Few things are more exciting in wintertime than planning skiing trips. That is, until we begin thinking about hauling our gear through airports, train stations, and up and down the elevation of mountain towns. Now that’s the kind of hassle that can take the shine off a powder day before it can even start. That’s where Christy Sports came to our rescue. With more than 50 locations across the United States, including shops onsite at as many as 21 ski resorts, the only question we were asking ourselves was – how to book ski and snowboard rentals with Christy Sports? The ski/snowboard rental shop has been outfitting skiers and snowboarders since as far back as 1958. So, whether you’re a seasoned skier who’s hunting fresh powder or a novice skier who is looking to gain confidence on the slopes, Christy Sports has a rental package for you.
In fact, not only did we find the booking process to be straightforward, but we also found the gear to be well-maintained and the staff to actually know what they’re talking about. Additionally, booking in advance online also saved us 20% off our rental — and that’s the kind of deal we love! Here’s a detailed guide to booking skiing/snowboarding rentals from Christy Sports so you don’t have to break your head on logistics and actually focus on getting out on the slopes.
Also read: What To Wear For Spring Skiing.
Find the Right Location
Firstly, you need to decide which Christy Sports location makes the most sense for your trip. It’s even more important since the brand has an umbrella of brands operating under it. These include The Alpineer, Bootdoctors, Powder Tools, Leisure Living, and Sturtevant’s. More importantly, they all sell different products; for instance, Leisure Living is all about patio furniture, while The Alpineer is where you’ll get your ski and snowboard rental equipment. Even though they’re all part of the same family, with the same easy booking process and high-quality standards, you need to know which one rents winter gear.
What you need to do is: you need to head to christysports.com and use the store locator to find the location nearest to where you’re staying or skiing. Essentially, you have two chief choices: go straight to a slopeside location for maximum convenience or pick up your gear at a mountain-town shop on your way to the resort. That depends on which mountain skiing town you’re staying in. For instance, Christy Sports has many slopeside locations, such as Vail Bridge Street, Beaver Creek, and even the Steamboat Village Center.
Basically, the brand has focused on convenience for its customers, and its network of locations is a reflection of the same.
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Choosing The Right Rental Package
After locking in your location, it’s time to actually pick out your gear, right from skiing helmets to heated skiing socks. What’s great is that Christy Sports offers packages for both skiers and snowboarders according to their ability level and what they intend to ski or snowboard.
For skiers, the Sport package is ideal for those who are either beginners or strong intermediates, while the Premium package is for more confident and advanced skiers. What’s more, there’s even a Demo package that gives intermediate-to-expert skiers access to high-performance, newer skis.
Likewise, snowboarders have packages ranging from the Sport package for beginner riders to the All-Mountain package for those who are ready to explore the entire resort. Meanwhile, their Demo boards are loaded with newer shapes for experienced riders who are particular about details. If you’re looking for full packages, they include everything from skis/boards to bindings and boots. If you aren’t sure about which tier is right for you, the brand website lays out who every package is designed for, and their in-store staff is knowledgeable and extremely helpful.
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Select Dates and Book Online
This is perhaps one of the best features we personally liked about Christy Sports. Do you want to know the upside of planning ahead? If you book your ski/snowboarding rental online at least 24 hours before you’re picking them up, you earn a 20% discount on the rental prices — sans any code. In fact, that discount alone made it worth building our rental reservation when we started planning our trip to the best ski resorts in Colorado.
What you need to do here is go to christysports.com, click on “Rent” and choose your preferred location and rental dates. Next, the booking calendar will show you the first available date for reservations at that particular store. Here, it’s important to remember that during peak periods and the skiing season, some locations sell out, so the earlier, the better. After you’ve chosen the dates and package, pay a deposit to secure the reservation. Do remember that rental rates vary based on package tier, time of season, and location.
That doesn’t mean they don’t welcome walk-ins; it’s just that you’ll miss that advance discount.
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Add-ons And Extras
After you’re done choosing the basics of your rental, the booking system then walks you through a few useful add-ons. For instance, a standout option for families is the Christy Sports Kids Rent Free program, where qualifying four-or-more-day-long adult rentals include kids’ ski/snowboard packages for free. Since we could book this directly from the online reservation system, it turned out to be a real money-saver for when we were traveling with the kids!
That being said, we could add a lot more beyond the kids’ packages. For instance, we could also add helmet rentals (adult helmets cost USD 11/day, while kids’ helmets cost around USD 9/day). Also, we could add damage waivers (covering only equipment damage or breakage) costing USD 5/person per day. Do remember that there are a few blackout dates, especially during the holidays.
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Gear Pick-up Or Delivery
You can pick up your rental gear from the store the minute it opens on the day of your reservation. Do you want to pick it up before your first rental day? Select the early pickup option where you can pick it up after 3 p.m. on the day prior to your first rental day, and you could be hitting the slopes the first thing in the morning. What’s more, a Christy Sports technician even fits your equipment on the spot, right from binding settings to boot fit. So, they dial everything in to your ability and size.
One of the best things about renting equipment from Christy Sports is that you even have delivery rental options for destinations such as Telluride, Steamboat Springs, and Deer Valley/Park City. Known as Door2Door earlier, this process sees a delivery coordinator call you after you book your equipment online, setting up a meeting time at your accommodations. Then, the rental team arrives with the pre-fitted gear in transport bags. Please remember that you need a two-day minimum for delivery rentals. Last but not least, we could even head to any of the Christy Sports’ slopeside service centers to get overnight waxes, adjust boot fits, and even swap sizes!
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Managing, Modifying, and Returning Rental Gear
Finally, every rental reservation from Christy Sports is flexible. We could modify our booking at any time — whether it was changing gear or adjusting dates, without any penalties. What’s more, you even get a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before your pickup day. This is very useful as plans shift and life happens, and ski trips aren’t any different.
Furthermore, you can swap sizes for free during your rental period — boots, boards, and skis. If you’re a season renter, you also get unlimited complimentary tuning throughout the winter season, making this a great option for skiing regulars. Finally, when you want to return your equipment, most Christy Sports locations have outdoor gear return processes. So, we weren’t standing in a long line after an equally long day on the slopes.
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How much in advance should I book my Christy Sports rental?
It’s best to book your rental the minute you know your dates. That way, you even receive the 20% discount. Also, certain popular resort location outposts could even sell out during peak periods.
Can I exchange my gear if it doesn’t fit properly once I’m on the mountain?
Absolutely. You can exchange your size for free at any Christy Sports location, especially since it has 21 convenient slopeside locations.
What is Christy Sports’ cancellation policy for rentals?
For a full refund, you need to cancel at least 24 hours before your scheduled pickup time. However, you can edit your reservation at any time for gear, dates, and other adjustments.
Some images on this article are copyrighted by Christy Sports.
