Building your Club's Rental Fleet

Offer sports equipment that is affordable and accessible to your club members. Make program participation a "one-stop shop" for new club members and for families with young children.

Does your club have Seasonal Rentals for Children, Jackrabbit participants, youth racers, and adults?

Club Rental Programs

Together, we can build stories of access, support, and community through sport.

A thriving club is built on the shared passion of its members. However, the rising cost of sports equipment can create a barrier to entry, preventing potential members from joining and existing members from advancing. A club rental program offers a powerful solution, creating a self-sustaining "flywheel" that benefits everyone involved.

Breaking Down Barriers, Building a Community

For many families, the initial investment in quality gear can be a significant hurdle. This is especially true for rapidly growing young athletes who frequently need to upgrade their equipment. A club rental program immediately addresses this challenge by providing access to high-quality, properly fitted equipment at an affordable price.

The initial benefits are clear:

  • Increased Participation: By removing the financial barrier of equipment costs, more individuals and families can join the club and participate in the sport. As one club's Jackrabbit ski program experienced, membership soared from 28 to 78 skiers in just three seasons after implementing a rental program.
  • Access to Quality Gear: Members have access to well-maintained, appropriately sized equipment, ensuring a better experience and a better relationship with sport.
  • Expert Guidance: The rental process provides a valuable opportunity for club leaders and coaches to interact with members, answer questions, and offer guidance on proper equipment fit and use.
  • Stronger Community: These interactions foster a sense of community, connecting new members with coaches and fellow participants from the very beginning.

The Flywheel in Motion: A Self-Sustaining Cycle of Success

The true power of a club rental program lies in its ability to create a self-perpetuating cycle of growth and improvement—a flywheel that gains momentum over time.

Here's how it works:

  1. Initial Investment: The club makes an initial investment in a fleet of rental equipment. This can be funded through grants, membership fees, or sponsorships.
  2. Rental Revenue: A seasonal rental fee, priced at a fraction of the retail cost (e.g., 25% of the cost), makes participation more affordable for families and generates a steady stream of revenue for the club.
  3. Reinvestment and Growth: This rental income is then reinvested back into the program. It can be used to expand the rental fleet, upgrade existing equipment with newer technology, and cover maintenance costs like stone grinding for skis.
  4. Resale and Recouping Costs: As equipment is retired from the rental fleet, it can be sold to members as affordable training gear (e.g., at 50% of the original cost). This provides a valuable service to members while recouping a significant portion of the initial investment.

This cycle creates a financially sustainable model that not only pays for itself but also fuels the growth and improvement of the club's programs.

Advancing to the Next Level: The Race Ski Fleet

For competitive clubs, the flywheel concept can be extended to a dedicated race ski fleet, further reducing the financial burden on aspiring athletes. The high cost of specialized race skis can be a major deterrent for young racers and their families.

A club-managed race ski fleet offers a solution:

  • Access to Top-Tier Equipment: The club can invest in a range of high-performance race skis, professionally tested and maintained to ensure they are competitive.
  • Confidence on Race Day: Athletes can have confidence knowing they are competing on fast, reliable skis, leveling the playing field and allowing them to focus on their performance.
  • Cost-Effective for Families: A seasonal rental fee for race skis is significantly lower than the cost of purchasing new skis each season, making competitive sport more accessible.

By implementing a club rental program, you're not just providing equipment; you're investing in the future of your club and its members. You're creating a welcoming and inclusive environment where a shared passion for sport can flourish, unburdened by financial constraints. Let's partner together to build your club's flywheel and create more opportunities for outdoor sports participation in your community.

Club Rental Fleet Equipment Recommendations

Below are our recommended gear options for various tiers of club rental programs. For more details or to get a quote, please get in touch with us using the button below.

Contact Us

New-to-Ski & Ski-at-School (all Ages)

Entry Level Classic: Equipment suitable for first-time skiers. Kids or adults. Great for Ski-at-School programs or daily rentals. "STEP" skis (aka fish scales) make these ski options beginner friendly. Bindings pre-mounted before shipping. 100% fibreglass poles with simple loop strap and entry-level classic boots prioritizing warmth and comfort. Team Ski bag for easy storage. Rode LGM can be used on the entire ski base (including the grip zone section) as both a cleaner and a glide wax. Email us at info@skiwax.ca with the sizes and quantities needed for a quote.

Club Fleet Essentials: Skin Skis

Skin Skis are great for a rental fleets, enabling no-waxing classic skiing with mid-range performance, ideal for club skiers seeking user-friendly classic skis. We have a major clearance sale on skin skis ongoing so please inquire about bundled skin ski package discounts!

Track Attack

Equipment for kid’s aged 10 to 13. Excellent equipment suitable for racing. Waxable skis only in SKATE or Classic as combi skis are no longer an option produced by any major ski manufacturer. Ask us about other boot options from Rossignol. Rode's Canada Kick Kit has the must-have grip waxes and the RL liquid glide kit is excellent for glide zone maintenance.

Learn to Train (L2T)

Excellent equipment geared to maximize enjoyment of the sport. Perfect for training and suitable for racing. We will custom select and label skis on our gauge before shipping with the optimal weight range of the skier and mark grip zones on classic skis. Also great for Coaches & Masters. Mid-level equipment for skiers aged 18 and up.

Racers

Racers & Wax Test Fleets

Introduce young skiers or people new to roller skiing.

A club roller ski fleet for use at sessions where young skiers will be introduced to roller skiing can be a great benefit to club members. Roller skiing can be introduced in a safe and controlled environment in coach led sessions. Additionally, a set of "Junior" roller skis (see website) are a more apropriate size and weight for young skiers. Finally, a club roller ski fleet means families do not have the cost of purchase.

A seasonal rental fleet can also be valuable benefit to club members. Skiers have access to quality roller skis that are well maintained for a fraction of the cost of owning.

How to Prepare of Rollerski Practice
A product picture of the Swenor Skate Junior Aluminum POLYURETHANE Rollerskis

Rollerski Fleets

Check out our Swenor Buyer's guide for tips on which rollerski models and accessories would be best for your club rollerski fleet!

Swenor Buyer's Guide

Club Fleet Testimonials:

"Waterloo Region Nordic considers that our inventory of rental ski equipment is a very important part of why we have been able to sustain and grow a youth ski program, despite challenging ski conditions. We are, after all, in Southern Ontario, and snow is something that we cannot take for granted. Our membership of our youth section has grown from 51 in 2013-2014 to 129 in 2020-2021. The club has recruited numerous new skiers, mainly by word-of-mouth advertising. Many of these skiers come from non-skiing families. The attraction to families of renting, rather than buying, equipment at least until the children are committed to cross country skiing is obvious. The club, on the other hand, receives rental fees, lesson fees and membership fees from any youth skiers who rent equipment. The purchase of a fleet of rental equipment obviously requires an investment on the part of a club, but the investment can be repaid with ongoing rental fees. In other words, buying rental equipment definitely requires capital investment, but it can foster club growth (and even profitability), especially if the equipment supports learn-to-ski activities."

Ken Campbell, Board Director, Waterloo Region Nordic Sports Club

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Lappe Nordic Ski Club: "The program continues to evolve but is a service that has a growing interest and uptake by our members. We offer rental skis equipment to Club Program members to have and use for the whole season, with pick up dates at our Open House/Ski Swap and first few sessions of the season and drop off on the last days of sessions and the last event of the year in April. The program does already bring in some financial profit for the club with less demand on coordinators and volunteers than the ski at school program. There is large interest in the program from Jackrabbit aged children, especially the youngest groups. We also have a lot of interest from Adult learn to ski and recreational technique groups. We don't offer daily or short term rentals as we only have a volunteer available on Saturdays from 11-11:30 (after training team, before jackrabbits) and 1-1:30 (after jackrabbits and before adult learn to ski and rec technique). We were fortunate to already have a club trailer for storage of which half is used for waxing. 1/4 of the trailer is blocked off and heated in order to dry the boots in that room. We get anecdotal feedback that the rental system is great, and a good deal, and are so happy to access it. We are in our second year of running it and next year we will be identifying what gaps or shortages there are in our inventory and look to purchase new or used equipment to fill those gaps. Purchasing this much equipment (approx 100 sets total for all ages/sizes) at once would likely not be feasible. We were able to amalgamate our jackrabbit donated equipment, some of which is 20+ years old, and also our ski at school equipment. The volunteer work hours come in when at the end of the year (April/May) tracking down families who have not yet returned, cleaning and waxing all the skis, re-inventorying and organizing the equipment. A coordinator position is needed to keep good track of what equipment goes to who, payments, and assisting with equipment selection."

Here is the link to the programs we offer: https://www.lappenordic.ca/club-info/seasonal-ski-equipment-rentals/

Rena Viehbeck, Program Manager, Lappe Nordic Ski Club

Maintenance Planning


Keeping your fleet in top condition means fewer breakdowns, happier members, and a longer gear lifespan. A well-run maintenance program should include:

Start of Season:

After Each Use:

  • Set skis and boots to dry. Ensure ski tails are elevated so they are not sitting in a puddle while drying in a rack
  • Put boots on dryers if possible
  • Inspect skis for damage; repair delamination with a two-part marine epoxy and clamps
  • Fill top-sheet punctures in skis with epoxy
  • Check boots for damage (e.g., zippers) and repair as needed
  • Check poles for loose grips or tips and re-glue if necessary

End of Season:

  • Deep clean the entire ski (for classic skis, remove all grip wax from all four sides)
  • Repair deep scratches in the base and stone grind higher-tier equipment
  • Apply ironed-on storage wax
  • Replace worn-out ski pole straps
  • Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight
  • Retire old or damaged equipment (sell at a ski swap or repurpose into furniture) and order replacements
  • Review equipment needs for the next season
  • Tip: Keep a simple spreadsheet or notebook log for each item in the fleet to track its service history.

Club Rental Fleet Warranty Policy

1. Coverage Period

  • For manufacturer defects: As per manufacturer’s warranty (typically 1–2 years from purchase).
  • For breakage from normal use: Up to 1 season from the date of purchase

2. What’s Covered

  • Broken bindings, damaged boots, or ski de-lamination from normal use.
  • Premature failure of poles, straps, or baskets (not caused by misuse)
  • Any manufacturer recall or defect issue

3. What’s Not Covered

  • Damage from misuse (e.g., skiing over rocks, jumping ditches, slamming car doors on equipment)
  • Lost or stolen items
  • Cosmetic scratches that don’t affect performance & normal wear and tare

4. Process for Warranty Claims

  • Submit photos to Skiwax.ca of the defective equipment
  • Upon warranty approval, replacement equipment will be sent. If a replacement is not available, a refund in the form of store credit will be issued.

Building Healthy Communities Through Skiing – Andy’s Story

At Skiwax.ca, our mission is to promote outdoor sport and healthy communities by partnering with clubs and community groups to grow participation in winter sports across all ages.

Meet Andy Shields the owner/operator of Skiwax.ca

From Bunny Rabbits to the World Juniors, Andy’s skiing success was built on the foundation of an active, supportive sports community.

Starting at age four in the Waterloo Region Nordic ski club, Andy—like many of the fewer than 30 Jackrabbits in the program—was on Peltonen waxless touring skis with 3-pin bindings. The club leadership soon recognized that seeing young skiers try to skate on touring equipment highlighted a need for better access. Thanks to a grant from the City of Kitchener and supply from Canadian Wintersports, a seasonal rental program was born.

That access helped propel Andy from the trails of Southern Ontario to representing Canada in Hinterzarten, Germany, just 14 years later. Along the way, he gained the support of Skiwax.ca, his first equipment sponsor in 2009.

In a complete full-circle moment, Andy eventually purchased both companies—Canadian Wintersports and Skiwax.ca. Today, he honors the support he received by ensuring both companies invest in club programs and partnerships, securing the future for the next generation of skiers.

Centered Image with Caption
Andy racing at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Hinterzarten, Germany.
Andy racing at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Hinterzarten, Germany.

Contact us to learn more