Offer ends 2 November 2026, so catch it before it melts away. Discount applied automatically at the checkout. T&Cs apply.
Discover our latest Christmas ski offers, with savings of up to £500pp off Austria, France and Italy ski holidays.
Information on ski hire
Getting your ski equipment sorted before your holiday can feel like a lot to think about and that’s where we can help.
Ski better with Inghams - pre-book your equipment and our Destination Experts will arrange everything in advance. Have your vouchers ready on your arrival and head towards your hire shop. One less thing to worry about before you hit the slopes.
Ski hire categories
Most ski hire shops offer up to three categories of adult skis and boots: blue, red and black. The equipment can vary between resorts, but here’s a handy guide to help you choose the right option for your ability.
Blue: Ideal for beginner to early intermediate skiers. These skis tend to be more flexible and easier to turn, helping you build confidence on the slopes.
Red: A good option for confident intermediate skiers. These carving skis are more rigid, offering greater stability and less vibration when turning or skiing at higher speeds. They’re usually either one season old or new for the current winter.
Black: Normally the highest grade of ski available to hire. These carving skis are generally the latest models and are suited to good intermediate and advanced skiers who can make the most of their higher technical specifications.
For snowboard hire and children's ski hire, most resorts offer just one category, usually labelled red or ‘standard’ equipment hire.
How to pre-book your ski hire
Book when you book your holiday, or later: Add ski hire when making your booking or through our Manage My Booking portal at a later date. We often have preferential deals with local suppliers, and paying in pounds means you don’t need to worry about fluctuating exchange rates.
Book up to three days before departure: You can pre-book ski hire up to three days before your holiday. Prices can change, so the cost may be different from when you first booked. For the latest prices in your resort, check the Ski Extras tab on the individual resort page.
Need something different? If you can’t find equipment through Inghams that suits your plans, such as hire for a different number of days, you can arrange this with our Destination Experts when you arrive in resort. We offer local hire at the same price as the ski hire shop.
Hiring helmets
We recommend wearing a helmet when skiing or snowboarding. Helmets are available to hire for an additional charge in all resorts.
Helmets are particularly important for children, and in some destinations they’re compulsory for certain age groups:
- Italy: Compulsory for children up to and including 13 years old.
- Slovenia: Compulsory for children up to and including 14 years old.
- Parts of Austria: Compulsory for children up to and including 15 years old.
Children can also benefit from free helmet hire in selected resorts:
- Free helmet hire is available when renting equipment in selected resorts in Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland. Check individual resort pages for details.
- In Finland, children under six receive free helmets when renting with a full-paying adult.
- In Andorra, children up to and including 11 years old receive free helmets when renting with a full-paying adult.
Most ski schools will also insist that children wear helmets during their lessons.
Please note: Ski extras are subject to Inghams’ terms and conditions. Ski extras are provided by a third-party supplier and do not form part of your holiday package.
Ski essentials FAQ's
Some resorts have free lifts just for beginners and these are usually short lifts in the beginner areas just accessing green runs. If you join a beginners’ ski school class then you may progress beyond these green runs and will need to buy a pass locally to move onto other pistes. See our lift pass page for more information.
If this is your first time, we advise you not to spent lots of money on brand new equipment. Amongst many reasons, as a beginner you might not fully know whether you’ll prefer skiing or snowboarding, and then you don’t want lots of non-returnable equipment on your hands! It is cheaper, easier and just as fun to rent your equipment in the resort and hand it back at the end of your trip.
Seasoned skiers / boarders often like to buy their boots and they can pre-book just skis & poles or boards.
You can rent skis, boots and poles for skiers. Boots and snowboards for snowboarders. Helmets are also available to rent and we recommend our guests to take this opportunity. There are three different grades of adult skis/boards available to rent: Blue, Red and Black, as explained in our guide. Check with your insurance policies before you rent the most expensive equipment there is (Black).
Inghams work with established and trusted ski hire partners located in the most convenient location for your chosen accommodation. These can be in-house shops, close or next door to where you are staying or just by the lifts.
You can add a ski carriage at time of booking. Booking in advance will help you secure the best possible price. On some flights, ski carriage is limited so we recommend booking as soon as possible. If you are travelling on one of our Jet2 charter flights, you can book ski carriage directly with Jet2 via their website. You will be asked for your Inghams reference number so make sure you have this to hand before booking. It’s important to note that ski carriage will be slightly more expensive when booking via Jet2 and it can only be done 7 days after your booking is confirmed by Inghams.
Ski deals by country
Additional information
View all essential informationWhy book your ski holiday with Inghams
Decades on the slopes. Service you can trust. We're the whole package.
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Ski experts since 1934
HistoryQuality over quantity – 90 years creating the best, handpicked holidays just for you.
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Chalet the Inghams way
ChaletsHome comforts and a dedicated host to look after you. Our chalets are handpicked and exclusive to us.
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Award-winning service
Why book with usIf snow hits the fan, we’ve seen (and sorted) it all before. That’s why we’re a top rated holiday provider by Which? and The Times and Sunday Times Best Ski Operator 2025.
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Try to top this Snow Guarantee
Snow guaranteeIf less than 25% of planned runs are open, we’ll take you to a nearby resort and keep you skiing.
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Championing the great outdoors
Our ImpactsIf nature's on your mind, then know it’s on ours too. The mountains are a special place, and we’re determined to help keep them that way.
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We're the whole package
Ski resortsWith a package holiday, everything’s sorted (and protected by ABTA/ATOL) including travel, transfers, accommodation and expert advice tailored to you.