 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
Looking to book ski hire for Flims-Laax through Alpineresorts. Does anyone know more about 3*, 4*, 5* ski packages that ski rental shops charge etc? The shop would be Sport Beat.
How do I know if I actually get skis in that grade for example - there are big price differences. My husband and I are intermediate - I am cautious and he is brave. I want a ski that responds to my commands! Our teenagers are both good beginners (3 weeks each)
ANy advice for hiring skis (I have my own boots)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The more money you pay the better and newer the equipment.
The shop should then give you an appropriate ski based on your ability.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@ElzP - good idea.
I might do research just like that. I want them to be easy enough to turn and make good secure turns without too much slip but short enough not to get me in a tangle but with some speed so I can keep up with my husband; they must feel stable. I ski with good technique but lose confidence on busy or narrow slopes. Is there a good equipment thread I should read?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@pandab, I've not seen any obvious recent threads on here but someone else might know?
I usually look at this type of thing - https://www.ellis-brigham.com/news-and-blogs/our-best-piste-skis-for-2022 - then Google the various skis. For reference, i own the s/max 8 on there and they suit for what you describe your skiing to be, and I've hired the cloud 9 and they were amazing. Both pretty stable at speed - to a relative value of speed, I'm not particularly quick  - but nice and easy on groomed or harder pistes. The s/max do not love deeper snow.
If you're clear about what you want out of it the hire shop should give you something decent in the intermediate category. They may not be brand spanking new, but they should do the job! I've never paid for advanced skis as frankly my skiing is not up to a stiff ski!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@ElzP thanks some good ideas there. Likely to be slushy snow that I face!
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@pandab, I don't know about that specific shop, but knowing some shops around here, and also having helped the ski-man out on busy weekends during my first season, the week you go will make more difference than the number of stars attributed to the ski pack.
It very much depends on how busy they are and what they have left when you go in during peak season as to what is a 3* and what is a 4*.
Also towards the end of the season they might be trying to sell some kit off, so offer you the chance to rent a "better" pair with the carrot that if you buy them, they'll refund the rental cost.
Most shops do not carry all skis from ALL manufacturers, so like @ElzP, says go in there with a particular ski in mind, although choose 1 ski from each of 3 or 4 of the most popular (rental) brands in Switzerland, so that way you should end up with what you want.
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Can look at ski tests but aren’t rental skis different? Or is that a myth / true but not relevant here?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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In my experience, hire shops are a real mixed bag, personally, I didn’t like the hassle especially on a short trip being “that guy” who has to go to the hire shop, so I bought my own skis…… I would suggest if you want something specific you buy your own.
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| Orange200 wrote: |
| Can look at ski tests but aren’t rental skis different? Or is that a myth / true but not relevant here? |
Yes and no. A lot of manufacturers have dedicated retail and rental ranges, so you might be able to hire an ABC "Ski X" but never find one for sale. But you also find hire shops who hire out retail, rather than rental skis. Generally (but not always) these will be the more expensive shops and you can someonetimes work out which they are (if they have a good website that lists the different skis they use in each range you can google them - if you find reviews then they are retail ones.).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
so I can keep up with my husband
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If he's a big bloke, that's always going to be a problem if he's hammering down. Tell him to do more turns, or to ski behind you. 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| pandab wrote: |
Hi,
Looking to book ski hire for Flims-Laax through Alpineresorts. Does anyone know more about 3*, 4*, 5* ski packages that ski rental shops charge etc? The shop would be Sport Beat.
How do I know if I actually get skis in that grade for example - there are big price differences. My husband and I are intermediate - I am cautious and he is brave. I want a ski that responds to my commands! Our teenagers are both good beginners (3 weeks each)
ANy advice for hiring skis (I have my own boots) |
Why go thru Alpine repsorts - go direct
https://www.flimslaax.com/ski-mieten - then pick your shop from there. the diufferentiations are "beginner" and "top" not 3* 4* 5*. another reason to not use alpine resorts who don't appear to be transparent over what you are hiring.
I have rented in the past from Flims through Laax Rental based at bottom gondola, mainly for convenience as you can leave skis and your own boots there overnight. There was a definite upgrade for paying extra for their "top" over their "basic" ski's. We got almost new, good quality stiff carving ski's vs soft beginner ski's.
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Thanks. The Flims-Laax direct rental priced quite a lot higher when I was researching but would certainly be convenient.
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You know it makes sense.
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Well I've paid for 4* and then 3* for the Mrs and we ended up with the exact same skis as eachother. So now I just pay for the lowest price. I suggest kick up a fuss and be specific about your specs and even phone them up and tell them what you need beforehand. If you don't ask, you won't get.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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In my experience they just grab the skis nearest that look about the right length, no matter what I paid. Got sick of this so I just bought some.
I did have a good experience a while back, the shop was quiet and was able to have a chat with a lad who knew his stuff. He sorted me out. So maybe go in when the shop is quiet if you can and get some one to one advice.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Disaster wrote: |
I did have a good experience a while back, the shop was quiet and was able to have a chat with a lad who knew his stuff. He sorted me out. So maybe go in when the shop is quiet if you can and get some one to one advice. |
+1
FWIW in my relatively limited experience compared to a lot of SHs...
1) don't get ski hire from the TO - we've been somewhere where it was obvious the TO 'intermediate' where not the same quality as the walk-in customer intermediate but the price was the same
2) make sure the hire place you use has good reviews - like any business some are much better than others
3) try and get your gear when it's quieter. they'll have more time to spend with you
4) don't pay until you're happy and be willing to walk away if you're not
5) you can always google the skis they suggest/supply before committing to see if they are the right level (but the wait will make you unpopular in the shop if they are busy)
6) ask for a discount and you usually get 20% - you can always email them beforehand. We only used Alpin resorts once to get skis and the guy at the ski shop told us we should have emailed him and he'd have done a better deal, I assume AR must take a reasonable cut (also often hotels/accommodation have a deal with a local ski shop)
7) ask if they will do no quibble exchanges if you're not happy
8 ) have a think about what you'll say beforehand e.g. "I've only skied a couple of times and am just starting parallel, I need something that will help me" vs "I'm a decent skier and what something that will be stable at speed and allow me to make long turns on reds and blacks"
9) it can be worth renting the skis from your ski school (not all do this) then you can speak to your instructor during the week and change if necessary, you'll likely get better service if you go in and say 'Maria says I should have something shorter/fatter/longer/thinner/ softer/firmer"
10) be willing to pay more for the right skis
of course after all that you might still end up with an old unsuitable set of skis but it's worth a try 
funny story - my wife is a decent skier and we've been to the same resort a couple of times and used the same instructors. Coincidentally this year we bumped into hers before we'd hired our gear so asked his advice. He told my wife to get the 'expert' ski level (and me the intermediate). First run of the holiday we all ski down a nice easy blue and my wife is nowhere to be seen, eventually she appears, there was a lot of swearing and she says "I've forgot how to ski!, these skis are a nightmare", she had a lesson booked that afternoon so I persuaded her to stick with them. She was fine after some practice but those skis required her to have a good technique so improved her skiing as she couldn't be a lazy skier.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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thanks all. and especially @richb67 for the detailed reply.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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When we were in Laax we rented from a place near the gondola, might have been the same as @t44tomo but I think there were several shops in the vicinity. I don't recall any issues with them.
In my experience any rental shop will swap if you find the skis they have given you are unsuitable, and we have done that a few times. Obviously if you have rented on the standard Saturday to Saturday basis they might have a restricted choice by the Monday though! There are a few here with the expertise to judge skis - you would need to know technical details of hundreds of models - but for most of us it comes down to describing clearly your previous experience and the sort of skiing you do.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@pandab, i hired with sport beat 2 weeks ago. it was all a very good experience.
i booked using alpineresorts and emailed them for a discount code.
i'm an experienced (if technique challenged) on-piste only skier and went for 5* black/gold, in the shop they asked me which sort of skis i would like and showed me some different options which i discussed with the shop assistant before choosing. (i ended up with rossy hero ti). We swapped my partners skis mid week without fuss.
The shop puts stickers showing the grade on the skis, although it doesnt correlate to their website or alpineresort's.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks @hobbiteater.
I think this is what I will do
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FAQ
- take them back and ask to swap.
