Keep Renting or BUY

tech

Ok I go skiing about 2 times a year and might get in a long weekend also, to date I have been renting?

Am i better of buying ski's and boots?

How do I know what to buy,

Overflow

If your serious about skiing and its something you want to do every year, you should buy your own gear, you will only end up spending a fortune over time on rentals, in the long run you will be better off forking out and getting your own gear.

olaola

My two cents - buy a good pair of boots that fit well. They are handy to carry and you don't have to pay any excess to bring them with you. Boots are boots, and they will never change. Skis on the other hand - the technology changes frequently. Also the style of skiing. You might even want to change style and you're stuck with the skis. They are awkward to travel with and the surcharges are fairly steep! There wouldn't be much in the difference when you cost the transport and the rental.

bonkey

There's a couple of things to consider here....

First - boots. Decent-fitting boots can make a big difference to your skiing. If you have "regular" sized feet, and if the place you rent does halfway-decent boots, then it won't really make much difference. On the other hand, if you find it tough to find a decent fit, or you want to rule out the ski-shop only having cheap tat, then a good pair will stand by you. Decent boots should last you at least 5 years, even allowing for improving ability and all the rest. 10 years or more isn't unusual.

Next - skis. This one is tougher. If you're going to buy skis, then you'll have running costs anyway. Factor in the cost of carriage per trip and the cost of servicing them annually. Bear in mind that there's only so many times you can re-edge a ski before the edges wear too thin...so you've got a certain lifespan there. Also bear in mind that you can have an accident. I bought a pair of reasonably top-end skis two seasons ago. Second day out this season, I hit a stone after going over a bump. Cracked the edge of the ski right through...skis are a write-off. That could happen on your first day...or it might never happen to you. You can get insurance (at least over here) against such things for the first three years of a ski's life...but that's another cost to factor in against renting.

In general, you can allow 4-5 years for skis, before you'll want new ones. You can allow an extra couple of years until you need new ones.

This is all without even considering what olaola validly said about changing tech and skiing style.

I know that here in Switzerland, they recommend for Swiss people that if you ski less than 15 days a year, you're better off renting when you factor all the costs in.

Also...if you go to buy a pair...what do you buy? I bought my racetigers (the one's I wrote off) because I rented a pair and they were phenomenal for the type of skiing I do. I didn't bother trying other skis...I loved these, so hunted down an ex-rental pair in off-season sales (easy to do, living in Switzerland) and bought them.

If you're going to buy a top-end pair of skis, then I would say you absolutely have to test-drive a pair first. If you're buying mid- or low-end stuff, then maybe it matters less, but if you're used to renting good stuff it doesn't matter what you buy...you'll notice the difference.

On the plus side...if you find (and buy) pair of skis that you like, then you're always skiing with a ski you enjoy. That's worth a lot.

So if you can find decent boots at a decent price, its probably a no-brainer. Skis...maybe not as easy a decision.

EileenG

I would buy a really good pair of boots, maybe even get custom foam fitting. Boots can go into your regular luggage when you are going skiing and won't cost you extra to carry.

Skis, on the other hand, will cost you a lot of hassle and extra carriage fare. They are also a major pain in the bum (shoulder, whatever) when you have to travel across cities to go skiing. I've got awful memories of hauling a long pair of skis through Paris, because they were too big to go into a left luggage locker with the rest of my bags.

It also means you are stuck with the same skis. On those amazing days with perfect snow, you might want to rent out a pair of specialist powder skis. When the snow is bad and there are stones cluttering up the piste, you might be happier using a pair of hire skis that you don't have to mind. When I used my own skis, I used to squeek in pain every time I skied over a stone. Now, while I don't try to abuse hire skis, I don't really care if I ski over some stones.

boots10

I too wondered about renting versus buying, I've seen these for sale in Dublin, works out approx the same cost to buy these as rent em. My mates always bring their own skis with Inghamns or Panorama and have neved had to pay to transport them. I suppose the other thing is you have the same equipment every year and get used to how they feel reacthttp://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=91964&cat=52http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=91538&cat=52