Performance, Demos, and Backcountry Fuel Growth in Rentals

News Search

12 January 2016

Push to The Latest: No

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., Jan. 12, 2016—Performance, demo, and backcountry rentals are helping to fuel growth in rental overall, according to a recent survey conducted by SAM Magazine and Snowsports Industries America (SIA). The two organizations combined efforts to survey rental shops regarding trends in equipment and the general rental market.

Some of the results from the 172 respondents were in keeping with what's been seen the last few years (demo and performance gear), while others were more surprising (a big uptick in clothing rental). Here are some of the overarching themes.

Similar to last season, 42.6 percent of respondents say they plan to expand rental inventory, while 52.6 percent will keep numbers about the same. Much of this expansion will be in the form of higher-end performance fleets and demos, which “are tracking big time” and continue to be in demand from East to West. As shops expand performance fleets, and not just in destination areas, there's a trend towards “bigger than ever” demo fleets, with some shops offering unlimited swapping, providing opportunities for guests to try as many as four pairs of skis throughout the course of a day.

The percentage of shops offering ski and snowboard rentals (both around 90 percent) is in keeping with last season. However several rental operations noted a “sharp decline” in the snowboard market. It's unclear whether snowboarding rental numbers are really decreasing across the board, or only at certain shops near ski areas that haven't totally catered to snowboarding. Shops in uber pro-snowboarding areas still do a brisk snowboard rental business.

An increasing number of shops—resort-owned and specialty; mountain town and suburban—are adding season-long lease programs. Some of these allow customers to swap out rental gear throughout a season, or to store rentals on-property at a resort. The concept has piqued interest industry-wide and looks to become more prevalent.

In an interesting twist, a growing number of shops, particularly in metropolitan areas in the Southeast, are offering clothing rental, and not just the customary pants and jackets. Rental goggles, base layers, gloves and even socks are becoming more prevalent. Though less common in the West, one Colorado Springs, Colo., service, GetOutfitted, even offers clothing rental delivered to hotels and condos.

Backcountry and touring gear are tracking well in some regions, notably at specialty shops. Among the 125 who responded on the topic of backcountry rentals, 17.2 percent rent alpine touring skis as well as AT boots (12.6 percent), AT bindings (10.2 percent), skins (13 percent), beacons (9 percent), splitboards (7.6 percent) and Avalung devices, shovels, probes and other backcountry necessities.

Shops continue to search for a well-rounded software program to make the rental process—waivers, fittings, automated inventory control, etc.—easier. With so many components to the rental process and transaction, many operators continue to seek the elusive simple, quick and comprehensive solution.

Finally, partnerships between ski and snowboard manufacturers and rental shops are going strong. As manufacturers put more emphasis on gear aimed at resorts, more rental outlets are popping up at ski areas. In fact, 48 percent of respondents were resort-owned shops, and several survey respondents were new resort-owned rental shops. And, just as ski resorts vary from mom-and-pop operations to mega resorts, so does the growing range of rental services, from bare-bones to deluxe.

“This survey shows us that rental is evolving quickly to meet consumers' needs,” said Kelly Davis, director of research for SIA. “It's interesting to see how many rental operations are renting high end demos, technical apparel, and accessories. And now we're seeing more rental operations delivering directly to customers, upping the convenience factor even more.”

“The growth of season-long rental programs suggests that both families with kids and young adults are seeing value in short-term ownership,” said Rick Kahl, editor of SAM. “This looks like an extension of the sharing economy, and that will make skiing and riding accessible to a larger audience.”