North America’s largest ski and snowboard rental delivery service serves 45 resorts nationwide from its 18 locations. Its new initiative swaps snow for sunshine.
Black Tie Ski Rental recently shifted gears when a changing recreation climate forced its hand. Black Tie Adventure Rentals is the company’s first foray into summer gear delivery. It debuts this summer in several big mountain towns like Mammoth, Calif.; Sun Valley, Idaho; and Telluride and Vail, Colo.
Visitors can rent all sorts of gear, from e-bikes to Jeeps to standup paddleboards through the new venture.
The company will deploy its existing online reservations system for all summer rentals, which will go live in early May. Operations will continue throughout the summer, and then shift back to ski and snowboard gear when the season changes.
Co-founder Ian Prichard said the adjustment came from a new trend that Black Tie saw among resort town vacationers shortly after they resumed travel post-COVID.
“Post-pandemic, we’re seeing visitors extend their stays, and demand for summer mountain vacations is expanding into the spring and fall,” Prichard said. “Those visitors are renting bikes and SUPs and 4x4s like they do ski and snowboard equipment, for days or weeks at a time, rather than a day here and there.”
Black Tie Leans Into Prior Rental Experience
Some current Black Tie locations previously offered summer rentals through separate operations. Mountain Adventure Equipment in Telluride and Play Big Outdoors in Mammoth were operational partners.
With the consolidation under Black Tie, the company boosts its brand recognition and seeks to streamline its quality control and processes.
“We’ve operated a summer rental program in Telluride for the past four years called Mountain Adventure Equipment. This summer, we’re looking forward to creating consistency with our winter business and benefitting from the Black Tie brand name,” said Black Tie Telluride co-owner Greg Carberry.
The list of borrow-able gear ranges pretty widely. Here’s what’s on the table for each location:
Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
- RAD Power Bikes (five models)
- ROC SUPs (including paddle, removable fin, safety leash, hand pump, waterproof bag)
- Kayak seat for SUP conversion to kayak
- Motorcycles (Yamaha, Royal Enfield, Kawasaki)
- Dirt Bikes (Yamaha)
- Toyota 4Runner
Sun Valley, Idaho
- RAD Power Bikes
- Hybrid Jeep Rubicon 4×4
Telluride, Colo.
- Marin mountain bikes
- Norco mountain bikes
- YETI mountain bikes
- Giant mountain bikes and e-mountain bikes
- RAD Power Bikes
- SOL SUP (including PFD, paddle, safety leash, and helmet)
- Jeep Rubicon 4×4
- Jeep Wrangler AEV
- Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro
- Sunshades; camp coolers; festival chairs
Vail, Colo.
- Rad Power Bikes
Rental Pricing and Location Information
Black Tie said it hadn’t finalized a pricing structure yet. But Prichard did offer some estimates based on previous averages.
“E-bikes will range from $65 for a half-day to $95 for a full day. High-end demo mountain bikes in Telluride start at $105 a day and go down to a standard mountain bike for $55 a day. SUPs range from $65-75 per day. Motorcycles in Mammoth run from $175-200 per day, dirt bikes from $150-175 per day. For 4×4 rentals, they start at $349 per day,” Prichard said.
Delivery drivers will serve a similar range as they typically do during Black Tie’s ski season — about 10 miles. “But,” Prichard noted, “we do make exceptions depending on how busy we are and the size of the group/length of rental.”
Host websites will transfer under Black Tie’s control soon. For now, you can get a feel for the programs at Mountain Adventure Equipment (Telluride) or Play Big Outdoors (Mammoth).
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For exact location information and everything else there is to know, visit Black Tie Ski Rentals — and start loading up your summer vacation schedule.
