🎿 Rent these
- Skis or snowboard
- Boots (get fitted — wear your real ski sock)
- Poles (skiers only)
- Helmet (strongly recommended for everyone; rent first)
🧥 Buy or borrow these
- Waterproof jacket + snow pants (not jeans!)
- Waterproof gloves/mittens
- Goggles (sunglasses don't cut it on snow)
- Wicking base layers — no cotton
- Tall wool/synthetic socks (one pair)
- Sunscreen + SPF lip balm (altitude sun burns fast)
Where to rent: 3 options
The tradeoff is convenience vs price vs morning lines.
1. On-mountain (most convenient, priciest)
Rental shops at Snow Summit & Bear Mountain (book online for ~20% off) and Mountain High (West/East/North). Return on site, no second stop. Best for last-minute trips.
2. Town shops (the family sweet spot)
Get fitted the evening before and walk straight to the lifts. Big Bear: Goldsmith's Sports (great boot fitting, since 1987), LeRoy's Board Shops (since 1949), Blauer's, GetBoards. Wrightwood: Big Benny's and McGrath's (both ~1 mile from Mountain High). Reserve online on peak weekends.
3. Flatland / metro (usually cheapest)
Rent at home before you drive up. REI (members ~33% off; call your store to confirm ski/board availability), Phil's Ski & Snowboard (Costa Mesa), and Baker Street Snow (Huntington Beach) — the last two also run season lease programs. Best for multi-day trips and budget-counting families.
Best value for growing kids: a season lease 🧒
A junior seasonal lease gets your child skis or a board + boots for the whole winter for roughly the cost of 2–3 day rentals — and you can swap up a size for free if they grow mid-season. Confirmed SoCal programs: Phil's (Costa Mesa) and Baker Street Snow (Huntington Beach) (leases open around October, first-come), and Goldsmith's (Big Bear) for seasonal rentals. Fall ski swaps (Sept–Oct) are the cheapest way to buy used gear.
Sizing & pickup tips
- Get boots fitted properly — they're the make-or-break comfort item. Wear your actual thin ski sock.
- Pick up the evening before at a town/flatland shop to skip the morning rental line.
- Reserve online in advance on holidays and powder days — fleets sell out.
- Rent if you go 1–3 times a season; buy if 4+. Buying your own boots first is the highest-value purchase.
Prices change every season— confirm current rates on each shop's site. (Note: Sport Chalet has permanently closed and Tom Wohrman Sports has retired, despite lingering online listings — we've left those out.)
Keep planning
Next: first-timer lessons, the foolproof plan, or the ski guide hub.
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Frequently asked questions
Should beginners rent or buy ski gear?
Rent the hardware (skis or snowboard, boots, poles, helmet) and buy or borrow the soft goods (waterproof jacket and pants, gloves, goggles, base layers, socks). Skis and boots are expensive and size-specific — and beginners outgrow entry gear fast — so renting makes sense until you're going 4+ times a season. For growing kids, a season-long junior lease (with free size swaps) is the best value.
Where's the cheapest place to rent ski gear in SoCal?
Flatland shops near home or in the valley (REI, Phil's in Costa Mesa, Baker Street Snow in Huntington Beach) are usually cheapest and let you get fitted before you drive up. Town shops in Big Bear and Wrightwood are the sweet spot — fit the evening before and skip the morning resort line. On-mountain rentals are most convenient but priciest (Big Bear gives ~20% off for booking online ahead).
What do I need to buy versus rent for my kids?
Buy/borrow: a waterproof jacket and snow pants (no jeans!), waterproof gloves or mittens, goggles, wicking base layers (no cotton), tall wool/synthetic socks, sunscreen and SPF lip balm. Rent: the skis/board, boots, poles and helmet. For growing kids, a season lease lets you swap sizes for free mid-winter.