Question: I'm curious about ski brand's rental lines?

[GeoGirl]

So here's a mystery (at least to me). I've rented quite a few skis in beginner packages the past two winters... some have been fun, some have been beat up beyond recognition, some are planks (cough cough Blizzard Elevate 7.7). They've had brand names like Salomon and Blizzard on them, but the model names don't bring up any hits on the interwebs except on sites selling used rental skis.

Are they so lackluster that the brands don't want to claim them? Do they just assume that beginners don't care what they ski on? Is there any way to compare rental skis across different fleets? Are rental skis different in construction from mainstream-market skis? How do resorts even chose them - is there some secret distributor portal?

Here on the Ski Diva forums we discuss skis with such obsessive detail, so it seemed strange to me that there was a whole market segment that's basically invisible on the web and on review sites. I know that Ski Divas are a diverse bunch and some work in the industry - does anyone have insights?

 

[elemmac]

I'll give a little insight into what I do know...

Are they so lackluster that the brands don't want to claim them? - I think most brands won't put their rental ski information on their websites because they're not available for the general public to purchase. (Not just skis, but boots, bindings, and poles too)

Do they just assume that beginners don't care what they ski on? - In all honesty, most beginners probably don't really care. Rental skis are generally made for beginner skiers, so once you are at a point that you're buying your own skis I don't think it matters which rental ski you were on...they're all so similar.

Is there any way to compare rental skis across different fleets? - Yes, but you probably will need to dig a bit for the information. All rental fleet information is in the manufacturer's catalogs that they provide to shops. Many of these catalogs can be found online...issuu.com has a lot of them. For example, here's the "Head 2019/2020" catalog. If you search "Brand xxxx Year Catalog" in Google, issuu.com will come up on with many of them. Rental equipment info is normally found in the very back of these catalogs.

Are rental skis different in construction from mainstream-market skis? - Generally rental fleet skis will have a foam/composite/wood core (or some variation of those materials), cap construction, slight rocker tip and a cambered profile. They're made to be forgiving to ski, rugged to be abused, and cheap to buy in masses.

How do resorts even chose them - is there some secret distributor portal? - In some ways, yes, there is a secret portal...haha. Most resorts will have contracts with certain brands. They'll negotiate terms and prices to bring their rental fleet (skis, boots, bindings) into their rental shop....the more they buy, the better the deal.

 

[MissySki]

Interesting, thanks for sharing!

 

[elemmac]

One more thing I would add...

Many brands do have different "levels" of rental skis. A basic ski with a composite core, then maybe a "advanced" or "premium" rental with a wood core. This is why sometimes you'll see rental fleets with a "premium" option (or whatever fancy word they want to use).

 

[marzNC]

How do resorts even chose them - is there some secret distributor portal? - In some ways, yes, there is a secret portal...haha. Most resorts will have contracts with certain brands. They'll negotiate terms and prices to bring their rental fleet (skis, boots, bindings) into their rental shop....the more they buy, the better the deal.

It's probably fair to say that the deals made between Vail Resorts or Alterra or Boyne or POWDR and a ski manufacturer for destination resorts in a given region will be quite different that what an independent ski area can arrange. Destination resorts are much more likely to change out their entire rental fleet while they still look pretty good and sell off the old inventory. An independent small resort probably will try to get as many seasons out of rental gear as possible.

On holiday weekends, I've seen people on some relatively old skis at Massanutten (VA, under 100 acres, no off-piste). Haven't ever heard complaints of Massanutten running out of rental gear, but they obviously have kept some old stuff for the few days that demand is really high for a few hours. Many of the beginners only buy a 4-hour lift ticket and rental.

Do they just assume that beginners don't care what they ski on?

Even many intermediates who only do one ski trip a season don't really care what brand of skis they get from the rental shop. If they care at all, more likely to fuss about boots that don't fit well. At least that's what I've observed in the southeast when I've dealt with rental gear for my family or friends we'd brought along. Not that much different at Alta Ski Shop during spring break weeks, although families tend to be somewhat more experienced about the process of choosing rental boots.

 

[Jilly]

I'll give a little insight into what I do know...

Are they so lackluster that the brands don't want to claim them? - I think most brands won't put their rental ski information on their websites because they're not available for the general public to purchase. (Not just skis, but boots, bindings, and poles too)

Do they just assume that beginners don't care what they ski on? - In all honesty, most beginners probably don't really care. Rental skis are generally made for beginner skiers, so once you are at a point that you're buying your own skis I don't think it matters which rental ski you were on...they're all so similar.

Is there any way to compare rental skis across different fleets? - Yes, but you probably will need to dig a bit for the information. All rental fleet information is in the manufacturer's catalogs that they provide to shops. Many of these catalogs can be found online...issuu.com has a lot of them. For example, here's the "Head 2019/2020" catalog. If you search "Brand xxxx Year Catalog" in Google, issuu.com will come up on with many of them. Rental equipment info is normally found in the very back of these catalogs.

Are rental skis different in construction from mainstream-market skis? - Generally rental fleet skis will have a foam/composite/wood core (or some variation of those materials), cap construction, slight rocker tip and a cambered profile. They're made to be forgiving to ski, rugged to be abused, and cheap to buy in masses.

How do resorts even chose them - is there some secret distributor portal? - In some ways, yes, there is a secret portal...haha. Most resorts will have contracts with certain brands. They'll negotiate terms and prices to bring their rental fleet (skis, boots, bindings) into their rental shop....the more they buy, the better the deal.

Nailed it darlin.....And yes the major's have contracts with the manufacturer's. Head is now available at Tremblant. Wasn't always. Alterra wanted them in.

Resorts do have sales rep's. Big resorts will deal with someone in the corporate office. Smaller hills may deal with the same rep your local ski shop does. The rep for Tremblant is the same rep we have at the local shop. He is also the rep for the Salomon shop there too.

 

[Bookworm]

So Deer Valley has this thing called the Rossignol Experience, or something like that. In my dreams, it’s free Rossi demos, right?

 

[ski diva]

I've read some pieces saying that many resorts are putting a lot more thought into their rental fleets than they used to, often going for higher end skis than they did in the past. At Okemo, for example, the rental fleet consists of Volkl RTMs (last year it did, anyway), which is not a bad ski.

I also think overall, resort rentals are getting better. Here's an article that talks about this a bit from SNEWS.

 

[elemmac]

I've read some pieces saying that many resorts are putting a lot more thought into their rental fleets than they used to, often going for higher end skis than they did in the past. At Okemo, for example, the rental fleet consists of Volkl RTMs (last year it did, anyway), which is not a bad ski.

Interesting about how resorts are putting more thought into their rental fleets. That’s awesome news.

But I’d be careful not to mix up the rental RTM with the consumer model RTM. They will be a different (not sure how different without digging into it). Brands have been naming their demo fleets after their popular front side lines but with some differences. I believe the rental RTM is something like the RTM 8.0...whereas the consumer models are RTM 76, 81, etc. Same thing with the Rossignol Experience mentioned above. Or the Head catalog I linked to above, they now call their rental line the V-Shape.

 

[Ski Sine Fine]

I've read some pieces saying that many resorts are putting a lot more thought into their rental fleets than they used to, often going for higher end skis than they did in the past. At Okemo, for example, the rental fleet consists of Volkl RTMs (last year it did, anyway), which is not a bad ski.

I also think overall, resort rentals are getting better. Here's an article that talks about this a bit from SNEWS.

Three seasons ago I rented gear at Christy Sports at Breck. It was their basic package and the skis were Rossignol Famous 2s. They also had performance and demo packages with Rossi Temptations, Blizzard Black Pearls, and other better performing men and women skis. I don’t know if they were any different than the retail versions.

I know of someone who sold all her skis two years ago and had only rented since then. She flies for all her skiing and wants the latest gear every year. At the time I was surprised but the article clearly shows it is an emerging trend.

 

[marzNC]

So Deer Valley has this thing called the Rossignol Experience, or something like that. In my dreams, it’s free Rossi demos, right?

Yep, free Rossi demos out of a nice yurt. Next to the Empire mid-mountain food service building, if I remember correctly. I was interested last April and my friends and I wanted to wander around Park City after skiing (before driving back to Alta Lodge), after covering as many DV lifts as possible so there wasn't really time. Just need to have a credit card to leave while demo'ing.

 

[Bookworm]

I’ll be there for the second half of my Utah trip in December. I’ll have to take advantage of that!

 

[marzNC]

I know of someone who sold all her skis two years ago and had only rented since then. She flies for all her skiing and wants the latest gear every year. At the time I was surprised but the article clearly shows it is an emerging trend.

When staying at destination resorts with multiple ski shops at the base, it can make a lot of sense to rent for people who fly for ski trips once or twice a season. Especially if they don't ski locally. My friends who live in DC have done that for years for their annual ski vacation during a school break. Especially when the kids' feet were still growing. Eventually all bought well fitted boots from a local boot fitter but unlikely to ever buy skis.

Pretty sure @bsskier doesn't own skis.

My first Diva West in north Tahoe I didn't bother to bring skis. Rented in town and changed out every day that I wasn't part of a 3-day special Diva clinic that included demo skis. Learned a lot. If I were not on the petite side, might have kept doing that. But finding skis I liked in my length was tricky (mid-150s or shorter), especially during late season before my technique improved beyond advanced intermediate.

When I rent these days, for whatever reason, I always at least pay for "performance" rentals as opposed to "standard." Then I can essentially use it as a personal demo day because I can pick a brand/model that I recognize.

 

[Jilly]

The OP though is talking about general rentals. Most large places have high performance or even intermediate performance rentals now.

I'm heading out west next week to teach at our industry school. Taking boots, but not skis. For the price of checking them, I can rent HP stuff for 2 days.

 

[GeoGirl]

I've read some pieces saying that many resorts are putting a lot more thought into their rental fleets than they used to, often going for higher end skis than they did in the past. At Okemo, for example, the rental fleet consists of Volkl RTMs (last year it did, anyway), which is not a bad ski.

I also think overall, resort rentals are getting better. Here's an article that talks about this a bit from SNEWS.

Thanks for sharing the article, Ski Diva, it was really interesting!

 

[bsskier]

Correct @marzNC, I don’t own skis. I enjoy reading reviews of new skis and then getting on my choices every season. My posse, who also don’t own, poke fun at me for switching skis all the time, but I enjoy it. I don’t live near a mountain so every ski day is “demo day” to me. OP, I’ve been on some rentals that looked ready to disintegrate, but the last 10 years, the fleet, in my experience, has been of excellent quality.

 

[marzNC]

A bit of a tangent, but I've been noticing numbers lately for the size of ski rental fleets. Aspen has 2300 pairs of skis, which they intend to treat with DPS Phantom for the 2019-20 season. They also have several hundred pairs of demo skis. In comparison, Perfect North in Indiana just completely updated their rental fleet. They have 3400 pairs of skis by Rossignol. Perfect North is a small hill that's family owned and celebrating it's 40th year.