IMAGES: MAX DRAEGER; TEEMU MOISIO; GETTY
SMART TRAVELLER
NEED TO KNOW S K IWEAR Rent & return AS MORE RETAILERS OFFER TOP-QUALITY SKI GEAR
FOR HIRE, LOOKING STYLISH ON THE SLOPES JUST GOT MORE AFFORDABLE. WORDS: ABIGAIL BUTCHER
Although renting ski kit is not a novel concept, the leasing of good quality, high-performance skiwear and accessories is new terrain. With the fashion industry championing rental schemes as a way to combat global carbon emissions, the outdoors and sportswear industry is now following suit. Start-up enterprise EcoSki launched skiwear rental for men, women and children in September 2021 in conjunction with My Wardrobe HQ, a project that soon mushroomed. Last Christmas and New Year, and then again over the February 2022 half-term, almost every item in its range was booked. “We’re envisaging rental to grow far bigger than sales,” says
EcoSki founder Rachael Westbrook. “People are interested mainly from a fashion perspective, but fi nd it fulfi ls environmental ethics, too. It also works well as a try-before-you-buy option.” Decathlon swiftly followed suit in January 2022, linking with
Hirestreet to trial the rental of 18 diff erent styles for women; the French sporting goods retailer has said it plans to extend its rental programme to off er ski clothing rental for men and children. Then in March, equipment manufacturer Rab launched a rental system for clothing, sleeping bags and backpacks. Picture Organic — which launched a kit rental service in France
last year — is expected to bring the concept to the UK before long. Picture Organic customer Laura Christopherson recently rented ski clothing from the company, and from EcoSki for her sons, 10 and 13, who had outgrown everything from their last ski trip. “They never wear the same things a year later,” says Laura. “I was frantically trying to borrow ski gear as it never sits well to buy for one year’s use only.” Laura says she managed to rent outfi ts, including ski gloves,
goggles, salopettes and ski jackets at a lower cost than she would have spent buying the cheapest gear.
RENT: Choose hire items online, selecting the rental dates required. Providers then send out clothing and accessories. RETURN: At the end of the rental period, items are returned (bag and postage label provided) for cleaning, sanitising and any repair. OR KEEP: There’s an option to purchase if preferred. TIME FRAME: Rental durations vary from as little as three days to a week or more. PRICES: Costs also vary but, in most cases, they’re a fraction of the price of purchasing. MORE INFO: Ski gear is available to rent in the UK fromecoski.
co.uk/ski-wear-rental hirestreetuk.com/brand/ decathlon
rab.equipment/uk/rental
Clockwise from above: Ortovox skis available to rent from EcoSki; Halti is one of five new brands available to rent from EcoSki this season; ski kit packs are also for hire
WINTER SPORTS 2022/23 15
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