Lets face it, when you travel, you want to feel some level of comfort given all the steps it takes to get to your final destination. Between taxis, airport terminals, check-in counters, security check points, and car rentals most travelers agree that the less you have to deal with during your journey the better. The same is true for the comfort of knowing that you will be tearing up the mountain on a pair of skis that you know and trust vs. some random set of rentals.
Is It Worth Shipping My Skis?
This is a very common question amongst avid skiers who travel more than once or twice a year. The combined hassle between lugging your skis down to he curb and cramming them into an Uber and then dragging them across the airport terminals is probably something everyone wishes to avoid at all costs.
So the next set of question you need to ask yourself is – If I ship my skis ahead, whats the chance that they arrive on-time? What if nobody is there to sign for them? Why not just rent skis at the resort? and is shipping a pair of skis actually cheaper than paying the $25-50 to check them in at the airport?
Here are the three key factors I believe every skier will want to consider.
#1 Comfort
Lets face it, when you travel, you want to feel some level of comfort given all the steps it takes to get to your final destination. Between taxis, airport terminals, check-in counters, security check points, and car rentals – like most travelers the less you have to deal with during your journey the better.
The same is true for the comfort of knowing that you will be tearing up the mountain on a pair of skis that you know and trust vs. some random set of rentals.
In my personal opinion, using your own set of gear is always an advantage over any type of demo or rental gear that is at the mountain. Not only do you not want to wast your time standing in line waiting for service at a rental shop, you also don’t want to waste a half of a day trying to get your head around a new set of skis. At the same time, trying to take advantage of some great terrain on pair of new skis can be frustrating to say the least.
One argument that everyone tries to make is that renting gear at the resort means that you won’t have to worry about anything at all. Just make a reservation for the pair of skis that you want and grab and go. While this convenience is sometimes viewed as quick and easy it does mean that sometimes you may be skiing on equipment that is a bit older and you may be stuck with sizes and brands that dont necessarily fit your skiing style.
#2 Convenience
On the other side of the coin, flying your own gear with you means that you you can avoid all of these rental issues – so why not just deal with the headaches of bagging and tagging your gear at the airport?
Sometimes airlines reroute their passengers at the last minute and this can sometimes mean that your gear wont show up until a day later. Other times airlines gives priority cargo space to companies who pay a premium to fly in cargo. Believe it or not a lot of US Postal Mail, and UPS packages are given priority for cargo space given that they have contracts with the airlines.
I can recall one flight from Boston to Salt Lake City, the airline removed a lot of passenger baggage to make room for fresh fish that was being flown in for restaurants in Utah. A lot of unhappy skiers and snowboards arrived later that night missing some luggage.
With shipping your skis ahead you can have them waiting for you at your AirBnB or Hotel and in many cases you will also get confirmation from the AirBnB Host (or Housekeeper) or Hotel Concierge that your skis have arrived and they will even move them to your room awaiting your arrival.
#3 Cost
Now rental prices can cost up to $80 a day in some places, which doesn’t make much sense if you’re with your family and want to experience the whole thing, you would be paying the average cost for ski gear in less than a week vs owning something that you will be able to use for several winter seasons: which is something to think about.
Still wondering if shipping your skis is worth it? Lets look at a breakdown of all the different costs for each option.
Renting vs. Flying vs. Shipping skis for a 3 day trip (assuming you have your own ski boots)
- Renting $60-80/day will run you roughly ~$180-240
- Airline Bag Check $50/each way will run you ~$100
- Shipping $25-50/each way will run you ~$50-100.
More Details About Shipping Your Skis
The three major carriers I would research would be US Postal Service, UPS, and FedEx (and in some markets DHL is still a good option as well). You will want to find the most economical options and make sure you leave a few days buffer before your actual arrival into your destination. This way your skis are awaiting for you. You will also want to sign up for text alerts to know when you skis arrive at your destination.
To make things even easier, a FedEx even offers free boxes that expandable for the length of yours skis. Don’t forget to wrap the bindings up in a a few extra pieces of your soft gear. For me I enjoy tossing my ski pants in there to protect the bindings.
When you are done with your ski trip you can drop them off at a Drop and Ship Center and/or just ask for your Concierge to hold them at the front desk until the FedEx driver comes to pick them up.
But all these shipping options can only make sense if you already own your ski equipment and want to avoid renting something you already have and love.
Until next time…see you on the slopes!