 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi All,
I'm traveling to whistler to ski from 16th-27th December 24 and looking for the best place to hire skis.
I don't need boots, just skis and poles. I'm an advanced skier, mostly on piste favouring quality carving/frontside skis with short turn radius, but if there is heavy snow during my visit it would be nice to get out on some quality wide powder skis.
Any advice appreciated!
Note: my sister is a ski instructor this season so gets a decent discount at Can-Ski, but I'm struggling to find any good reviews, most seem to favour Premium ski rentals or Spicy's
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I find it hard to keep up with what these places call themselves. According to the map I have just looked at, Premium is right behind Lululemon; if that is right, it is either underneath CanSki (there is a stairway going down to somewhere) or it is CanSki with a new name.
There is a place bang opposite CanSki, next to Umbertos, which used to be called Whistler Village Sports (it may still be; I think it changed hands not so long ago) which has a good selection of high end gear. Otherwise Summit, downstairs in the building right next to the gondola, has a massive selection of rental skis. I'd be amazed if they didn't have something high end. Comor opposite the Brewhouse has a good selection too, but it is a bit of a schlep from the apron if you decide you want to swap them for something else.
If your sister is working in the village this season, she is probably the best person to ask where to go for high end rentals. As for wide powder skis, never really seen the point, myself. I want to sink in pow-pow, not float on top of it!
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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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Can-ski is owned by WB/Vail - it's no different to any resort owned shop. If the discount is better than the price you can get at an inddie shop I'd just get them. Bonus is you might get storage near the slopes possibly?
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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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Email a few shops directly to ask what they have?
I got something in Banff, then later found a different shop was offering Blizzard which I’d heard so much about.
Hope a few emails could sort it.
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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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Most are resort owned. Summit was the place to which we'd refer skiers who needed to rent powder gear for catskiing etc. You can rent whatever you like there. They were always competent when I dealt with them. There ought to be a WB website where you can find what they stock & prices. Showcase Snowboards... is also resort owned and they stock pretty much all current year models for rental. The other big rental outlets are all owned by WB I think, they do have different focuses though - I mean go to Summit for powder stuff..
If you have local contacts, ask them as they will prevent you paying tourist rates and they'll make sure you get decent gear well prepped.
Independents, not sure these days, probably changes fast. Years ago Fanatyk was good for my skier buddies https://www.fanatykco.com/.
These guys were good when a buddy used them two seasons back. The wax boss was an ex-Canuk ski team waxer, and it showed.
https://www.skibutlers.com/locations/whistler-blackcomb-ski-rentals
Light snow is easier to ski than heavy. Ski it as it falls. [That's almost an attempt at a joke; please don't ask if you think it's a misunderstanding.]
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Cheers all, really helpful!
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Spicy sports have a good range and keenly priced. They have a W and a BC outlet, very convenient
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@abricotine, Seconded....very good service and will let you swap planks if the conditions change.
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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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@Tcoates, 40% staff discount to buy. Might be worth checking out. My wife got new skis last year courtesy of our daughter's discount. Worked out cheaper than in UK.
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@boabski, very tempting but probably not going to get enough use, used to own when I live in Switzerland but for once or twice a year I’m not sure it’s worth it
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Spicy is frequently recommended because their rentals are <50% the cost of renting from the mountain - so for the average visitor who gets all excited about the 20% discount with their Epic Pass etc, Spicy is still cheaper & offers the best price-quality tradeoff. With staff discount I'm sure the prices at CanSki are comparable though. There's free overnight ski check when you rent from any of the mountain-owned rental outlets, which is a nice perk.
You might want to try Alpine Pro, which is the most racing-oriented of the independents - prices are better than at Whistler Village Sports, which traditionally was the best place to rent/demo high end skis, but it's been bought up by the Seattle chain Evo.
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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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Thanks!
Made a booking with Spicy’s for their premium gear - now I just need to find a way to make time pass faster so I can get on the mountain asap!
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