 Poster: A snowHead
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When I first started skiing, hiring seemed quite a simple process. Green, Blue/Red and Black. Each denoted either the level of ski suited to one's ability or perhaps the age of the ski in some respects. The skis were duly marked with a sticker of the relevant colour.
Now, in France, from recent experience, there are Economy, Discovery - Recreational & Sport, Performance - Recreational & Support, Excellence - Recreational & Sport and possibly VIP.
The online ordering suggest savings of 20-30%. Many sites I've recently researched are quoting €141 for "Excellence" skis, or essentially €98 when the discount is applied. Really? Since when were Excellence skis €141 for a weeks hire?
And, because nearly all the sites are suitably vague about their range, it's difficult to be sure you don't get fobbed off with a lower grade model when you tip up to collect them. To be sure I certainly don't have an encyclopedic memory for top of the range or performance skis to confront anything I was suspicious about.
A two-fold issue really.
1) Top end skis seem very expensive to hire now (even taking into account exchange rate fluctuations)
2) Not being able to look at the range on-line makes me wonder if you get what you expect/pay for
Recent experience of both Austria and Italy were wholly more positive with terrific support and help. Prices were markedly less expensive too.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Chasseur wrote: |
| Prices were markedly less expensive too. |
You obviously weren't in the Arlberg then...
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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 get what you pay for - top of the range skis cost a lot to buy, and will lose most of their value after being rented for a season. It does seem wierd that they don't show examples though. Are those prices including boots?
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You get what you pay for - top of the range skis cost a lot to buy, and will lose most of their value after being rented for a season. It does seem wierd that they don't show examples though. Are those prices including boots?
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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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bertie bassett, Mayrhofen.
clarky999, Skis only. They have "representative illustrations", not particularly useful, although I guess one could establish their characteristics and then conduct a search for all similar skis, then take a list in......somewhat more than just a PITA.
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have you tried www.snowrental.net - their prices are always v good. however, as a snowboarder, I cannot comment on what the available skis are like.
I would agree though that choice of boards seem to be pretty limited, and indeed, shops sometimes don't really know which boards are "premium" and which are "standard" (or sometimes that there is this difference in the listing (e.g. at L2A last season)), so it's a bit of a lottery i think.
I will likely be using edge2edge for 3V this year - so should be able to choose the board before you go.
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€234 for Head Chips for 6 days hire in Lech last year - beat that in the 3V 
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boardiac, about €131, so a little less.
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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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| Quote: |
You get what you pay for - top of the range skis cost a lot to buy, and will lose most of their value after being rented for a season
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Come on. Three weeks hire at that price covers the cost of the skis, and most shops will use them for two seasons then sell thm on.
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Plus when they buy skis it must be in bulk so they can much better prices than your high street/front de neige prices.
It wouldn't surprise me if there are cartels operating and therefore monopolising the market.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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related question:
how noticeable would the difference be in the range from economy through to excellence? sometimes Im tempted towards the lower end of the scale to save a few quid but always wary of getting stuck with something crap (even though I might not be able to notice as an inexperienced intermediate)
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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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I would suggest phoning a local shop and reserving a specific ski and negotiating a discount (20% min target), which shouldn't be difficult if its not new year or half term especially if you are renting more than one pair.
I have seen some shocking skis for hire in france in quite "high class" shops, incl some rather old skis and some WED'ZE skis which wouldn't have cost a lot more to buy new at decathlon.
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cheaper to hire a car  i am paying 190e in Obergurgl
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You know it makes sense.
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I paid extra for 'superior' hire skis in Courmayeur last season. Cost was £65 as opposed to £52. I've no idea how basic the normal rental skis were but my 'superior' skis were 3-4 year old Salomon Streetracer 6 with dubious edges. I wasn't keen on them at all. This is partly why I have bought my own secondhand skis this year. Yes it will cost me 4/5 seasons to recoup that outlay but I'll feel more confident on skis I like.
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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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Don't expect great deals on ski rental - ski shop owners won't have missed the increasing carriage charges for baggage and won't take long to increase "norms" in the market, after all once you're in resort you've got sod all choice and curiously enough most local businesses want to stay cordial rather than competitively undercutting each other. I suspect most of what you pay in rental is related to cost of premium location convenient for the lifts, capital tied up and costs of staff/servicing rather than any direct relationship with ski cost.
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Poster: A snowHead
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fatbob, you make some good points. However, the same arguement applies in every country. Austria, last January €70 for top of the range, GS race carvers about 4-5 weeks old. Italy, last March €75 for 2 week old, top performance GS race carvers. Given that the pound is roughly the same, inflation in Europe is low, that's roughly a 35% hike.
This is in a quiet week in ADH. Where there are about 12 ski hire shops listed on the official site (there are in fact more). None of the prices are really that far apart from one another. Smacks of protectionism and I'd not be surprised if the kit they hand out is of a lower grade (assuming one purchases top of the range).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Chasseur, ignore the PM I just sent you it is now irrelevant.
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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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just tried snow-rental.net - just mucking around. the top category of skis for the week (low season january), without boots, cost 83 euros in Mayrhofen, 76 euros in Les Saisies. 111 in St Anton (they wouldn't quote for Lech), 81 in Les Arcs, 87 in Corvara, 94 in Cortina, 96 in Soll, 88 in Saalbach 161 CHF in Crans Montana, 81 euros in Courchevel 1850, 195 dollars in Banff.
Difficult to see much of a pattern there. On that website, at any rate, none of them told you what skis they'd be - you get to choose in resort, it seems.
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Chasseur, Don't disagree that the French aren't above cartel-like pricing in ski shops which IIRC is why Ski republic caused a bit of a stir with 2 for 1 offers and a commitment to relatively new hire stock. I've always thought that a guy with a van ski valet type service could do well but not after having his tyres slashed on a daily basis.
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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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on the results I found, if there are cartels, they are not exclusive to France.
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pam w, stop spoiling the fun. The English have been frog-bashing since 1066, it's traditional. 
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brian
brian
Guest
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Don't forget to use this link and code "SNOW45" for a further 10% off the snowrental price. Valid for bookings made until 20th Dec.
Top of the range skis for 6 days in L'Alpe d'Huez in Jan coming out at €71.
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Hiring is a mugs game if you go more than once a year.
Rental companies will be paying 50% or less of retail price, so lets say £250 for a good set of skis and bindings. They will rent these for over £100pw for at least 2 seasons.
I used to hire boards and they were always dire. My boarding came on so much after I bought a board. If I wrote of the total cost over three years (and it would have probably £200-£300 residual value between board and bindings, at the end) then it will have cost me £500-£600 for 9 weeks rent. And nothing I could have rented would have come close to the quality of what I bought.
If you buy a good mid range (my wife spent £400 on good skis and bindings with the same logic) then its a no brainer. OK, so you have the cost of carriage, but her skis go in my board bag every trip, so the cost is halved.
There are exceptions out there, in the rental world, but I am so glad that my days of renting are over.
I don't begrudge any man a profit but ski and board rental takes Le Buscuit.
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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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pam w, nobody quotes for Lech.
I am hiring at Heathrow this year and enduring the nigh-on intolerable hardship of lugging them from Zurich flughafen to the Arlberg express bus 10 yards away.
How we suffer for our passion!
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Screw the bus from Zurich to the Arlberg dude, get the train! Still simple, probs cheaper (especially if you get the vorteilskarte), and defo quicker.
Lizzard. Assuming 'top of the range' skis are costing £600/700 normally. Shop buys them for what £400/500? So a bit more than three weeks to make th emoney back. Also take into account servicing them, and paying staff, and storing them, and the fact that they may only get hired a few weeks each season (especially with top end skis, which tend to be specialised). Probably shops insure them too?
I'm not naive, of course the shops are making good money from it, but I don't think that's extortionate pricing by any means.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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there's also the old "peak week" syndrome. There are 52 weeks in the year and maybe 5 in which shops can expect to have a reasonable proportion of their skis out on hire.
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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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I think that there may be quite some demand for the 'top end' skis as most people past the first few weeks stage are sick of crappy edges and floppy tips.
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You could try www.skiset.co.uk which was mentioned in one of the sunday papers yesterday; they appear to offer named skis within each ability level.
I'm planning on giving www.edge2edge.co.uk a try when I go to Tignes in January; you can choose exactly which skis you want. They operate in only a limited number of resorts but are a british firm (with hire facilities from Gatwick too) and you can pay in GBP before you go. I'm not sure there's much difference in terms of price but an added attraction with this firm is that they deliver to your chalet and collect at the end of your holiday so no faffing around and queuing up at the local ski shop
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You know it makes sense.
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You can refuse skis if you aren't happy with the standard they're at. This is especially true if you're paying a premium for higher grade skis.
Whilst i don't doubt that some ski rental places are raking it in. You've got to realise that an individual pair of skis will maybe get rented out for 5-6 weeks a season. The rental shop owner will have to replace about a third of his stock of skis every season. So they're looking at an up front outlay of possibly 20 grand even at wholesale rates before they ever rent a pair of skis. Then there's the cost of staff, renting the premises year round. Plus in france there are higher minimum wages, higher taxes, & you're staff have to work less hours & get more days holidays than pretty much everywhere else. I'm sure for some shady operators it is a big pay day but for most i don't think it is the massive pay day you think it is.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Yes well Lech is really a case of if you have to ask, you cant afford to be there.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Skola wrote: |
related question:
how noticeable would the difference be in the range from economy through to excellence? sometimes Im tempted towards the lower end of the scale to save a few quid but always wary of getting stuck with something crap (even though I might not be able to notice as an inexperienced intermediate) |
Renting top of the range skis wont help you as an intermediate. You are much better off renting skis that are more forgiving, and ones that suit the conditions better. As a gerneral rule of thumb, the softer the snow and the slower the skier, the softer the ski.
I hardly ever ski on 'competition' skis unless the piste is really hard, and today with modern pisting machines this is somewhat of a rarity.
Try out some intermediate skis, if you think that matches your style, you will be surprised how much your turning ability will improve.
Nix.
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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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Whenever we go to a place other than our haunt we hire skis. I am amazed how expensive it is. Mrs RH was over in Norway a couple of weeks ago and bought me a good pair of Volkls used but still good for €120. I am taking them with me and I should have recouped my (her) investment in the pair after two weeks which I plan to take this year outside of the PdS. It just does seem expensive wherever you go. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| nixmap wrote: |
| Skola wrote: |
related question:
how noticeable would the difference be in the range from economy through to excellence? sometimes Im tempted towards the lower end of the scale to save a few quid but always wary of getting stuck with something crap (even though I might not be able to notice as an inexperienced intermediate) |
Renting top of the range skis wont help you as an intermediate. You are much better off renting skis that are more forgiving, and ones that suit the conditions better. As a gerneral rule of thumb, the softer the snow and the slower the skier, the softer the ski.
I hardly ever ski on 'competition' skis unless the piste is really hard, and today with modern pisting machines this is somewhat of a rarity.
Try out some intermediate skis, if you think that matches your style, you will be surprised how much your turning ability will improve.
Nix. |
I see. Thanks very much for picking up on my post - I was (quite obviously) hoping for a reply 
I think I went with the intermediate ones last year - and they seemed fine.
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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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alex_heney, your link doesn't work...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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red 27, How odd.
If you take just this part, it should get you to the shop in Lech. http://www.sport2000rent.at/en/rent/o566 (I tried pasting this into a different browser, so if it was a cookies issue, that should be bypassed)
If you then press "Continue", it takes you to the same link as I gave above, but if you try going there directly it says the session has expired?
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We have a beginner coming with us this year and she is hiring in England... Go to shop choose/get fitted for boots and skis, book them and then you can choose to have them delivered to your home address, the airport or to the resort and collected after. It works out much much cheaper than hiring in resort! Also with the lift passes being sent to home address too, there will be no need to waste time when we get there queueing for these things...We will be straight on the slopes!
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snowb4ndit, Presumably you will NOT be booking for them to be delivered to your home or UK airport, since you would then have to pay ski carriage charges on top of the rental fee?
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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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To add to the price dialogue: I've hired top of the range in val for 78 euros for five days, via snowrental. Decided to pay a bit more for a) convenience and b) to ski on better skis than my now distinctly venerable pair of volkls.
I find it very difficult to see how, unless you are flying one of the very few free ski carriers, hiring in the UK can make any sense at all.
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snowb4ndit & all the other people hiring their skis in the UK, What's the point of renting equipment in the UK? Seriously you have to pay for ski carriage & hire. Then if you have any problems with the skis or boots you're in a position where you're stuck with them. One of the main advantages of hiring in resort is that if you do have a problem whether that be boots not fitting or one of your mates adjusting your bindings in away you can't undo  , or you just don't like the way the skis feel then you can go back to the shop to get it sorted.
The only advantage i can see is not having to go to a busy rental shop on the sat when you arrive & then return the skis afterwards on the friday evening. Possibly if you're lucky enough to have your transfer arrive in the resort before 12.00-13.00 on the sat you might get an afternoon's skiing out of it but in all the time i've been skiing i've yet to be lucky enough for this to work out on a weeks holiday.
It just seems like a waste of time & effort to me.
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FAQ
