While hauling his luggage out the door, Eric Derflinger ticks off each item from his mental packing list.
Jackets, pants, and gloves? Check, check, check. Skis and poles? A split second of panic, then he remembers he鈥檚 renting this time around. Old habits are hard to break.
A few years ago, skis would have been the first thing Ohio-based Derflinger tossed in his car before driving to the airport for a ski trip, but hefty baggage fees have convinced him to give renting a try. Lugging gear around an airport and to the resort was always a hassle, anyway.
He鈥檚 not alone: resort town ski shops are bursting with people renting their gear. By all accounts, the number of skiers and snowboarders hopping flights or driving across state lines in search of stoke is up, and more of those powder-hungry winter enthusiasts are leaving their gear at home. Instead, they鈥檙e renting and demoing on (or near) the mountain.
Flying Solo
鈥淩entals have been extremely successful, and increasing,鈥 said Bill Irwin, a seasoned rental manager for Elan USA Corp. In his 25 years of visiting ski shops and resorts around the U.S., he鈥檚 watched the rise of rentals sweep across the industry.
Why? Convenience, for one. 鈥淚 always rent when I fly,鈥 said Roddie Haley, a skier picking out demo gear at Jackson鈥檚 Base Camp in Park City, Utah, one day last December. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a pain to take my gear with me and pay extra.鈥 With round-trip baggage charges ranging from $100 to $200 and a demo package of brand-new products running about $50 a day, the math makes sense.
Nick Sargent, president of SnowSports Industries America, has been watching the trend unfold as the next generation of skiers hits the slopes. He defines the group as 鈥渃ost-savvy, time-sensitive, and technology-driven,鈥 which translates into unique customer habits: they follow the snow and book their trips last-minute.
What鈥檚 more, skiers are increasingly purchasing multi-resort passes, allowing them access to unprecedented terrain around the globe. With Vail Resorts鈥 Epic Pass (access to 65 resorts) or Alterra Mountain Company鈥檚 Ikon Pass (38 resorts) in hand, trips to Whistler Blackcomb, Keystone, and Squaw Valley in one season are that much more doable.

Try Over Buy
There鈥檚 one more reason skiers and riders, especially experienced ones, might be tempted to travel without gear: to take high-performance demos for a spin. 鈥淚f they were to bring their skis, they鈥檇 only bring one pair,鈥 said Sam Beck, director of marketing and communications for Nordica. 鈥淏ut if they鈥檙e renting or demoing, they can trade it in or out according to the conditions.鈥 Skiers and riders lust after testing the latest technology, and shops are keeping up with customer demand by offering a wide selection of high-quality performance skis.
The old trope of beat-up rental skis is on the outs as ski shops, particularly at destination resorts, upgrade their rental and demo fleets more often. Jackson Knoll, owner of Jackson鈥檚 Base Camp, replaces his 168 pairs of skis and boards with new products every single year.
Jack Walzer, general manager at JANS Mountain Outfitters in Park City, has begun changing his fleet to cater to this experienced demo crowd, swapping out the novice-friendly sport skis that used to be popular for high-performance demo models. 鈥淲e had about 260 sport skis a couple of years ago, and maybe 150 high-performance [packages],鈥 Walzer said. Now, the shop maintains a more even split.

Give 鈥楨m What They Want
A subset of skiers鈥攐ften city dwellers who travel once or twice a year to ski鈥攍ike demoing and renting so much they鈥檝e gone all in, choosing to demo indefinitely over purchasing their own set of skis. Industry leaders say Europe has already moved in this direction and, based on numbers, the U.S. is likely to follow.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a steady increase in rentals balancing a steady decrease in retail,鈥 Irwin said.
Nordica recently updated its most popular retail skis (which are increasingly used for demos) to have a thicker topsheet for added durability, Beck said, answering the call for gear that can stand up to repetitive use and continuous tuning. In the 2018-19 season, Nordica released its rental-specific ski, the Drive; the tail shape, ski width, and rocker were all designed so beginners and novices could more comfortably navigate off groomers. And in F19, the brand will launch its new boot line, the Cruise for adults and Speedmachine J3 for juniors. The boots are lighter and more comfortable, and include a dual soft flap opening to make slipping them on and off easier. Rockered heels and Gripwalk technology in the soles are aimed to improve walkability.
Elan has experimented with a new way to increase flex and maintain durability in skis. The resulting technology, called U-Flex in junior skis and Groove Technology in adult products, has lines cut into the topsheet that flex like little hinges.
This technology is in the F17 junior Explore ski and the F18 adult Element ski, which are available now for rental and retail. The bumped-up durability is breaking into the company鈥檚 rising demo market as well. 鈥淥ver the last two years, we鈥檝e doubled our performance rental market share,鈥 Irwin said. 鈥淎nd this year, I think we will go higher than that.鈥
Demo skis have also become an increasingly important part of DPS鈥檚 sales, said spokesman Alex Hunt. The brand recently partnered with Aspen Skiing Company to provide its innovative base treatment, Phantom Permanent Waxless Glide to be used on the company鈥檚 demo fleet. Once ski shops apply the one-time treatment, they eliminate the time-consuming process of re-waxing skis and boards.
As the travel-to-ski trend gains steam, it can鈥檛 hurt to make it easier for footloose skiers鈥攁nd the shops that serve them鈥攖o rent and demo gear. And brands that embrace it might just gain the upper hand.