Taking skis with you. Is it worth the hassle?

A snowHead

I have been skiing for five years and on average i do three skiing holidays a year. Of course i have the boots, but no skis. Is it worth the hassle of dragging them along with two children and luggage?
Especially as they need servicing every year and i can get whatever skis i want in resort.

A snowHead

ph, ditch the kids and wife - take the skis wink

Personal choice at the end of the day - I take my own skis cos I like having skis I know and know history of etc. Each time I'm away I take them in for a service.

But some people like the newest models and the ability to chop and change

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

Get the kids to carry them and you will be fine Shocked

Like Boris, I like having my own skis and if you ski more than once a year its a bit cheaper than hire charge
Downside is airports and skis are not a great mix and some of the airlines are getting very greedy with what they are charging for the carriage of them.

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Garfield,

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ph, yes - and take two pairs Toofy Grin

If you are flying to the US - it actually isn't that much of an add on - and saves a lot. Buy in sales or from Conrad or a similar supplier - and your will be quids in after perhaps 5 weeks.

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stoatsbrother, We never go anywhere except Europe. France is in reality our only destination. I have my pick of the newest coolest skiis. Why buy?

After all it is free

ph, Yes

ph, I'm with JT on this one. To be honest taking your own skis is a pain, there is usually a carriage charge, they are a pain to physically carry, especially if you've got young kids and you've got to spend the time and cost getting them serviced. On the other hand it is annoying practically buying the skis from a rental place only to give them back one week later. The big advantage is you get very used to your own skis and know what you can (and can't) do on them. Marginal decision.

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I've always rented, despite having plenty of car space for them. But that's mainly because my shortlist of skis to demo is currently divergent, rather than convergent, and models tend to drop off the list due to being obsoleted. Tempted to actually buy this season though.

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Drive or choose your airline carefully and there's no charge. And I sense that the Saturday afternoon rental shop rush is far worse than the slight inconvenience that a pair of sticks gives you in the airport.

But you don't buy skis to save money or to beat the rental queues: you do it because you love skiing and you want to have the gear that gives you the most fun. I tried several pairs of skis before buying mine, and I was amazed by the difference between them; I'm now happy that my skis perfectly reflect the way that I ski and the terrain that I prefer. It would be an enormous hassle to have to go through that decisioning process at the start of every skiing trip.

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Jonny Jones,

ph, may be not then. But I do find it convenient even in Europe - not to be faffing around in hire shops/finding they have the wrong length etc. And it you want a very specific ski - eg a touring ski with a particular binding - you may find that difficult.

You know it makes sense.

So which airlines dont charge for ski carriage when flying to europe?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

It depends on the length of your holiday. If you go for a week, then probably it makes more sense to hire. If you spend a month, as we do, and you want to ski on high quality skis (ie demo skis), then you will pay close to the purchase price.

A snowHead

Hell yeah its a must for me dont want to risk renting rubish..... ski carraige who cares

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

ph, I do think it's easier to hire when we are in Courch as the Skiset shop is in the hotel, and the lovely man helps me put my ski boots on and take them off every morning/afternoon Very Happy

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Shimmy Alcott, oh dahhling, that sounds perfetly divine.

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There are two factors for me - what's the bottom line cost of ownership v. rental, and whether you prefer skiing on a pair of skis that you know well or like trying out new skis.

I've found the bottom line cost of owning has been decreasing in recent years as I've got a bit more savvy about where and when to buy, as well as learning that servicing your own kit is a trivial exercise (cost and time). At the same time the cost of rental for decent skis seems to have gone through the roof. Even if I went back to skiing two or three weeks a year and paying carriage charges I'm pretty sure that it would be cheaper to buy than to rent.

I takes me at least a couple of days to get to know a new pair of skis, and longer if I want to get a good feel for on piste, off piste, etc. I wouldn't want to go through that process every time I rented a different pair of skis. So I prefer to get to know my skis well rather than try whatever they've got in the rental shop. The only downside of this is that it makes it difficult (or expensive) to swap skis depending on varying snow conditions or your skiing preference that day.

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I've said it before, economically surely the question is how much skiing you're going to do. If you come to Europe from Australia and ski for a month, you're probably better buying (especially if you can get a deal).

If you ski a week a year and aren't too fussy about what's under your feet, it's almost certainly a no brainer to rent.

After all it is free

If you do rent look at pre booking beefore you go, there's a few web sites about like http://www.bestpriceskirental.com/. We used these last year and saved 30/40%.

Just priced a weeks 'red' ski only hire in January in Chamonix and you are looking at about 75 euros. You can choose the shop that is nearest where you are staying aswell which is a bonus - use google maps.

I have owned my own in the past and still have them in the garage, but now rent due to carriage charges and servicing costs as mentioned. If I went 3/4 times a year then I'd buy.

Frosty the Snowman, Swiss and Lufthansa for sure (I'm flying with both this season) - maybe others too ?

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But are winter tyres a legal requirement in Austria? Wink

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Lufthansa is free ski carriage (or was), but I think after you've booked tickets you're sposed to call a hotline to "reserve" a space or tell them. Doubt it's freephone, so add a few pence to budget for that. My last 3 flights were ca. €89 all in (plus the booking fee).

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I own my skis and for me it was a bit of a no-brainer; the cost issue was really the last thing I considered. For me the real benefits are gained by knowing your own skis and not having to worry that you're going to get given some ropey old kit from the hire shop. And I really don't find it too much hassle taking them through airports.

But the main factor for me, is while the others are picking up their kit from the hire shop, I'm in the bar enjoying the first beer of holiday!

You know it makes sense.

Since I'm seriously considering buying skis I have done a few sums. I've worked out that it will take me eight years for the cost of new skis (say £400, plus £30-£50 airline carriage, plus £40 annual service) to equate to the cost of six days ski hire (say £80-120 per trip). So financiall it doesn't really make any sense. I'll never drive to the Alps (too far, too expensive, makes no sense for a solo traveller), so will always have to pay airline carriage which is £30 this year but I assume this will rise over the years.

However, I was quite underwhelmed with the model and condition of my hire skis last season and I do find I ski more confidently if I have skis I get on with. Hiring skis does seem to be a bit of a lottery. I got very nice and well serviced Rossignol Attraxion skis in Kitzbuhel in 2008 and rubbish condition Salomon Street Racer skis in Courmayeur 2009.

I'm still sitting on the fence in the vain hope I might find a bargain online that sways me towards ski ownership.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

If you ski a lot off piste you can find in many resorts (particularly smaller resorts or places like the Dolomites) that there are few if any off-piste skis or skis with touring bindings.

A snowHead

I've got a few pairs of skis (ok, 5 pairs), could probaby get away with renting but it is good to have your own stuff.

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

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I think it's been said before.

1) Some people don't particularly care what they ski on, a peice of wood with a smooth bottom for all they care. So it's just finantial consideration. So for those:

a. -- 1 week a year: definitely hire.

b. -- 3 weeks or more: definitely buy.

c. -- in between: no difference in cost, just whether they detest carting the ski around airport more than they detest waiting around at the hire shop.

2) Some people are very particular about their ski: those who go touring, massive amount of off-piste, pixies or giants who can't find the right length. Or just being plain picky! Smile

You know who you are, and you know the answer already.

3) In between 1) and 2). You do have preference but not strongly. Or you don't know what makes one ski ski so well and another so poorly. Or you know you'll ski better if you can have "that" ski you had hired the last time, but you need to justify it somehow. Wink

So I guess, people who ask this question are either "1)c"s or "3)"s. You need to make a decision yourself. Either way will be "right" for you, and "wrong" for others. Wink

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Just to add another consideation into the mix-according to an interesting article in this months fall line magazine that almost all rental skis bear no resemblance to the ski thats branded the same but for sale in the shop-i.e thicker bases and thicker edges to enable the ski shop to service and maintain a ski thats going to get a fair bit of abuse over a season,along with usually pretty basic bindings too. This suggests that if your a beginner or 2nd/3rd week skier then it probably won't matter too much but after that then its just a no brainer that you'd be a lot wiser to buy.

After all it is free

I heard that a ski (retail in shop) is only designed to be good as new for 10 weeks i.e (10 seasons).

If they soild rental skis to the public no one would buy new skis Very Happy

For us it is owning our own. 3-4 weeks per season. Use a double ski bag and only pay for carraige of one pair. The airlines don't care as you are only paying for added weight. Cost of hiring verses owning?? Don't know haven't done for 2 years now.

As for convenience. Well, it's only one extra bag to pack. Get shot of them as soon as check in allows. Get them in the transfer/hire car ASAP. The next thing you'll have them on your feet and on the slopes at least a couple of hours before the hire people!

No brainer! Smile

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Taking skis with you. Is it worth the hassle?

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