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As a mom of five and a professional ski instructor, I’ve navigated just about every gear situation imaginable. From hand-me-downs that skip two kids because of growth spurts to that one pair of boots that somehow fit three children in the same season, I’ve seen it all. One question I get asked constantly by parents at the mountain is: “Should I rent skis for my kids for the whole season or just buy them?”
Let me break down what I’ve learned through the last 18 years of outfitting my own crew and watching hundreds of families make this decision. In this article, I’ll share the pros and cons of season rentals and help you factor in the best option based on your family situation and budget.
Why Season Rentals Make Sense
The Price is Affordable
Let’s talk money first, because that’s what matters when you’re outfitting multiple kids. Season-long rentals typically run between $125-$200 per child for the entire winter, depending on your location and the shop. Compare that to buying brand new equipment, which can easily run $300-$500 for a basic ski, boot, and pole package. For families like mine with multiple kids, that savings adds up fast.
I usually tell parents that if you’re unsure whether your child will actually stick with skiing, a season rental is a no-brainer. There’s nothing worse than dropping $400 on equipment for a kid who decides after three trips that they’d rather stay in the lodge with hot chocolate.
Season Rentals are Perfect for Growing Kids
Here’s my favorite part about season rentals: most programs let you swap equipment mid-season. That means when your kid jumps up 2 shoe sizes in 3 months, you’re not stuck scrambling to keep buying them new gear, you can just go and trade it in for another size.
This flexibility is pure gold when you’re dealing with growing kids. You’re not stuck with equipment that doesn’t fit properly, which is crucial for both safety and skill development. As an instructor, I can always tell when a kid is skiing on equipment that doesn’t fit anymore because their skiing shows it. They lose confidence, their technique suffers, and they’re more likely to get hurt.
No Need to Store Gear in the Offseason
With five kids, my garage looks like a sporting goods store exploded. Skis, bikes, soccer equipment, lacrosse gear…you name it, we’re tripping over it. The beauty of seasonal rentals is that come April, you just return everything. No wrestling skis into overhead storage, no wondering if the bindings will still be safe next year, no piles of equipment that your kids have outgrown cluttering your basement.
Another big perk is that rental shops handle all the maintenance. The skis get waxed and edges tuned before you pick them up, and if anything goes wrong during the season, they often fix it. As someone who’s tried to tune skis at home with mixed results, this is a huge time-saver.
The Downsides to Consider
Used Gear Can Cost About the Same as Season Rentals
Let’s talk about budget. If you’re wanting to be as budget friendly as possible, used ski gear often costs about the same amount as season rentals. Looking at used gear shops, ski swaps, Facebook Marketplace and even the thrift store have found us some incredible deals.
Last year, I picked up a barely-used set of skis, boots, and poles for one of my kids for $150. That’s about the same price as a season rental. The best part of that is, that all of my kids can use that same gear as we pass it down, OR I can sell it again for about what I bought it for.
The downside? You need to know what you’re looking for, and you need to spend some extra time to find the right gear in the sizes that you need. Not every parent has the time or knowledge to shop used gear confidently, but if you do, it”s worth running the numbers’s the most affordable way to go.
Choices Are Limited with Most Season Rentals
This is something that frustrates me both as a parent and an instructor. Most rental shops carry just one or two brands for kids’ equipment, and you get what they have in your child’s size. If your kid would benefit from a specific type of ski you’re unlikely to find it in the season rental fleet.
Kids’ rental equipment tends to be pretty basic. It gets the job done, but it’s not going to be the same quality as what you might find if you look for better used gear. For beginners, this usually doesn’t matter. But as kids progress and start skiing more aggressively, they might feel limited by rental gear. For advanced intermediate skiers on up, they’ll usually want better gear than you’ll get from a season rental.
Adult season rentals have significantly more options, but you will also pay a much higher price for nicer gear. Some shops will rent out last years demo fleet for season rentals, but plan on paying several hundred dollars for those as a season rental.
If you’re not sure what each shop offers, it’s always helpful to call around, since most ski shops don’t have a lot of information about their season rentals online.
It’s Money You’ll Never See Again
Here’s the financial reality that I think about every season: when you rent, that money is gone. Period. When you buy equipment, even used, you can turn around and sell it when your child outgrows it. I’ve recouped anywhere from 80-150% of what I paid by reselling gear on Facebook Marketplace. Used ski gear holds its value pretty well, so if you have the time and space to store it, you can save tons of money.
With rentals, you’re essentially paying for convenience and flexibility, but you’re not building any equity. Over multiple seasons, this adds up, especially if you have multiple kids. If your child skis from ages 6 to 16, renting every year means you’ve spent $1,000-$2,000 per kid with nothing to show for it at the end. In our family, we have 5 kids and we literally own every single size of boots and skis they could need. All of these were bought used (with the exception of my favorite adjustable ski boots for kids), and we sell them when my youngest grows out of them.
So What Do I Actually Recommend?
Honestly? With our big family, it just makes sense to buys used, but not everyone has the space to store a full gear shop worth of ski gear, or gets the same value out of it as I do with a big family.
The key is being realistic about your situation. Season rentals are fantastic for beginners, fast-growing kids, families testing out the sport, or anyone who values convenience over ownership. They’re probably not the best long-term solution if you have a passionate young skier who’s committed to the sport and has hit a growth plateau.
As both a mom and an instructor, I’d say this: if you’re new to skiing as a family, start with season rentals. Learn what your kids need, how often you’ll actually get to the mountain, and whether this is going to be a one-season experiment or a lifelong passion. You can always shift to buying gear once you have that information. The worst decision is buying expensive equipment up front only to realize your family isn’t going to use it.
And remember, the best ski equipment is the equipment that gets your kids outside, active, and excited to spend time in the mountains. Whether that’s rented or owned doesn’t really matter in the end.