Ski hire in Val Thorens means renting ski equipment (skis or a snowboard, plus ski boots, ski poles and a helmet if you need them) from a rental shop in the highest resort village of the 3 Vallées, at 2,300 m in the Savoie. Last season, our customers paid a median of €87 for six days of intermediate skis and boots in Val Thorens, and €49 for three days.
Val Thorens is one of the busiest French resorts on alpy.com: our partner shops there handled more than 4,900 bookings last winter. We used those bookings to work out what ski hire in Val Thorens really costs, where the shops are, and how to keep the bill down.
The short version: Val Thorens sits a little above the French average, but the gap between walk-in and online prices is unusually large here. The median online booking was 53.5% below the shops’ own in-store price, against 41% across France. So in Val Thorens, booking ahead really pays off.
Ski hire Val Thorens prices: how much does it cost?
Here’s what customers paid in Val Thorens last season, per person, for skis with boots. Our rental grades run from Blue/Bronze (beginner) to Platinum (expert).
| Skis and boots | 1 day | 3 days | 6 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue/Bronze (beginner) | – | €31 | €62 |
| Red/Silver (intermediate) | – | €49 | €87 |
| Black/Gold (good skier) | – | €50 | €92 |
| Platinum (expert) | – | €66 | €107 |
Median price paid per person on alpy.com at partner shops in Val Thorens last season. Includes the booking service fee, excludes optional protection and helmets. “–” means too few bookings to report.
Three things stand out. First, the week is the better deal for most skiers: two three-day rentals of intermediate skis and boots would add up to €98, against €87 for a six-day package, about 11% less per day. For beginner Blue/Bronze equipment, six days cost exactly the same as two three-day rentals, so the week simply saves you a second trip to the shop. Second, the step up from Red/Silver to Black/Gold cost only €5 more for the week. Third, Val Thorens sits a little above the French median of €80 for the same package, which is no surprise for a high-altitude resort in one of the world’s largest linked ski areas.
For the bigger picture across Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland, see our ski hire price guide.
Where are the ski rental shops in Val Thorens?
Alpy.com has partner shops in Val Thorens and the surrounding 3 Vallées. You can browse all of them, compare their benefits, prices and availability, and book online on alpy.com.
Which skis suit the Val Thorens ski area?
Val Thorens sits at 2,300 m, the highest resort village in the 3 Vallées, which together offer around 600 km of linked pistes. The lifts climb to the Cime Caron at 3,200 m and to around 3,230 m at the top of the ski area, and the slopes are surrounded by glaciers, including the Péclet glacier. From the Cime Caron you can also ski over to Orelle on the Maurienne side.
Almost all of the skiing here is above the tree line. That means wide, open pistes, plenty of wind-affected snow, and conditions that can be hard and icy early in the morning. Match the grade to your skiing ability on firm snow, not on your best powder day. Our guide to what each ski rental grade really means explains the difference in plain terms.
For intermediate and experienced skiers, the Black/Gold ski is the easy upgrade in Val Thorens. It cost just €5 more than Red/Silver for six days, holds an edge better on firm snow and feels steadier on long runs across the 3 Vallées. Expert skiers who want the best ski for the steep, high pistes can rent a Platinum ski with boots for €107 a week.
Beginners don’t need to overthink it. A soft Blue/Bronze ski with boots cost €62 for the week. Start on the gentle slopes close to the village, and change grade later if you progress quickly.
How much does snowboard hire cost in Val Thorens?
Snowboard hire in Val Thorens costs almost the same as ski hire. A Black/Gold snowboard with snowboard boots cost a median of €89 for six days last season, against €92 for Black/Gold skis and boots.
Around 15% of our Val Thorens bookings included a snowboard. The wide, open pistes above the tree line suit riders, and the local partner shops rent boards as well as skis.
What else adds to the cost?
A few extras come up at the counter. Here’s what they cost and how often our Val Thorens customers chose them:
- A helmet. The most important piece of safety kit on the mountain. Around 41% of Val Thorens bookings included a rental helmet, which is sensible on hard, high-altitude snow.
- ALPINGUARANTY (breakage and theft waiver): 15% of the rental price, so around €13 on an €87 week. About 52% of our Val Thorens customers added it. It covers skis, boards, boots, helmets and poles.
- ALPINSAFETY (personal injury and rescue cover): €1.35 per person per day.
- ALPINFLEXI (cancellation protection): 5% of the rental price. Every booking already includes free cancellation until the day before.
How to pay less for ski hire in Val Thorens
- Book online, and book ahead. The median online price in Val Thorens was 53.5% below the shops’ in-store price, compared with 41% across France. Our customers booked a median of 14 days before their rental started, and 19% booked within two days of arrival. That works, but stock is limited in peak weeks, so booking a week or two ahead gives you the widest choice.
- Book the whole week. A six-day intermediate package cost about 11% less per day than two three-day rentals. The median rental in Val Thorens was six days, and 71% of customers booked six days or more.
- Budget for the kids from the start. When we last checked, none of the partner shops in Val Thorens listed a free child offer, so price in every child’s equipment when you plan.
Alpy Tip: Booking lessons as well? Line up your rental dates with the lesson days and collect everything the day before. Our guide to ski schools in Val Thorens covers the lesson types and how to choose.
FAQ
How much does ski hire cost in Val Thorens?
Last season, intermediate skis and boots in Val Thorens cost a median of €49 for three days and €87 for six days, based on alpy.com bookings. Black/Gold skis and boots cost €92 for six days, Platinum €107, and a beginner Blue/Bronze package €62.
Is ski hire in Val Thorens more expensive than elsewhere in France?
A little. Six days of intermediate skis and boots cost a median of €87 in Val Thorens, against €80 across all French resorts on alpy.com last season. Booking online makes a big difference here: the median online price was 53.5% below the shops’ in-store price.
Where can I rent skis in Val Thorens?
alpy.com has partner shops in Val Thorens and the surrounding 3 Vallées. You can compare them all, with their benefits, prices and availability, on alpy.com.
How much does snowboard hire cost in Val Thorens?
A Black/Gold snowboard with boots cost a median of €89 for six days in Val Thorens last season. That’s almost exactly the price of Black/Gold skis and boots, so cost shouldn’t decide between skiing and snowboarding.
Can kids rent skis for free in Val Thorens?
Not at the local partner shops. When we last checked, none of the alpy.com partner shops in Val Thorens listed a free child offer. To keep a family’s bill down, book a full week online and well ahead.
Val Thorens rewards a bit of planning. Book online and ahead, rent for the whole week, and consider the small step up to a Black/Gold ski for the firm snow at altitude. Do that and ski hire becomes one of the easier parts of a Val Thorens holiday to sort out. Just remember that your ski pass is booked separately, as rental shops only rent equipment.
Ready to sort your ski or snowboard hire in Val Thorens? Compare Val Thorens partner shops and book your ski or snowboard rental now → Save up to 65% compared to walk-in resort prices, with free cancellation until the day before. Over 12,000 customers have rated alpy.com 4.7 stars on Trustpilot.
