Every season we talk to first-timers who are trying to figure out whether to buy their own gear or hire everything at the resort. The internet gives conflicting advice. Resort hire shops have an obvious interest in one answer. We're going to give you the honest one, even when it means telling you not to buy something.
The Short Answer
Hire the board and bindings for your first one or two trips. Buy your own boots as soon as you decide you're going to keep doing this — ideally before your first trip if you can.
Everything else — outerwear, goggles, helmet — either buy or hire depending on how serious you're taking it. Here's the reasoning.
Why Hire the Board and Bindings First
You don't know what kind of rider you'll be yet. You don't know if you'll prefer a softer or stiffer setup. You don't know if you'll love park, hate it, want to charge groomers, or spend your time in the trees. Buying a board before you know these things means buying a board that might not suit the rider you become after ten days on snow.
Resort hire boards are not great boards — they're heavily used, frequently detuned and set up generically. But for learning basic technique they're functional enough. You're not going to notice the difference between a hire board and a quality all-mountain board on your first day because you're focused on not falling over.
By trip two or three you'll have enough experience to have an opinion. Come in and talk to us then — we'll be able to give you a much more useful recommendation because you'll be able to tell us how you actually ride.
Why Buy Boots Before Your First Trip
Hire boots are the single worst part of the resort hire experience. They're hard, cold, badly fitted, worn out and responsible for more miserable first days on snow than any other factor. A first-timer who spends the day fighting painful hire boots often doesn't come back for a second trip. That's a bad outcome that a decent boot purchase prevents entirely.
Your own boots, properly fitted and heat moulded, feel completely different to hire boots from the first hour. They're broken in to your foot shape. They're warm because they fit correctly. They're responsive because they're the right flex for your body weight. The mountain is hard enough without fighting your footwear.
Boots also retain their fit and performance for multiple seasons if you look after them. A good boot purchase for your first season is still a good boot for your third and fourth season. The cost per use drops fast.
Budget guide: $300 to $500 gets you a quality entry-to-mid level boot from Burton, Salomon or ThirtyTwo that will serve you for several seasons. We heat mould every boot purchase free at our Richmond store.
Outerwear — Buy It
If you're doing a multi-day trip, buy your own outerwear. Resort hire outerwear is terrible — ill-fitting, inadequately waterproofed and worn by many people before you. Australian resort conditions, particularly in July and August, can be genuinely wet. A cheap hire jacket soaks through. A quality jacket you own keeps you warm and dry and changes how the whole experience feels.
You don't need to spend a fortune. A decent jacket and pant from Burton, ThirtyTwo or L1 at the entry to mid level — 15,000mm waterproofing, fully taped seams — will serve you for years. If budget is tight, buy the jacket first and hire the pants, or shop our end-of-season sale for previous season gear at significantly reduced prices.
Helmet and Goggles — Buy Them
Helmet: hire helmets are uncomfortable, generic and the most personal piece of safety equipment you'll wear. Your own helmet fits your head, sits correctly with your goggles, and you know its history. A decent ski and snowboard helmet from Triple 8 or Pro-Tec starts at around $100 and lasts many seasons.
Goggles: hire goggles are often scratched, fogged and don't seal properly to hire helmets. A basic pair of your own goggles — Dragon, Anon, Oakley at the entry level — is a meaningful upgrade from hire for around $80 to $150.
The Honest Summary
- First trip, one time: hire everything except boots. Buy boots.
- Going back for a second season: add the board, outerwear and helmet to your own gear.
- Committed to snowboarding: own everything. The hire cost adds up fast and the quality difference is significant.
Still unsure? Come in before your trip. We'll ask you a few questions about what you're planning and tell you honestly what to buy and what to skip. We'd rather you have a great first season than spend money on gear you don't need yet.
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