HisHersMoney

We are in the air flying to Chicago as I write on this Christmas Day. As Hers wrote previously, we were on a ski trip to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. We had a phenominal trip and I experienced some of the best skiing of my life. It’s hard not to as it snowed almost every day we were there including 19 inches in one night at the summit!

I grew up about 5 miles from a small ski hill in Pennsylvania. Both of my parents worked there at various times and so I skied for free every year. We also all had our own equipment. For those unaware, skiing is similar to golf in that both the initial barrier to entry and the long-term costs are expensive. Of course, since I went skiing probably 30-40 times at the minimum every year it ended up being cheaper in the long run to purchase equipment rather than buy.

Today, it’s probably not so. We don’t live very close to any ski areas, the closest being about a 2 hour drive. Last year we actually only got a single day on the slopes. This year I’ll probably ski somewhere between 8-12 days and Hers probably 18-24 days. She already owns all of her equipment due to previously wintering in Steamboat as a ski instructor. My equipment has long since become outdated and misplaced. So should I purchase new equipment now that we plan to make skiing a higher priority in our lives?

First off, I would love to get all of my own equipment again. The advantages are thus:

• Better quality and condition of gear
• Custom fitting for boots
• No waiting in line to pick up rentals
• Being intimately familiar with performance of equipment

However, there are cons as well:

• Cost of flying with or shipping own gear
• Over many years, equipment will become outdated
• Initial cost of equipment which will easily cost between $1k-$2k for good quality

For now we’ve decided to keep renting equipment for me. At this point we can’t justify the full cost for the amount of skiing that I do. Next season we possibly will purchase some boots and get them custom fitted at our favorite shop in Steamboat. Boots are actually the most important part of the equation as no rental will ever fit as well. This will take away some of the performance disadvantage of rentals but will still save money over the cost of the skis, bindings, poles, and helmet.

As a last note, when looking to rent ski equipment, check the local shops in the area of the resort that you’ll be going to. Many times you get better quality rentals at lower prices by using these local shops instead of renting at the slopes.