General questions about Chamonix...

If you want poorly prepared rental kit then the Sport 2000 franchise is the place to head for. The last time I used them I wrote and complained afterwards and got a partial refund from the contracting agent.Apparently mine was not the first complaint they had received. A quick look at the rental racks will tell you what you need to know. If you are renting, don't pre-book, make sure you see the gear 1st.

It's perfectly feasible to ski 2 separate Chamonix hills in one day, I have done it.

If you are skiing Flegere, don't forget that it's linked with Brevent, so you can head up one side and down the other if you wish, and buses connect the base areas.

Doesn't hiring in resort carry extra cost though? I've been looking at hiring from this website:

http://www.snowrental.net/be/ski.asp

who use the following shops:

Skiloc
Proski
Location des Planards

Or this website:

http://www.snowpack-plus.com/uk/ski-rental.php

who use Intersport.

Anybody have any experience with either of these websites or any of these shops?

Yes, you could pay more, then again, if you pay less would you want your holiday ruined for the sake of £10 difference.
I have also used Cham Sport at the railway station end of town. They were okay, not brilliant, but at least the rental kit was of recent manufacture, and the skis had been edged.

AFAIR, Snowrental is the company from whom I received a partial refund.

bandit wrote:
I have also used Cham Sport at the railway station end of town. They were okay, not brilliant, but at least the rental kit was of recent manufacture, and the skis had been edged.

So I should be OK if I rent from here? :

http://www.chamsport.com/ski-rental/booking.php

They're offering 15% discount at the moment for our dates. That makes it 70 Euro for "green slope" skis, and 88 for "blue slope".

What will the difference between green and blue skis be, anyway? Will the better skis be worth the extra, or will the green be adequate for beginners (my friends) and intermediates (me...kind of)?

Hoop I rented from Cham Sport as a walk in. This meant I was able to look at the equipment before parting with any money. If you prebook/prepay, you lose the right to walk without losing money and feeling cheated. You might get a description of the models, but you cannot see the condition of the kit before you pay.
If a rental shop or 3rd party agency is offering a discount, it will be to shift kit. It will be the stuff that gets left behind when all the shiny skis have been taken (huge generalisation).
I cannot say if you will be okay or not by renting with Chamsport, they are a part of the Twinner chain, so on a par with the local Intersport.

Bandit

I know that you know an awful lot more than me about skis but I suspect you are being a bit harsh on Sport 2000. In my experience, the hire shops vary enormously regardless of which franchise they are with and you can be lucky or unlucky. However, I do accept that you need to be fairly demanding in any ski shop if you want good quality kit. Unfortunately, most skiers simply don't know what good kit is other than liking something that looks new and shiny and I include myself in that category :oops:.

I have used Snowrental/Sport2000 for the past few years and have not noticed any particular problems with their gear - of course, it is possible that I have been given crap and not known the difference :oops:.

However, there is no doubting that their online prices are significantly cheaper than walking in off the street, usually 40% lower. Given that the OP and his pals are pretty much beginners, do they really need to be very fussy about their equipment - within reason of course, nobody is going to enjoy their skiing in clapped out old skis :?:

Wanderer wrote:

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However, there is no doubting that their online prices are significantly cheaper than walking in off the street, usually 40% lower. Given that the OP and his pals are pretty much beginners, do they really need to be very fussy about their equipment - within reason of course, nobody is going to enjoy their skiing in clapped out old skis :?:

At least the OP and his friends could learn how to recognise dull edges and sloppy bindings.
Better still, the beginners could learn before they go,then the worst bits of learning are over and done.
I do think they need to be fussy, there are safety issues to be considered, plus, if the beginners have a poor experience because the hire kit is tat, then they won't be back.
They might have a poor experience for lots of other reasons, but some things can be controlled.
Folks here, seem to be fixated on the % saving, and losing focus on the big picture.

I understand what you're saying bandit, so please don't think your opinions and warnings are going unheeded. Unfortunately, for some of my group, budget is a massive consideration, so we may have to take a chance on web hire and hope that the kit is serviceable.

On that point, is there a hard and fast way to recognise skis that have or haven't been properly prepared?

I emailed Cham sport on this point and this was their reply:

Hi,

All the ski are prepared, and the edges are done after the end of the rent .

Regards,

CHAM' SPORT

I know they could claim whatever they wanted, but at least they've taken the time to get back to me on an important point.