Snow players line up to gear up.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

Two things signal winter is coming on: daylight saving time ends, and the line forms outside the Wheeler Pavilion for the ski patrols' 35th annual Ski Swap.

An hour before doors opened Friday, 667 people already had tickets in hand. The ticket seller, 32-year ski patrol veteran and Ski Swap volunteer Hal Duncan, was warning people they face at least an hourlong wait after doors open.

Fire marshal rules, he says. Admission is limited to 200 at a time.

"Tonight, it's chaos," Duncan says. "Tomorrow, it's a lot more mellow around here."

It's first-come, first-serve for the best choices from thousands of items of gear and clothing put up for consignment sale by skiers and major ski shops to raise money for the volunteers who serve on the Willamette Pass, Santiam Pass and Willamette Back Country ski patrols.

The patrols get a 20 percent commission on private sales, 10 percent from the shops. All the money goes for medical supplies and rescue equipment. Ski patrollers and shop experts run it, swap manager Buz Mattson says.

Strolling through packed aisles before the opening, wearing a shirt celebrating the 50th anniversary of his family's ski shop, Dale Berg marvels at the energy of the volunteers.

"They want to be up there and help people, and be a part of life," he says. "They put the money to such a good cause, so people can play and be safe."

And just as the industry has evolved over the years, so has the swap - with ever growing selections of snowboards, twin-tip skis and the newer, wider downhill skis. Berg estimates that 40 percent of the market these days is for snowboarding. But people are having a lot of fun with plain old inner tubes on the snow, too, he adds.

"The thing I like in our area is there are a lot of families involved," Berg says.

Outside, Rick Daugherty waits for the opening, as he has for so many years he can hardly remember.

With two teenagers, the Springfield dad has found the swap a perfect place to dump outgrown equipment and keep his kids on the slopes.

As the clock ticks down, he chats with Harla Torres, a Springfield resident he just met in line.

Torres is excited because a total stranger whose friend couldn't make it has just traded ticket No. 52 for her ticket No. 695 - ensuring she will get in with the first group of shoppers.

She wants to upgrade the cheap snowboards she bought for her kids, ages 6 and 10, to try out the sport.

"They caught the bug just like we did," Torres says. "Me and my brother used to be double-black-diamond skiers. We skied all over, Montana, Wyoming, California.

"I want to find some cool boards with graphics on them," she says. "If I can come home with some cool stuff, it will make my day. You have to be a cool mom, you know?"

The sale continues today and Sunday beginning at 9 a.m. each day. Oh, and as for the second signal of winter: daylight saving time ends early Sunday, so set your clocks back tonight, or else you'll be an hour early if you plan on attending the swap's final day.

CAPTION(S):

Jocelyn Warren and her daughter Claudia Feil, 5, celebrate finding the perfect helmet at the 35th annual Ski Swap at the Lane Events Center on Friday.