The thermometer might be showing triple digits, but the winter sports/recreation industry is thinking snow.

Ski and snowboard shops as well as ski resorts in Sierra Nevada are still smarting from last ski season, which started well at the close of 2007 but fizzled as snowfall came to a virtual halt after February.

Now, retailers are already revving up sales of gear for the slopes, and ski resorts are talking up discounts designed to prompt winter sports enthusiasts to start planning outings now.

Land Park Ski & Sports on Freeport Boulevard in Sacramento is a prime example. It will hold its 13th annual ski and snowboard swap Saturday, when store merchandise also will be for sale.

The weather should be perfect for shorts and snow cones. But 64-year-old Bill Proffit, who has owned and operated the store for 30 years, said customers have grown accustomed to thinking about winter sports when the sun sizzles.

"We're open from mid-August to mid-May, and people always ask me in May when we're going to open again. I tell them, 'When the temperatures is 105 degrees.' So, I've just missed it by a couple of degrees," he said.

Proffit said there are more practical reasons for getting back to work before the first snowflakes fly in the Sierra Nevada. The unusually dry March put the brakes on what had been a good run of business to begin the 2007-08 ski season.

"We were flying high in December, and then it just stopped snowing at the end of February," Proffit said. "Our business was down about 7 percent because of that."

The San Francisco-based California Ski Industry Association has estimated that winter sport activities statewide pump more than $500 million annually into California's economy.

Proffit said his store has done well at times when robust consumer spending was not expected. For example, Land Park Ski & Sports had one of its best years in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

But as another season approaches, ski retailers can't escape high fuel prices and the state's shaky economy are.

"I think many of us are concerned about the price of gas and the economic downturn," he said. "I think about it, but I really don't know what to expect. We've done OK during tough times before."

More than anything, Proffit said, a successful season hinges on a single element. "One word: snow," he said.

"An abundance of snow tends to override those other economic factors," said Dave Ross, owner of Sacramento-based Alpine Adventures, which organizes winter sports outings and is a co-sponsor of Saturday's swap.

Sierra ski resort officials say they have high hopes for a heavy snow season. In the meantime, some are trying to lure skiers with lower prices.

Heavenly Mountain Resort, for example, is offering a series of package deals and discounts, selling a season pass for $369 instead of the normal $499. The deal is scheduled to expire after the Labor Day weekend.

"Gas prices and the economy are something we're definitely paying attention to," said Heavenly spokesman Russ Pecoraro. "We hope the snow comes early in October and blows all those worries away.

"As it is, we're only about seven or eight weeks away from making snow. I know it's hard to be thinking about that when it's about 100 degrees, but the season is just around the corner."

Saturday's swap at Land Park Ski & Sports will include used equipment for adults and children. Merchandise runs the gamut – skis, boards, boots, poles, jackets, pants, goggles and gloves.

Donald Park, a self- described Sacramento "ski nut," hits not only the slopes but the ski swaps.

"It's never too early to think about skiing," he said. "People start thinking about Christmas way early, so we do the same thing."

Mary Cole of Elk Grove said she shops for ski and snowboard equipment "all year-round."

"These (swap-and-sale events) are a great way to stock up early before the weather gets cold and the rush begins," she said.

Call The Bee's Mark Glover, (916) 321-1184.