Ski and boot rentals - how does it work

A snowHead

OK, so the resort hire places buy in masses of model and sizes?

Skis: My impression is the rental skis are a rebranded model from the makers retail range, and at some point they flog the lot off to Joe Middleman who sells em on.

In general do the rental companies take new stock every year to allow renters the opportunity of using the latest models? I'm guessing this is where the bronze/silver/gold, std/business class/first class models kick in, with the base rentals being 2-3 seasons old....or maybe more?

Boots: Do these work the same way?

It's doubtful I'd be able to afford newly fitted boots for myself and my wife this year so I'd like to take the opportunity to try a few different boots if/when we get to Austria either before Easter or next season

A snowHead

Ratae Corieltauvorum, depends what you hire. If you pay 50 euros for rental for the week you get a manufacturers "rental" ski - usually a thrown together foam core ski that will survive a season, is fairly forgving, and generally does the job for 90% of the punters through the door. If you pay a bit more, you will almost certainly get a ski that you could buy in the shops and costs the rental shop a bit more. It will probably be a slightly better ski. Either that or you get a slightly newer version of the above rental ski.

Boots are typically two or three types - narrow, normal and wide, probably chosen from the standard range from whichever manufacturer does them a deal, and available in all the usual sizes. They won't have 10 different brands available, again 90% of punters don't need or know much more than this.

You can try and find a load of different boots to try, but you may find this difficult. It also doesn't allow for the fact that one boot might be particularly suitable for you if a few minor modifications they could be brilliant.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Rental companies usually take in a huge bulk of skis which are the makers' middle range - usually fairly forgiving and flexible. This is for the average skiier who comes in who isn't going off-piste or into the backcountry and doesn't need more than a middle of the road ski. The rental places will keep this line for a number of years, each ski will see on average 10 uses a season, so it's not necessary to replace them often (definitely longer than 2-3 years). They won't usually sell them off to Joe Middleman either. Rather, when they're done, they'll sell them direct to the public and it's then you can pick up a very cheap pair of skis.
Same thing goes for boots. The middle of the road boots will be wider than usual to fit the average foot and not for people wanting to push their skiing. While I'd recommend getting a second hand pair of skis - they can be tuned up to fix the old usage - I'd be more wary about the boots. They probably won't fit too well and will get uncomfortable if you ever take up a lot of skiing. What's more, you won't save that much in the long run as boot hire isn't that expensive compared to ski hire.

Help!!

Ski and boot rentals - how does it work

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