Monthly Archives: January 2023

Give Skiing a Fair Shake Before Deciding You Hate It

As a company specializing in ski and snowboard rental, we hear from a lot of people who say they hate the two sports. We need to wonder how many of them have actually tried one or the other. We get the fact that snowboarding tends to appeal to a more limited audience. But skiing? How would you know you hated it without trying it first?

If you’ve decided that skiing isn’t for you despite never having strapped a pair of skies to your feet, allow us to issue you a challenge. Here it is – give skiing a fair shake before deciding you hate it. Maybe your current dislike for the sport is only rooted in a lack of knowledge or a single bad experience from the past.

Take Some Lessons

There are couple of things you need to do to give skiing a fair shake. First is taking some lessons. By this we don’t mean a single 30-minute lessen before you take to the slopes for the first time. Rather, we are talking about a series of class-style lessons designed to teach you everything from the basics to the finer points.

Skiing is as natural to some people as doing ski tunes is to us. But it doesn’t come naturally to others. That does not mean people in the second group cannot enjoy the sport. Some of them can, and actually do, after taking formal lessons that taught them how to ski.

Invest In a Seasonal Rental

Next up is investing in a seasonal ski rental. Why? Because it is hard to get a good feel for skiing with just one or two days on the slopes. The first couple of times you go skiing, your main focus is staying upright. It’s hard to enjoy the sport when you’re working so hard to not fall down.

A seasonal ski rental offers the motivation you need to hit the slopes on a regular basis. After all, you don’t want to waste your money. Getting the most for what you spent is all about skiing as often as you can during the season. And if you do it often enough, you will get a more realistic impression of the sport. Then you will be better able to decide whether it is right for you or not.

Go Skiing with Friends

Skiing alone is better than not skiing at all. But we can think of no better experience than hitting the slopes with a group of friends. So if you really want to give skiing a fair shake this winter, get together with friends you normally enjoy hanging out with. Go do it together.

If some of your friends are already experienced skiers, they might be willing to help you out. Maybe they can teach you some pointers. If you are all learning together though, that’s not a bad deal either. There’s something to be said about the camaraderie of conquering the slopes as a group.

A Full Season Should Do It

What we are saying here is that you really need a full season under your belt to get a good feel for how skiing suits you. A single trip to the slopes doesn’t offer enough time or experience to make an informed decision.

Do you hate skiing? Have you ever tried it? It is hard to know whether skiing is a good sport for you without giving it a fair shake. So how about it? Spend at least one winter on the slopes before deciding one way or the other. You just might decide you love it after all.

Ski Rental Has Its Advantages – Even If You Live in SLC

A big part of our business is ski rental aimed at tourists who visit Utah from out-of-state. Tourists have plenty of reasons to rent, not the least of which is the hassle of trying to take skis and boots on a plane. But even if you live in Salt Lake City, ski rental has its advantages. It is something every avid skier should consider.

When you rent ski from Canyon Sports, you can choose between an entire package or skis only. We do not rent boots alone. If you are into snowboarding instead, we have you covered. Snowboard rentals are on our menu, too.

With all that said, here are some of the advantages ski rental offers to SLC residents:

1. Get the Latest Gear

It is in our best interests to make sure that we don’t let our equipment get too old. Not only do customers not want old stuff, but maintaining skis and boots for years on end gets costly. So it’s also in our best interests to keep the latest gear in stock.

What does this mean to you? It means renting gives you the opportunity to try out the latest gear. Even if you intend to buy at some point down the road, giving new skis and boots a try before you buy is a wise decision.

2. Free Routine Maintenance

We cannot speak for other rental shops but can tell you that free wax and edge sharpening are part of our rental service. Whenever your skis need some service, just stop by and we’ll take care of it. We won’t nickel and dime you to death with maintenance charges.

3. Save Money with Seasonal Rentals

Some of our ski rental customers are weekend warriors who hit the slopes once or twice per season. But most are seasonal renters. They pick up their skis and boots at the start of the season, spend all winter on the slopes, and then return the equipment in the spring.

The advantage of seasonal rental is that you pay less. If you only ski once or twice per year, seasonal rental isn’t worth your while. But if you are an avid skier who can manage to make it to the slopes at least once or twice weekly, seasonal rental is a lot cheaper than individual rental every time you go skiing.

4. Learn the Equipment

Here at Canyon Sports, we help a lot of newbies get to the slopes for the first time. If you are new to the sport, do you really want to drop anywhere from $500-$1000 on new skis, boots, and poles?

Beginners still in that first year of skiing don’t have a true grasp of how equipment influences both performance and one’s pleasure of the sport. Likewise, they haven’t yet developed any preferences. So going out and spending a ton of money on a complete ski package that first year doesn’t make a lot of sense. It is cheaper for newbies to rent for the first season or two, then consider the possibility of buying.

5. A Lighter Financial Burden

Rounding out our list of ski rental advantages is the lighter financial burden. A single year of ski rental is substantially less than buying your own equipment. Renting means a smaller financial outlay that takes less out of your entertainment budget.

Buying skis, boots, and poles is always an option. But don’t discount the possibility of ski rental. Even if you live in Salt Lake City, there are advantages to a seasonal ski rental package. Give it some thought before you head out to the mountain again.

5 Fantastic Reasons to Take Up Skiing This Winter

As operators of one of Salt Lake City’s premier ski shops, we know there are plenty of people in the area who love skiing. We have the pleasure of hanging out and working with them year-round. But we also know that a fair number of Salt Lake City-area residents don’t go skiing. We aim to change that whenever we can.

We get that skiing isn’t for everyone. We have had some customers in our ski shop who probably should have chosen another outdoor activity. And yet how many people in SLC, and throughout Utah for that matter, have decided they don’t like skiing without ever trying it? If you are in that group, we encourage you to at least give it a go. Below are five fantastic reasons to take up skiing this winter. If you try and still don’t like it, fair enough.

1. Skiing Is Great Exercise

So many people who have never tried skiing just assume that it’s gliding down a hill with two planks of wood strapped to your feet. Well, it is so much more than that. You actually have to work your body quite a bit to stay upright and maintain control. A good day of skiing offers a full-body workout that strengthens your core, builds muscle mass, and makes you feel better.

The most fascinating thing of all is that you don’t feel like you’re exercising while you are skiing down the hill. You certainly feel the effects at the end of the day, especially when it’s time for bed. You are asleep the minute your head hits the pillow. But while you’re on the slopes, you are just having fun.

2. Skiing Gets You Outdoors

Skiing is a fantastic activity inasmuch as it gets you outdoors. You will spend some time in the ski shop and the lodge, but most of your time will be on the slopes. Here’s the thing: studies have shown that spending time outdoors is good for your physical and mental health.

3. Skiing Can Be a Social Activity

For people wanting to be more social during the colder, darker winter months, there may be no better way to do so than going skiing with friends. You will travel to the mountain together. You’ll ride the chairlift together and glide down the mountain as a group. And when you get to the bottom, you will remark about how fun that was as you head to the chairlift for another run. You’ll spend the evening together around a warm fire with drinks and conversation.

4. Skiing Can Take You Out of Your Comfort Zone

For many of us, getting outside our comfort zones is not the norm. We need things to push us to be better, stronger, etc. Skiing can do just that. If you’ve never tried it before, you may be quite surprised by how pushing yourself to hit the slopes can make you a more well-rounded person.

5. Skiing Is a Tremendous Amount of Fun

Even if the previous four reasons matter little to you, the truth is that skiing is a tremendous amount of fun. Trust us. We hear people talking about it every day in our ski shop. We hear the stories; we see the smiles; we hear the excitement in the voices as customers plan the next ski trip.

Winter doesn’t have to be long and boring. You do not have to stay cooped up from December through the end of March. Take up skiing instead. Best of all, Canyon Sports can help you get started. Stop by when you get a chance.

4 Tips for a Successful Salt Lake City Skiing Vacation

We love winter in Salt Lake City. In fact, winter is fantastic throughout Utah. The skiing is great, the views are spectacular, and the people are second to none. Why would we want to offer ski rentals and snowboard rentals anywhere else?

There are other places to ski; no doubt of that. But no other locale is quite like the greater Salt Lake City area. If you’re planning on visiting for your next skiing vacation, rest assured we will do everything we can to make your trip a huge success. Let’s start with some helpful tips you can put in your back pocket and pull out when you’re ready to start planning.

1. Carefully Research Your Accommodations

Utah has tons of accommodations for every preference and budget. From the cheapest hotel rooms to the most luxurious single home vacation rentals, we have it all. So our first piece of advice is to research your accommodations very carefully. Make sure you know exactly what you’re getting and what your final price will be.

We don’t anticipate you’ll have any trouble, but there’s no need to take unnecessary chances. Cross your T’s and dot your I’s. Maintain regular contact from whoever you are choosing to stay with. And if you ever have reason to be cautious, don’t be afraid to back out.

2. Rent from a Reputable Business

If you plan to rent your ski equipment once you arrive here in town, we have you covered. Even if you don’t choose Canyon Sports for ski and snowboard rental, we still encourage you to rent only from reputable businesses.

Do an online search for reviews. Look for businesses with legitimate commercial addresses rather than residential addresses. Once you’ve narrowed down your choices to a short list, check out every business on social media. We are confident that doing your homework will result in Canyon Sports being one of your best options.

3. Check Us Out for Discount Lift Tickets

If you’re hoping to score discount lift tickets, just know that you won’t be able to get them at the resorts. We know of only two local resorts that sell discounted tickets directly to consumers. But they only do so through their websites.

You also will not find them at retailers all over Salt Lake City. To our knowledge, we are one of just two local companies given access to discount lift tickets on a regular basis. So here’s the deal: you can visit us for both discounted tickets and ski and snowboard rental. How’s that for a great deal?

4. Plan as Early as Possible

This last one may be the most important of all: start your planning as early as possible. Some 20 years ago, it may have been okay to decide on a “last-minute” trip just a few weeks out. Traveling to ski in Utah didn’t require advance planning. That’s no longer the case. Salt Lake City skiing vacations are extremely popular right now. If you are waiting until two or three weeks before travel to start planning, it’s too late.

We recommend planning 4 to 6 months in advance. The sooner you can make your reservations, the greater the chances you’ll get everything you want. And by the way, this doesn’t apply just to lift tickets and equipment rentals. Even your accommodations and flights get harder to come by the closer you get to your travel dates.

We hope your next Salt Lake City skiing vacation is a fantastic one. If we can help you with affordable and reliable ski and snowboard rental, we’d be glad to pitch in. Contact us to learn more.