spending money from no-longer-needed clothes and equipment.

We hope you will be inspired to do similar with our expanded marketplace, buying and selling the outdoor clothes and equipment you use for the other activities you enjoy all year round.

It is simple: same platform, same name, same log-ins and now with more departments. The only real difference? A summer-ised WhoSki.com logo: spot the sunshine. Plus more categories for you to list your outdoor clothing and equipment.

list your outdoor kit now

Perhaps your kids have a backpack or sleeping mat left over from a Duke of Edinburgh or Scout group expedition? Maybe there’s a pile of unwanted wetsuits in your loft, used just once during that trip to Cornwall or the Scillies? Has a child out-grown their walking boots?

Buy and sell ALL your outdoor kit and clothing at WhoSki.com.

Outdoor clothes and equipment that is still in good condition but of no further use to you could be exactly what another WhoSkier is looking for. List it now, boost your eco credentials, earn a bit of money on unwanted items and help make someone else’s outdoor activity trip a bit more affordable and accessible.

Questions and comments? Please drop us an email or get in touch via social media. We always love to hear from you.

Celebrating our first full ski season

As the ski lifts close at the end of Europe’s winter sports season, at WhoSki.com we are celebrating our first full ski season of trading, with your help.

Helping stem the textiles glut and cutting the cost of skiing with our simple, safe, online marketplace for secondhand ski and snowboard clothing: what a year it has been!

Season highlights include:

  • A customer database that keeps on growing: thanks to all who have registered and continue to do so. It’s the best way to be among the first to know when new items go on sale. Register quickly and simply here.
  • A Best Business award for innovation (and a runners-up gong for sustainability).
  • Building partnerships with a network of businesses operating in the winter sports sector including Huski, Halsbury Ski, Club Europe, the Ski Club of GB and more.
  • Working alongside local, national and international players to promote circularity and the #SkiGreen message, like Sustainable Merton, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, SATI and Re-Action.
  • With your help, we have kept heaps of snow wear, from ski jackets to goggles, IN active usage and OUT of landfill.
  • We have enabled numerous WhoSki.com members to monetize their wardrobe while reducing their carbon footprint via the circular economy.
  • A stand at the NEC National Snow Show where we enjoyed meeting (and feeding – homemade biscuits, anyone?) so many potential customers. We look forward to seeing you at the next one.
  • Feedback from our many satisfied, supportive WhoSki.com users

It really feels like a distant memory since the evening Nicola suggested we set up the UK’s eBay just for ski clothes – now live and trading as WhoSki.com.

Pre-loved fashion then was a niche interest. The only way to reliably get your hands on a pair of affordable salopettes was via a friend or neighbour. And when your children grew out of their snowboots there was no real way to ensure they were passed on sustainably outside your immediate circle.

making sustainability simple

As one happy WhoSki.com customer puts it: “A very easy process to kit my children out to replace the items they had grown out of. Will certainly be using the site again.”

So, happy full first year to us – and watch out for exciting developments at the WhoSki.com marketplace during the year ahead.

Image by ArtPhoto_studio on Freepik

Mark Earth Day with year-round behaviour change

We agree with organisers, that bold action and everyday behaviour change are key to improving sustainability this Earth Day. Buying and selling secondhand are among the ways we can all make a difference year-round.

Global revenues for transactions in the circular economy sector – secondhand, rental and repaired goods – are predicted to more than double over the four-year period to 2026.

Great news, you might think: finally the message is getting through, that re-use beats recycle, and that pre-loved is the new “new”.

Sadly, it’s not that simple. While the UK plays a key role in trading secondhand and used goods worldwide, much of that trade is in the export of our unwanted apparel to the Global South and elsewhere. In 2018, the UK ranked as the world’s second biggest exporter of used clothing, with exports valued at approximately US$541.41 million.

Making waves in the outdoor sector

WhoSki.com, with our peer-to-peer marketplace for secondhand ski and snowboard clothing, is a minnow in the tide of textile waste flowing out of Europe. However, as the current European ski season draws to close, now is the perfect time to take stock of how our little marketplace is starting to make waves.

In our first full season, the WhoSki.com customer base has grown by a whopping 1,270%, we’ve won a Best Business award for innovation (and a runners-up gong for sustainability), we’ve built partnerships with a network of businesses operating in the winter sports sector, worked alongside local, national and international players to promote circularity, kept heaps of secondhand ski wear, from ski jackets to goggles, IN active usage and OUT of landfill and we have enabled numerous WhoSki.com members to monetize their wardrobe while reducing their carbon footprint via the circular economy.

Since its launch in 1972, Earth Day has sought to activate people to be more engaged and informed about protecting our planetary ecosystem. Awareness has grown and in latter years the deployment of solutions has undoubtedly accelerated.

Raising awareness

Our experience has been similar. A handful of years ago, awareness of climate change was minimal among consumers. Personal experience of unreliable weather conditions in European ski resorts in recent years has brought the reality of climate change to the front door of our chalets.

Enabling skiers to buy secondhand ski clothing and equipment where possible and pass on their unwanted textiles sustainably via the WhoSki.com marketplace is part of the behaviour change that can help convert consumers to embrace the circular economy across multiple sectors.

Investment in behaviour change is among the simple, sustainable steps we can and must take to support Planet Earth.

Cutting carbon impact with the support of Ski Line

Welcoming specialist wintersports travel agent Ski Line as a new WhoSki.com partner – you may have spotted their logo on our Partners Page.

We have teamed up with them because of their commitment to sustainability. As the company explains: “Ski Line promises to highlight green initiatives being undertaken by our featured ski resorts”. They also promote more eco-friendly travel options like taking the train. Bravo!

So this is a quick welcome and well done to Ski Line as our latest partner in the #SkiGreen movement, plus a shout out to the 15,000 plus skiers that will be travelling with them this winter.

If just a fraction of those skiers think pre-loved ski clothing this season, we will be keeping A LOT of extra wintersports clothing in active usage and out of landfill. Which is of course what WhoSki.com is all about.

Read the WhoSki.com guest blog on the Ski Line website