RENTAL BUYER’S GUIDE
FINE-TUNING THE RENTAL BUY There’s a lot of careful work to be done before placing the purchase order.
BY RICK KAHL
A rental tech adjusts snowboard bindings at Arizona Snowbowl, which tests gear from multiple vendors before placing its purchase orders.
W ith participation in skiing, snow- boarding, and XC down in 2023-24, attention is once again focused on bringing new and lapsed participants into winter sports. And that, in turn, highlights the importance of effec- tive, efficient rental operations that help convert newcomers and return- ing players into regular guests. “Who is our number one driving force in this industry?” asked Tyler Alb- ertson, rental manager at Loveland Ski Area in Colorado. “It’s not your experi- enced visitors, it’s your beginners and your never evers. The better you can cap-
THE BUYING SEASON
ture that market, the more you can grow your market base. We already have our four-or-five-times-a-year skiers and our season pass holders.” If those beginners have a good expe- rience, he added, they’ll come back. “Rental gear could be the difference between someone having a great expe- rience or a poor one,” agreed Joe Yasis, who manages the SARA rental buying program (see p. 76 for more on SARA). To help rental operators find the best solutions for their particular situations, SAM spoke with a variety of both suppli- ers and resort rental managers.
For many operators, January is not too late (or early) to start making decisions about the gear that will help rental shops perform smoothly and help renters enjoy their day on the hill. The process often starts with the regional rep shows, which began in the fall, and on-snow demos (such as the Winter Sports Market this month in Salt Lake City) or with a call to your local equipment reps. It may be as simple as sending an email request to obtain the latest brochures. Whatever the starting point, opera-
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