Gear for Children: Buy or Rent?

Picture taken 1st February 2019

As a ski parent, I’m presented with the dilemma of whether to buy or rent ski gear. When your nine year old is blasting down a red run she really starts to need the greater control of advanced boots and skis. The problem is, that you will be lucky if the ski or snowboard boots she is in will last her more than one season.

I believe that the answer to this question probably depends on how many times you go skiing each season. It also depends on whether you son/daughter has younger siblings so that the gear can one passed down to. Or indeed if you can muster the effort to sell the gear later on.

For the vast majority of people the answer is to keep renting — but for those able to ski a lot more, like my family – then buying boots is the first step — and then buy second hand performance skis. These are not such an expensive purchase.

Kids skiing: Bansko

As for ski jackets, trousers, gloves and helmets, these are always plentiful and cheap. But quite often you can grab these for free by borrowing from friends and family. Again, it does depend on how much skiing is going to be actually done. The convenience of renting often means more convenience and saving cash by not paying for the carriage of skis. But if you are driving, or flying off to competitions in many different resorts, then your child owning their own skis become a necessity.

The main question to ask is whether to buy or rent is: how often your child skis? I would estimate that if a child skis more than eleven days a season, for at least three seasons in a row, then you could be in a position to buy advanced skis. But this is further complicated by the fact that there are some ski shops that now provide child sized performance skis.

The decision is made easier if you have more than one child and that child is equally as enthusiastic his elder sibling. In this case buying performance skis can make sense. But if you’re coming to Bansko — contact us first as we do keep a small stock of advanced skis for juniors. And if you do have two season old junior advanced skis you wish to sell, then let us know and we will give you an offer for them and put them the hire fleet for other keen juniors to enjoy.

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Thank you for reading.