The annual Sandpoint Ski Swap, hosted by the Schweitzer Alpine Racing School, has been canceled.

Organizers had been hopeful they would be able to host the swap with social distancing measures in place, wrote Jason Welker, business administrator for SAR in an email.

However, since the state’s move back to Stage 3 of its reopening plan, which includes a ban on indoor gatherings of 50 or more people, the event had to be canceled.

“Given the popularity of the event, which regularly draws over 1,200 people to the Bonner County Fairgrounds,” Welker wrote, “It became too difficult to move forward in a way deemed safe for the community. The swap will return to the fairgrounds in November of 2021.”

Even before the move back to Stage 3, Welker said, SAR would have had to significantly limit the number of shoppers allowed at once. The swap is also run by volunteers, several of whom told organizers they would be unable to help this year.

“We were more concerned about the health of our community,” Welker said. “We need 40 volunteers just to make it happen.”

Many of the people who normally attend the ski swap are families buying for their children, Welker said. In its place, he said, families may find their best bet to be local online marketplaces and websites like Craigslist.