Here 4 the Apres

Whether you are a new skier or just don’t want to lug 50 pounds of ski gear to France, there is one crucial decision you need to make: Where should you rent your ski equipment in Val Thorens? Below are some handy tips on ski rentals in Val Thorens. There is also a ski clothing rental store if you don’t know if you want to invest money in ski pants and jacket, or god forbid your ski bag gets lost!

Where should I rent my skis in Val Thorens?

Depending on where your accommodations are in Val Thorens, you will want to choose a rental shop either right close to where you are staying. Or, if your accommodation isn’t a true ski-in ski-out location, pick a ski shop close enough, but is a good ski-in ski-out location, so you can dump your skis there instead of lugging them back home uphill while in uncomfortable ski boots. The only drawback to this is if there is a line, or the shop has inconvenient hours, you cannot pick them up that quickly.

I found these 2 websites pretty convenient:
Val Thorens website has a map with links to shops so you can find the closest ski shop to you.
See Val Thorens website has links to various ski hire shops but also includes extra discount code, so I would cross reference to make sure I get the best price.

You can also message your hotel or apartment booking accommodations for recommendations nearby.

You should book online in advanced

I would recommend booking your ski rentals in advanced online. Some shops give a discount for booking in advanced, but it also guarantees there are skis available for you to rent and expedites the rental process, which can be very busy especially if you arrive on Saturday or Sunday.

Try to pickup on Saturday if you arrive Saturday but start skiing Sunday

I wish I took a picture, but there are extra long lines that lead all the way outdoors if you try to pick up your rentals on Sunday morning. This could cause huge issues if you have a morning ski lesson booked or just don’t want to miss out on any ski time. If you arrive in time and the ski rental shop allows it, try to pick up your gear on Saturday. Otherwise, wake up before the shop opens, and get in line so you’re the first person in. I guess if you’re not in a rush, you can wait until later, closer to noon for the line to shorten. I get it, if you hit Malaysia Club on Saturday night, you might want some recover time!

Most rental shops will store your skis overnight

As I mentioned above, when choosing your ski rental shop, you should plan strategically because most ski rental shops will store your skis for you overnight. Some shops will even let you leave your regular shoes at the ski shop while you ski during the day. But don’t make any assumptions, ask, don’t want to be losing your only pairs of shoes!

You can switch out your gear if its uncomfortable

If you’re a new skier, I need to be clear, ski boots are never going to be comfortable! But there are definitely some that aren’t the right fit for your foot if you have extra flat feet, or a very high instep. If you have pressure points that are unbearable, ask the shop to help you switch out your gear.

Renting a helmet

Most shops also do helmet rentals. I know some of you think that you’ll be going so slow that its not necessary. But sometimes its not about how fast you’re skiing, its about how fast someone else slams into you. If you’re a beginner and you will be a bit harder to predict as a skier, so even those more advanced that can ski more defensively will have a hard time maneuvering around you because you might stop or turn suddenly. While a helmet should protect you, be aware you’re supposed to replace your helmet every time you have an impact because any hit will affect its structural integrity. You can buy some cheap ones for under $50 on Amazon.

If you’re booking ski lessons, there might be a combo booking discount

If you book lessons through Check Yeti, alot of their lessons have an add in of ski rentals. It it unclear where the ski hire shop is located, it could be a very inconvenient location, but if its more important for you to save a couple euros, you should investigate.

Where can I rent ski clothes in Val Thorens?

I unfortunately have experience with renting ski clothes because in January of 2023, Delta / Air France lost my ski bag and it took 3 days for me to get my stuff back. I became too confident in the airlines, and didn’t even pack an extra set of panties in my carry on. I’ll write later about my experience in trying to find panties in Val Thorens!

So I needed to rent ski pants, luckily I carried my ski jacket onto the plane, but the do offer ski jacket rental if you need it. I also needed to rent the rest of my gear, skis, boots, poles, and helmet, so I found Skitechnic-Val Thorens. Because my bag was lost and I wasn’t sure how long it’ll take to arrive, I only rented for one day online, but they allowed me to keep extending until my bag arrived 3 days later. I did get to test out Faction skis which was great because Val Thorens got 3 straight days of snow. They’re alot stiffer than my Black Crow Camox Birdies, which I didn’t like as much.

If you do happen to rent from Skitechnic-Val Thorens, don’t use google maps to find it. The location is wrong on google maps. Its located in Fahrenheit Seven Val Thorens Hotel, so map yourself there. Also if you’re on loop where skating rink is near the medical center, instead of walking up the loops and back down, there’s a short cut on the elevator located next to Carrefore market and Le Portillo Hotel. You’ll see a small sigh that says Acces rue de la Lombarde. There’s a hallway next to the market that leads back to the elevator.