Rent or buy ski gear? Buying order, goggles, helmets and board length

The short answer

• Rent or buy: rent for your first trip. If you know you will keep going, second hand gear is a reasonable next step
• Buying order: start with boots
• Goggles: if you only bring one lens, make it pink or orange. If you can, bring one dark and one light
• Board and ski length: snowboard about your height minus 15 to 20 cm, skis about minus 5 to 10 cm

First trip: rent if you can

Resorts rent almost everything: jacket, pants, boots, board or skis, bindings and helmet. You do not need to buy anything for a first trip. Once you know you want to keep going, start by looking at second hand gear.

Students taking a FUYU lesson in Niseko get 10% off Rhythm rentals when they book through our link.

What to buy first

There are two orders, depending on how you want to ski:

Both start with boots. Boots are the link between your body and the board, and a pair that fits makes the biggest difference.

Choosing goggles

The rule is simple:

• The brighter the sun, the darker the lens
• The heavier the snow, the lighter the lens, so you can still read the shadows and bumps in the surface
• Night skiing works the same way: judge it on the visibility in front of you

If you can only bring one pair, do not go too dark. Pink or orange is the safe choice. If you can bring two, pair one dark with one light. Hokkaido gets a lot of snowy and overcast days, so the lighter lens gets used often.

Choosing a helmet

Two things to check when you buy your own:

1. Fit: put it on and shake your head to see whether it moves. Most helmets on the market now adjust for tightness
2. Weight: the one people forget. Try it on and notice whether it feels heavy. Plenty of people pick a heavy helmet and end up with a sore neck after a full day

Choosing a board or skis

Flex is rated 1 to 10, and the higher the number the stiffer it is. It is marked on boards and boots, and you can simply ask the shop before you buy.

The most common mistake is buying something because it looks great, then finding you cannot handle it at all. Check your own level first, and learn to read what a board is built for.

Snowboard boots

Go for a medium flex around 5. It is rated 1 to 10 and marked on the boot, and the shop can tell you. Always try boots on, because too loose or too tight both feel bad on the hill. Change them once you reach an advanced level.

For more, read how to choose snowboard boots, and snowboard boot outsoles for the difference in the sole.

Common mistakes with gloves, socks and mid layers

Clothing that is too thick, too fleecy, or too tight. Skiing is a sport, and the closer a layer sits to your skin the better it has to wick, otherwise your base layer overheats.

Ski socks that are not pulled flat. You will not notice when you put your boots on, and after a full day the rubbing takes the skin off.

A single pair of gloves. Bring two layers: an inner glove for warmth that still works on a phone, and an outer glove that is waterproof and keeps the snow out.

A face mask is worth packing too. Cover your ears, mouth, cheeks and forehead and you will not feel the cold.

Gear for children

Rent it, or buy second hand. Children grow fast.

Children cannot judge whether gear fits the way an adult can. Ask them to bend their knees and walk a few steps, and read the fit from how they react. Watch glove sizing if they are wearing wrist guards, because children's sizes are easy to get wrong.

For whether to wear protective gear and when, there is a section on it in will I fall a lot on my first ski trip.