Ski hire in Zao Onsen advise

[s5804 1]

Hi

 

I see various reports that they only rent very old skiis in Zao.

 

I dont have much time to walk around comming with the bus from Sendai.

 

Can someone help.

 

In which rental shop in Zao Onsen do they have at least previous season skiies for hire?

 

How aboue the shop next to the main cable car building?

[muikabochi 208]

While I did see some old gear there, I see it everywhere.

I can't believe the main places don't have decent stuff.

This isn't specific but I would try one of the main base areas - by the Ropeways.

[s5804 1]

I can answer my own question now, having been to Zao.

 

Zao is very different to the Alps. In Zao I could hardly find a rental shop in the beginning. I walked from the buss station to the Rope way and there was only hotels and places to eat. After sometime I found places, but very small and inconvenient.

 

The ski selection was very limited. Most skis were crap and old, but there was also a few new skies top skies.

The prices was very different depending on shop. One little shop was double the price for the same pair of skis compared to where I finaly rented.

 

In the end I rented in a shop opposite the big main Ropeway station. It looked like a Lawson store from the outside, but in a small corner the rented skis for reasonable prices. Gear quality look very reasonable. I took the Völkl Racetiger for only 2500 yen for 5 hours, which is a bargain in Japan.