So you’ve seen a cool set of skis, or an end of season discounted snowboard… Or, you have a ski trip coming up and you’re wondering.
Should I buy that snowboard or rent? Or, is it better to ride your own skis, or just hire them?
It’s not an easy question to answer, and it will depend on your own situation. So lets dig in and answer it as best as possible.
How much does it cost to hire skis/snowboard?
The cost to hire a set of skis or a snowboard in Europe is usually around €20 per day – give or take. That price can go from €15 per day at a cheap rental spot in a popular ski resort, through to €35 or more per day or more for high performance gear. The price will vary depending on the date, the quality of the equipment and your chosen ski resort.
Some ski rental shops might also bundle in the ski/snowboard boots as part of that price, and others might make it an optional extra. A safety helmet is usually an optional extra, around €10 per day.
So for a 7 day trip on the slopes in a popular Alpine ski resort, expect to pay in the region of €120-180 depending on your choice of gear. If you’re heading to Bulgaria, Poland, Slovenia or another Eastern European ski resort you’ll find that price drops below €100 for the week but the equipment might be hit or miss.
Check ski and snowboard rental prices across Europe with SkiSet
How much does it cost to buy skis?
Buying your own equipment means there is a huge sliding scale – of course – with options from budget through to extremely high standard performance gear. You can buy a good entry level set of skis for around €250/£200 – or pick up a second hand set of skis or a ten year old snowboard on Facebook marketplace for a bargain.
The cost of the skis or board alone isn’t the end of the story though.
Skiers will also need to buy boots and possibly also mounts. Most skis will come with mounts, but this isn’t always the case. And skiers will also need to buy their own ski poles. A cheap set of skis is around £200/€200 with the mount, with ski boots costing at least £150 and ski poles an additional £20.
How much does it cost to buy a snowboard?
Snowboarders will need to buy bindings and boots. Expect to pay at least £300/€350 for your board, another £200/€250 for bindings and then at least another £250-400 /€300-500 for snowboard boots.
To buy a full entry level ski setup is going to cost at least £300 – or around €350. And to buy a budget snowboard setup with all the essentials will be in the region of £700, or around €800.
If you’re looking for the budget option, a good choice is to buy a package, such as snowboard with bindings. This might be slightly cheaper and more suited to beginners and casual intermediates.
For example, this setup from Blue Tomato is just £315 for a snowboard with bindings.
The additional costs of buying your own skis/snowboard
As well as the basic equipment, you’ll probably also want to invest in a bag to keep your snowsports gear in and carry it to the mountains. This is especially true if you need to fly or take public transport to get to the mountains.
The popular Dakine low-roller wheeled snowboard bag is around £150 (buy on Amazon), or shop for budget snowboard bags such as this one on Amazon for £80. Snowboard bags will hold your board (usually two if needed) a pair of boots and your bindings, as well as some additional equipment/clothing.
Ski bags tend to be slightly more compact, seeing as skis are thinner and all, making them slightly cheaper. With that being said you might also need a dedicated ski boot bag as well as the ski bag – or check to get a larger bag for both. Atomic make one of the most popular ski bags, or get this ski and boot bag combo for £80 on Amazon.
As well as storage, you’ll also need to get your skis or board waxed and edge tuned. The frequency will depend how often you ride, but it’s a good idea to get this done every 7 or so riding days. You could also buy your own wax and edge tuning kit – which isn’t that expensive (£30/€40) or pay for a professional to do it, which is usually around €50-60 in a ski resort.
It’s also worth factoring in storage of all your winter gear, which can be bulky. And, if you don’t use it often, you might also find some of the features perish, especially plastic components which can get brittle through the years if not stored correctly.
AND… On a final point – the cost of getting your equipment to resort can also add up. If you’re flying, you can easily end up paying around £60-80 for ski equipment, which isn’t that far off the cost of rental equipment. You might also pay for the oversized storage on your transfer too, adding an extra €20 each way.
In short, buying your own skis or snowboard isn’t just in the price of the equipment…
Should you buy your own skis or snowboard?
If you’re a regular skier or snowboarder, racking up more than one or two weeks per winter season, then yes, it’s very much worth buying your own gear. If you’re planning on doing a ski season, or you live close to the mountains then you’ll get much more value out of your purchase.
While the initial outlay might be a bit hefty, if you’re going to be riding regularly then you’ll save costs on rentals and you’ll get to enjoy the familiarity of your own setup.
If you’re new to the sport or just an occasional skier or snowboarder, then it’s probably better to rent. Renting snowboards or skis means someone else handles the maintenance and transportation, and you can just grab your gear on arrival and go. With rentals, you also get to enjoy relatively fresh equipment – most rental boards or skis last a season or two before being upgraded. So you’ll often get to ride the latest tech for less.
Check out rental prices at Netski (good prices and bundles) and SkiSet (good prices, large choice of stores).
