Boots
One thin sock, toes just touching the end when standing, no heel lift when you flex. Take ten minutes here; it pays back all week.
Our adventures / Skiing /
Rental and kit.
Most people worry about the skis and should worry about the boots. Rental is available at every major Chinese resort, but correct boot sizing in a peak week is not something to leave to the last hour before a lesson.
Explore the guide ↓All five snow regions
- The priority
- Boot fit
- Standard rental
- Skis, boots, poles, helmet
- Bring from home
- Base layers, goggles, gloves
- Skip the ski bag
- On multi-leg trips
Rent the big things, bring the small ones.
Skis, boots, poles and helmets can be rented at all the major resorts on this plate. The quality is perfectly adequate for a holiday, and on a trip with two flights, a high-speed train and several winter road transfers, avoiding a ski bag is often the single best logistical decision available.
What you should not rent is anything personal or next to skin: base layers, proper socks, gloves, goggles and a neck covering. Those are small, cheap to carry and the difference between a good day and a short one. We send a size sheet ahead of every journey so the rental desk has boots waiting rather than a queue to sort out.
What to bring and what to leave.
Five decisions, in order of importance.
Goggles and low-light lens
Flat light and snowfall are common. A low-light or interchangeable lens is worth more than a fashionable dark one.
Gloves and a spare pair
Mittens for the coldest resorts, a thinner pair for milder days, and a dry spare for the afternoon.
Base layers
Merino or synthetic, never cotton. Two sets for a week is enough if you can dry one overnight.
Helmet
Included or cheap to add at the major resorts. If you have your own and it fits, bring it.
Getting it right.
Where the week usually goes wrong.
Peak-week sizes
Common boot sizes go first on weekend and holiday mornings. Pre-booking a size is the whole fix.
Multi-region trips
Renting separately in Chongli and the Altai is easier than carrying a ski bag between them. We arrange each rental to the resort.
Off-piste equipment
Transceiver, shovel and probe are not standard rental and should never be improvised. They come with a qualified guide or not at all. Read more →
Electronics
Cold kills batteries. Keep spares in an inside pocket and let cameras warm slowly to avoid condensation. Read more →
Children
Kids sizes and helmets are the most likely thing to run out. Send sizes with the booking, not on arrival. Read more →
Send the sizes with the booking.
Tell us the group sizes and level and we will have the kit waiting at the right resort.
Start my journey brief ↗