Buying VS Renting Skis: Unbiased Pros & Cons

There comes a time in every skier’s life where they need help deciding whether they should hire or buy skis. Which is cheaper, what makes more sense and what should you do – rent or buy?

If you’ve never skied before, hire first so you can see if you like it. If you’ve skied a couple of times and you want to have your own equipment that’s fitted perfectly and is consistent every time – buy your own stuff. If you always want the latest skis, but like the idea of having your boot liners fitted to you – then buy boots and hire skis. 

Read on if you want a detailed breakdown of all the pros and cons of both options.

Unlike others guides, this is my unbiased opinion – I’m neither a ski rental shop or a ski merchant! 

Cost of hiring skis.

Cost is a factor for many people when it comes to making their decision. Knowing how much it’s going to cost you may help you decide on the best solution.

This is a rough breakdown of the costs that you can expect when hiring skis, boots & poles.

Note: Renting this year’s top of the range model ski and boot will obviously cost the most. Renting last years intermediate boot will be cheaper.

The further you rent from the main gondola, the cheaper it gets but the longer you have to travel!

Cost of buying.

Skis are a long-term purchase and for beginner & intermediate level skis you can expect to pay the following as a minimum:

Altogether you can expect to pay upwards of  $600+ or €380+ for your ski equipment – this includes skis with bindings, poles, and boots.

You’ll also need to factor in buying the winter gear clothing that keeps you warm and dry on the slopes – you can expect the following costs:

If we add up all these costs we come to an estimate of $960 or €700 for new ski equipment costs.

If you’re in the market for more advanced gear, such as Gore-tex materials for clothing and you want to get skis from a brand name like Solomon, you can expect to pay upwards of $1,200+ or €1,200+ for everything.

How to save money buying skis?

You can save money by buying ski gear at the end of season sales that run through the summer months as retailers shift stock to buy the latest years version.

You can also come by decent second-hand ski hire gear that rental shops put up for sale on eBay, to make room for the next years kit.

Traveling with skis? Travel smart.

The cost of paying to take skis on the airplane is another consideration to make when buying new skis. If you own your skis, the price for transporting your skis can range from €72-€95 in Europe, (source). This can easily be the same cost or more than paying for a full week of rental gear!

In the US, Southwest allows two free checked bags. Each pair of skis or boots counts as one item, so you can bring your ski equipment as well as your suitcase for free.

Tip: UPS and FedEx can often to mail your ski equipment to your destination for less than the airline fees and without the hassle of carrying them to the airport.

If you travel by car then this won’t be an issue for you, just make sure your car boot will fit multiple skis and passengers at once.

Benefits of just buying boots.

Many skiers and boarders own their own boots because of the hassles of transportation and then rent skis at their destination.

By owning your own high-quality boots, you can then hire the latest skis each year without paying for the cost of transport.

The inner lining of the boot then molds to your feet as you’ll be the only one wearing them, unlike the boots of rental shops that are compressed at every angle.

Boots are an essential own item. Custom fitted. No debate. You are going to spend 8 hours a day in them for a week (and probably dance in them too) so they ought to fit you.

Anom, Snowheads.com / Buying ski equipment. Is it worth it?

Most boots will fit most skis but check with your rental shop first and they can advise what skis they have on offer for you.

You can pre-book skis at some shops, to avoid them being out of stock when you arrive.

Reasons to rent skis.

There are plenty of good reasons to rent skis and plenty of reasons not too.

If you’ve never skied before then you should always rent your skis, so you know what you’re signing up for.

Rental shops will also be able to advise on the perfect fitting boot and the right ski for you.

It’s a great way to get your foot accurately measured and get to grips with all the new equipment.

That said in peak season some choices of ski or boot simply won’t be available.

Compare the pros and cons of renting here:

Once you’ve rented skis a few times and you’ve fallen in love with skiing it’s time to think about buying your first pair of skis.

P.S If you’re renting skis, read my article on choosing the right skis for you. 

Reasons to buy skis.

Once you’ve learned the basics of skiing and you want to progress, you can start thinking about buying your first pair of skis.

Depending on your budget you’ll be spending upwards of $800-2,000 for all the kit.

It’s a great feeling when you buy your first pair of skis. You’re not committed to become a skier and make it a regular part of your life.

Seeing the skis at home will motivate you to book that next skiing trip and make the time and space in your calendar to get some fresh mountain air.

Not only does it feel great to own skis, but your skiing is also consistent as you have the same trusty skis to use each time.

If you’re a good skier and you didn’t pay too much for your skis, and often go more than once a year, then it can be a real bonus to have familiar skis as soon as you get to resort. They will feel familiar like an old pair of shoes and there’s no learning curve – no matter how good a skier you are it always takes a while to get used to a different pair of skis.

Mike Clubbe, Les Ski

Your boot liners will mold from new perfectly to fill the negative space around your feet.

Each time you ski, you compress the liners a little bit and their shape around your foot.

You’ll not exactly how to get the perfect fitting boot each time, and you’ll be unlikely to suffer blisters or cramp from uncomfortable rental boots.

Your skis need to be waxed each season but that is something every ski shop can do and isn’t usually more than a $10-20 / €10-20 expense.

Note: It’s worth spending a bit more to get a ski and boot carry case – so you can easily move your skis from your home to the car without breaking too much of a sweat.  Carry cases protect your equipment from knocks and keep it together as one bundle. Zippers and fabric handles allow you to swing it over the shoulder and into your back seat without leaving a watery mess.

Remember the more you plan to ski, the more it makes sense to invest in some kit.

If you own a pair of skis that you use most the time, it still doesn’t mean you can’t rent a pair if that’s more convenient for that trip or you want to give a new model of ski designed for a powdery day a run for its money.

Bonus: A great bonus for owning your gear is that you can get out of the car, get into your gear and be sat in the lift on the way up in under 20 minutes.

Will buying skis pay for themselves?

You can calculate the cost of buying your own skis against renting them using the following formula.

Cost of buying skis/cost of renting skis per year

If you pay $800 for your skis, boot, and poles and it costs $300 to hire them for a week. You ski once per week per year. $800 / $300 = 2.6 years.

Your ski purchase will pay for itself within 2.7 years.  

I created a calculator that you can input your numbers to output when your purchase will pay for itself.

Note: For the latest gear ski rental can run as high as $60 / €50 per day.

Renting Ski Clothing vs Buying your own. 

Let’s not forget that the skis, boots, and poles are just one aspect of skiing. You also need to be kitted out in waterproof, windproof and mountain proof gear!

Staying warm on the mountain is a priority and without the right kit, it can make for a miserable experience.

Renting ski clothing.

You can rent pretty much everything at ski shops (usually not the thermals), it’s the best option for first-timer skiers who don’t want to invest in ski gear before ever trying it out.

Renting all your gear including your clothing means there’s much less stuff to take your ski resort. That said, it can be a pain to wait in line at shops to find out they don’t have your size in stock, let alone the colors you’re after.

Whilst the gear is air-dried clean – you’re wearing clothes that others have worn all season, for a few seasons.

Clothing will not be brand new and is going to have scuffs and marks from repeated use.

The upside is that you only pay as you ski and you can pack light. Here’s a rundown of all the pros and cons of renting:

Buy your own ski clothing.

Buying ski clothing makes sense if you plan to ski more than once or twice a decade.

Not only does owning your own stuff means that fits perfectly (unless you eat too much at Christmas), you’ll have your kit for many years of use.

Expect to drop this amount of money on owning your own stuff (at a minimum):

Owning your own gear means you have to pay up front, but the costs of renting can quickly add up and make the larger purchase worthwhile.

Here are the main pros and cons for buying your ski clothing instead of renting it each time:

Final thoughts. 

This guide isn’t to persuade you one way or the other but to lay out all the pros and cons that come with renting or owning your own gear.

It’s clear that brand new skiers should rent and that regular skiers should invest in some new skis

Be sure to calculate the cost of renting vs buying and see for yourself in how many years it will take to pay off. It may be sooner or longer than you expect, depending if excess baggage calculations come into it.

Here’s to you and your skiing adventures.

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NewToSki.com is where over 1 million people a year come to learn more about skiing. I share everything I wish someone had told me when I was learning to ski. My name is Simon & I've been skiing since 2005. This winter, our family is taking a 3-month camper ski trip across the Alps. If you enjoy our articles, please join the free email club. We'd love to have you.

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