RENTAL _ >>
its guests a short-term clothing solution if needed. “Both Gore-Tex and Mammut are partners of JHMR, and Mammut offers a line that our retail locations carry for purchase,” says Justin Burkhart, direc- tor of retail, rental and repair. “Guests can demo an item before purchase to ensure the fit and design match their needs.” The goal at Jackson Hole is to have a two-year useful life for its rental gar-
ments. “We evaluate each item based on visible wear throughout the winter sea- son to ensure we offer our guests a qual- ity solution,” says Burkhart. Boyne Resorts and Helly Hansen. Some Boyne Resorts properties provide Helly Hansen apparel in their rental pro- grams. This past season was the second for the respective programs at Sunday River, Maine, and Brighton, Utah. Each
shop has 40 unisex jackets and pants available for rent. In Canada, Boyne’s Cypress Mountain outside Vancouver has had a successful apparel rental pro- gram for several years. “We are committed to continuing the apparel program at all three resorts, and will add to rental shops at our other resorts,” says Keith Collins, senior vice president of retail/rental. “The only thing holding us back is the space it needs to be handled properly in the rental shop.” The garments get sprayed with a bleach- free disinfectant after each use, and are machine washed after 10-12 rentals. Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore. , also has a program with Helly Hansen, launched in 2023-24. The resort was in the rental apparel business pre-Covid as well, but the pandemic forced a hiatus. It is a small piece of the overall rental operation, says resort COO Jeremy Riss. “We primarily do it as a service for our guests,” and its largely utilized by first timers, he says. Rental items are washed in an on-site laundry facility that mainly services employee uniforms. Sustainable Practice? One incidental benefit to apparel rent- al programs is sustainability: rentals reduce textile waste. In general, resorts say that occasional users who use rent- al garments instead of buying probably help reduce the amount of clothing that ends up in landfills. “Snowsports consumers are evolv- ing and behaviors are changing,” says PGRI’s Knapp. “Ownership may be less important in the future, and programs like Outerwear On Demand offer con- venience, quality, and less commitment, with higher utilization.” Gore does not have a formal effort in place for reuse and waste reduction with the On Demand program, but it is work- ing on it; the company is committed to sustainable practices, says Newey. While sustainability and profitabil- ity are good goals for any rental apparel service, the greatest reason for providing these outerwear programs is the oppor- tunity to get folks on the hill who may not have gone otherwise. Considering the advantages of rental apparel, it’s easy to imagine this line of business growing in the coming years.
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator