Are you interested in renting skis or snowboards through Chester Bowl this winter? If yes, read on, even if you are past participants.

For Families Getting Season Passes Only– If you and your family have their own ski or snowboard equipment and just need season passes you do not need to register for an equipment fitting time. You can come in on any equipment fitting night to get your passes without an appointment. We recommend getting your passes prior to the season starting; it is faster than getting them once we are open for the winter. To learn more about day passes, season passes, and our hours of operation follow this link: https://www.chesterbowl.org/ski-and-snowboard/season-pass-purchases/ 

ABOUT THE RENTAL PROGRAM- Our equipment rental model is to rent gear out for the entire season; you will get the gear at fitting nights in October or November (or once the season starts if gear remains) and keep it with you until early April. This gear is yours to use at Chester Bowl, as well as at any other hills that you attend.

Each person who is renting Chester Bowl equipment must also purchase a Chester Bowl season pass. There will not be any exceptions made to this policy. But hey, there are a lot of great benefits that come with a Chester Bowl season pass! To view all the partner discounts that come with your pass follow this link: https://www.chesterbowl.org/partner-ski-area-discounts/ 

Each family will pay a volunteer deposit. During the course of the season, each family will be responsible to complete 6 or 12 volunteer hours depending on how much gear is rented and your family size. If you complete your volunteer hours and return your gear on time in April, you will be eligible to get your volunteer deposit back and you will be among the first to get signed up for equipment fittings before the 2025/2026 season.

Available Sizes

Chester Bowl offers a wide variety of rental equipment that should be able to fit most of your family. However, the smallest ski boots Chester has available is toddler 8 and the smallest skis we have available are 80cm. This fits most 4 year old kiddos but if your children are wearing a smaller shoe we recommend waiting a year to have them start skiing. Small children that wear boots a size or two bigger than their normal shoe size can suffer lower leg injuries. The smallest snowboard boot we have is junior 11 and the smallest snowboards are 90 cm. If you have any questions about the rental gear Chester has available please email sam@chesterbowl.org.

Costs & Scholarships

You can use this grid to determine your cost for the program. Start with the number of season passes, then look for the row with the number of rentals your family is getting. The “Initial Payment” column will show you the payment due at the time of purchase.

We know you can’t read that picture. Click this link for a version that is easier to read and to zoom in on:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t5MZ1U8QXGFL8NA9UJ6yB9dJxLfpcpUh/view?usp=drive_link

Although we keep our prices as affordable as we can, we recognize that not all families can afford the full cost of our programming. We have a winter scholarship program to support lower income families, enabling them to participate in Chester Bowl programming. This year we had $27,300 in scholarships to award. All of our available funds have been awarded as of October 13, so unfortunately we are unable to provide additional scholarship supports. Please see https://www.chesterbowl.org/uncategorized/winter-scholarship-update-2/ for more information about the scholarship program.

Read on for details on how the rental process works!

How To Rent Ski & Snowboard Gear

Step 1: Watch The Program Presentation And Sign Up For An Equipment Fitting Time

The first step is to click here and watch this Program Presentation.

This will tell you all about everything Chester Bowl has to offer.

The last slide of the program includes links to our snowboard and ski fittings. Once you watch the slideshow, click the fitting link and sign up for a time that works for your family (more details are at that link). Please note that all snowboard fittings are full; you can add yourself to a wait list if desired.

Be sure to watch the whole slideshow otherwise you will be missing out on important program info.

Step 2: Come To Chester Bowl for A Fitting

Snowboard fittings will take place on 10/29, 10/30, and 11/4. Ski fittings will take place on Monday through Thursday nights 11/5 through 11/13. Your family will use the signup genius link at the end of the slideshow above to select one fitting time for each person in your family.

All fittings happen at Chester Bowl, 1801 E. Skyline Parkway, Duluth MN, 55812. We need each person who is getting fit for equipment to be present; we will not send gear for people that are not present, as the gear needs to be fit to them specifically.

You will need to bring your completed registration packet. This paperwork will be available at the chalet, but we prefer that you complete it in advance of your fitting. Here is the link to the registration packet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m-7EWtB9LoMA7nA9r9DHaBctLfVcbCbj/view

You can print it out and fill it out in advance. Blank pages are intentional to have pages line up correctly when printing double-sided. If printing single-sided, there is no need to print those blank pages. We will also have paper copies available on fitting nights. Please arrive a bit earlier than your fitting time if you plan on filling it out upon arrival.

• You will need an approximately 1″x 1″ photo of each person who is renting gear or getting a season pass. This photo should be about the size of the picture on your driver’s license or the small school photos. 
• Each person who is renting gear needs to attend a fitting. We can’t fit people who are not present.
• You will need to bring cash, check, or a credit card (a credit card convenience fee will apply) or been awarded a scholarship award in advance for your equipment and season passes. We will also offer a payment plan, with three checks made out to Chester Bowl on the registration night. One will be dated and deposited that day, while the other two will be dated and deposited on January 15 and February 15.

Please note that we run out of equipment almost every year. We are not guaranteeing that we will have the right sized equipment and will not rent you gear that doesn’t fit. 

In general, the families that register for the program and get signed up for a fitting date/time in October and November will get gear. Those who miss registration for the rental program or come in to get fit for equipment once we are open for the season have a hard time finding the right sized equipment. If your family finds itself in this situation talk to Sam Luoma, Sam Gravelle, or Dave Schaeffer to learn about other possible options to acquire gear in town.

We are unable to fit anyone for gear between the last fitting on November 13 and when we open for the season, tentatively set for December 14.

Step 3: Participating in the Winter Program

Each family is responsible for completing volunteer hours during the course of the season and will be paying a volunteer deposit as part of their rentals. These hours can be completed by helping with several different things throughout the season like volunteering: at Fall Fest, during the hill cleanup, during ski/board fittings, in the concession stand, during snowmaking, and several others. 

We have free lessons that start the week after Christmas and on weekends in January and February. There are fun programming options like Freestyle Fridays, Girls Shred, and our Alpine Race Series. Watch the presentation above to learn all the details!

We send out reminders about upcoming programming through our email newsletter. To get programming info you need to opt into this newsletter. To do so, complete the form located on the right hand side of any of our website pages (or the bottom, on a phone). You will then get an email asking to confirm that you would like to get our newsletter. You have to follow the instructions in that email to get program updates. 

Step 4:  Equipment Returns April 7, 8, & 9! 

This year equipment returns will be April 7, 8, & 9. There will be a signup listed here, as well as emailed out through our newsletter, where families can sign up for a specific time to bring their gear back, complete their volunteer cards, and get your volunteer deposit back, if you completed your volunteer commitment. Please be sure to return your gear on one of these days!