Tips For Renting Snowboarding And Skiing
Equipment
Author: Gray Rollins

So, you're planning a skiing or snowboarding trip.  You have
your travel and lodging plans all set up, but have you gotten
your equipment yet?  While buying your own equipment may be
more convenient, it's also a lot more expensive.  If you have
never been skiing before, you may want to consider renting in
case you find you don't like it.  You can always buy equipment
the next time you go.  Renting also makes it affordable for
people who can't spend hundreds of dollars to buy equipment.
Plus, you won't have to lug all the extra baggage on the plane
or in the car.  If you have children, you know how quickly kids
can grow out of their clothes.  When you rent, you don't have to
buy your kids new equipment every year or two when they grow out
of the old stuff.

Once you've decided to rent equipment, you should make sure to
reserve it well before you take your trip.  This is especially
important if you're going during peak season.  If you wait
until you get there, you may have to do a lot of searching to
find appropriate sizes and equipment.  You definitely want to
make reservations if you're renting snowboarding equipment.
Snowboarding has greatly increased in popularity and many
stores haven't caught up with demand.

You will probably have a choice of renting equipment at the
mountain, or from other stores in the area.  At certain resorts
where there's not much of a town you should probably rent at the
mountain. At other resorts, you may have many other rental
options.  The benefit of renting elsewhere is that you'll
probably get a better price.   If you're only renting for one
day, the mountain will probably be more convenient because you
won't have to carry equipment as far.

If you decide to rent at the mountain, you should arrive an
hour before you plan to ski or snowboard.  This will give you
time to get your equipment and get fitted.  If you rent
elsewhere, it's best to get the equipment the day before you go
out.  This way, you'll be able to find other accommodations if
they do not have the appropriate equipment.  When you get
there, you should be ready ahead of time with everyone's shoe
sizes, heights, and weights.  While some people may want to
fudge on their weight, you should be honest.  The type of
equipment you need depends on your weight.  If you give the
wrong weight, you may be risking your own safety.  If you have
a very large shoe size, you should make sure the shop you rent
from has the right size boots.  If not, you should buy
equipment online before you show up.  You should ask the shop
before you do this; you may be able to buy boots that fit their
equipment.

When you get ready to sign the contract for your equipment,
they will offer you insurance on the equipment.  SAY YES!
While your chance damaging the equipment is probably fairly
low, it's still a great idea.  Cost for insurance is generally
about a dollar a day.  That's 3 or 4 dollars per trip.  Compare
this to the hundreds of dollars you could pay to fix damage to
skis or a snowboard.  And that's nothing compared to the cost
if you completely ruin the equipment.  You should also remember
that it doesn't take that much to damage equipment.  A mountain
is covered in snow when you ski on it, but under that snow are
rocks and branches.  If the snow cover is thin on a mountain,
you risk hitting these objects and you generally can't see them
to avoid them.

Hopefully these tips will help you get the right equipment and
get you to the mountain.  Have a great trip!


About The Author: Gray Rollins is a featured writer for two ski
resort websites.  He writes for both
http://www.goskibreckenridge.com and http://www.goskiaspen.com.
If you're interested in great places to take your next skiing
or snowboarding vacation, then be sure to visit one of those
sites.