If you receive ill-fitting, damaged or simply the wrong type of snowboard rental equipment your snowboard holiday can be completely ruined from the outset.

Follow this snowboard equipment rental advice to help you make a more informed decision on where to get your rental snowboard equipment and what to look out for when choosing your rental snowboard equipment.

Where to rent snowboard equipment from:

You have a few choices as to where you can get your rental snowboard equipment.

The first and most obvious choice is actually from a rental shop in the resort you are going to. The advantage of this is that if you have any problems with your rental equipment you can get them fixed straight away. The downside of this is that often the day you need to get your rental equipment is the same day everyone else needs to get theirs because holiday makers tent to leave and arrive in resorts around the same times (weekends) and so you may be faced with enormous queues and waiting times on your first day. This is very frustrating when you are only going for one week and every day counts. If you end up at the back of a queue you may find the choice of rental equipment available by the time you get to the front is some what limited and only the older tatty equipment is left. You can always go to another shop but by then most rental shops will have the same problem. Renting in the resort can also be more expensive than the other options, however, at the end of the day it is the safest bet if you are not experienced with snowboard equipment.

Another option for your snowboard equipment rental is to go nearer to home. You will often find sports shops catering for winter sports around winter time which often includes equipment rental. The advantages of renting your snowboard equipment from a non-resort based shop back at home is that the snowboard equipment can often be of a higher quality, you will save valuable time and hassle when in the resort and renting this way is usually cheaper. The disadvantages are that you will have extra luggage when travelling to your resort so make sure you have a snowboard bag or the rental shop provides you one with your snowboard equipment rental. You may also find that these ‘local’ sports shops tend to have a much more limited range of equipment compared to the resort-based rental shops. Another issue with renting your equipment outside of the resort you are going to is that if you have problems with the snowboard equipment you will have to pay for a resort shop to fix the problem and if the problem is serious you won’t be able to just swap out your faulty snowboard equipment with a replacement; you will need to pay a rental fee again for a new snowboard equipment rental from a resort shop.

One other option you have for snowboard equipment rental is locating a cheap internet rental shop. Whilst this can save you the most money it id fraught with the same problems as the previous option of renting snowboard equipment outside of the resort you are going to PLUS another issue with this method, and a big issue, is that you do not get to actually see the exact snowboard rental equipment until it arrives at your door. This makes the whole process guess work and when choosing snowboard boots especially this could be a big problem. Unless you know exactly what you want and what you are getting I would highly suggest against renting your snowboard equipment in this way. If however you do choose to go this route to save money, make sure you rent your snowboard equipment way in advance of your snowboard holiday so that you have time to check the rental equipment and return it to receive a refund or replacement if it is not right.

Those are the three main options for obtaining your snowboard equipment rental, however, above all I would say that if you are serious about snowboarding there is no substitute for having your own equipment. It will be far superior to any rental equipment, you will get used to one set of equipment and you will save money in the long run. For the price of three winters worth of snowboard equipment rentals you can pick up a half decent snowboard setup (especially in the sales at the end of a season).

Fitting your snowboard boots and choosing your snowboard:

When you are in a snowboard equipment rental shop the first things that you will be measured up for will be your boots and the size of your snowboard. Different width snowboards are available for different sizes of feet so if you have particularly small or large feet make sure you go to a snowboard rental shop that can cater for both extremes of sized feet; good snowboard rental shops should have narrower and wider models of snowboards.

The length of the rental snowboard you get depends on a few things including your level of snowboarding and the type/style of snowboarding you intend on doing. Make sure the tell the rental shop assistant these details so they can accurately provide you with the right length snowboard. Also with snowboarding size is more important than height when sizing a person for a snowboard, however, if you are of average size & height you can expect your snowboard to to come up to between your nose and chin.

Snowboard boots are one of, if not the most important part of your snowboard rental equipment to get right. If your snowboard boots don’t fit right or cause you discomfort your snowboarding and holiday will be massively effected. When having your snowboard boots fitted make sure they feel comfortable and snug - tight but not to tight so that your circulation is cut off! Your heel a toes should reach and be in contact with both ends of the boot. Unlike normal shoe fitting where you want a bit of room at your toe end of the shoe, with snowboard boots it is important that your toes are touching the end of the boots when you stand up straight. This is because when you are snowboarding your knees will be slightly bent because of whats called ‘forward lean’ which causes your toes to be brought away from the front end of the boot. When this happens the distance of your toes from the front of the boot should be just right. Because of this make sure you cut your toe nails before snowboarding otherwise they can become sore from pushing up against the front of your snowboard boots when you are not snowboarding. Having the right snowboard boots is very important so make sure you get a good pair, decent snowboard rental shops sometimes have top-end snowboard boots which have a memory-foam inner liner that moulds and readjusts to each new wearers feet. This can solve a big problem in rental boots where they become very loose and stretched over time making it hard to find a tight fitting rental boot. If you are considering buying your own snowboard equipment I would recommend that your snowboard boots are the first item you purchase.

Setting up your rental snowboard equipment:

The snowboard rental shop assistants should help you find the best and most comfortable stance for you on your snowboard if you do not already know it. You may find even if you have tried other board sports you may prefer a different stance when you are snowboarding so keep an open mind when figuring out your snowboarding stance. There are pro snowboarders who prefer to skateboard regular (left foot first) yet snowboard more comfortably in a goofy stance (right foot first). I won’t go into detail on snowboard stance setup here because if you are renting snowboards you won’t need to know about setting up your stance as the shop assistants will figure it out for you and setup your rental snowboard accordingly. One thing to note here is that it isn’t always easy to get your stance perfect the first time round so make sure your snowboard rental shop is happy for you to return for stance setup adjustments until you get it just right. Any decent resort rental shop will provide this service for you at no extra cost.

You will likely be presented with a choice of snowboard bindings when you rent your snowboard equipment. This choice consists of two different types of snowboard bindings: Step-ins & Strap-ins. Sometimes the rental shop assistants will just give you whatever they have or feel you should use. If you have a preference make sure to tell them or you could end up with a setup you are unfamiliar or unhappy with. So whats the difference between step-in bindings and strap-in bindings? Snowboard step-in bindings are much easier an quicker to use. They have no straps that go over the top of your boots holding your feet down in place. They simply consist of a disc shaped plate that has a locking mechanism which locks the matching pair of snowboard boots in place when you step-down on them. This makes them quick to operate, however they have been known to be troublesome when they get clogged up with snow in heavy conditions. They can also be tricky to put on when on a steep slope because the bindings have no high-back to rest your calf against keeping the board perpendicular to the slope; getting your first foot in can be a hassle. Snowboard step-in bindings can also have reduced responsiveness compared to the strap-in bindings and thus result in you feeling less confident and secure. Strap-in snowboard bindings are the original type of snowboard bindings and are still the preferred choice of most pro snowboarders because they really do provide much better support, response and versatility in your riding. As most most things in snowboarding it is all down to personal choice so try both types of bindings out when you rent your snowboard equipment and see what prefer. Some snowboard rental shops allow you to swap around your snowboard gear until you are happy with what it. Some snowboard rental shop assistants may not look happy to constantly change about your bindings but they will do it if asked!!

Snowboard equipment rental insurance:

Make sure your snowboard rental equipment is insured otherwise you may end up having to pay a lot more than just the weeks rental costs for the equipment! This can be the case even if your rental gear look years old. Many rental shops offer insurance as part of their snowboard equipment rental service so check this with the rental shop assistants. If you have already got winter holiday insurance your rental snowboard equipment may already be covered but do check your winter holiday insurance details as what you are covered for can vary greatly from one insurance company to another.

Last but not least, check your snowboard equipment regularly for loose parts and problems just to be safe and so you can have fun without worry on the mountains!