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 the rental program. The only exception is if you are requesting a scholarship; if so, you would need to register by October 9 at 9am. 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 mid-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 2024/2025 season.

Costs & Scholarships

Here is a link to this year’s pricing info for renting as well as season pass purchases: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S2HzBqkZVtojglvfmd5wl7qxQGNc6dIg/view

Scholarships are available. If you think that money is going to be an issue please request a scholarship by completing our program registration by 9am on October 9. We offer partial or full scholarships to those receiving season passes and season rentals. Scholarships are limited to a total of $25,000 this year, so you MUST request your scholarship as part of the registration process. Staff will reach out to you to tell you the amount of your award before you would need to select an equipment fitting date. . Please see https://www.chesterbowl.org/uncategorized/winter-scholarship-update/ for more information about why we have had to limit scholarships. Our goal is to never let a family’s financial situation interfere with their ability to ski or snowboard.

How To Rent Ski & Snowboard Gear

Step 1: Register in advance

Register in advance between September 12 and 9am on October 9. The registration link is

https://forms.gle/24LufAzY1EAggJ4J8

You can register any time in that window. After 9am on October 9, if you miss the deadline to sign up, you will have to sign up for any available ski fitting appointments once we post it to our website starting on October 16. Your family will likely not have access to scholarship funding, as we expect that it will have all been awarded.

We have a limited amount of gear that is rented out for the season on a first come, first served basis. Families will sign up for individual ski or snowboard fitting appointments.  On October 10 a link will be emailed out to families that registered and completed their hours from last season or are new to the program. The link will be mailed out on October 13 to families that registered but did not complete their volunteer hours last year. This link will lead to the Winter Program Presentation.

Step 2: Watch The Program Presentation 

The winter presentation is a Google slide show that explains all the awesome programming we’ve got planned this winter. You will receive a link to the slide show the week of October 9th as outlined above if you registered in advance.

A link to view this year’s winter presentation will also be available here starting October 16 if you missed registration.

We strongly recommend that you don’t skip this step and that you watch this presentation- you will learn so much and get more value out of your season pass, even if you are a returning family!

Step 2: Come To Chester Bowl for A Fitting

Snowboard fittings will take place on October 25 and 26. Ski fittings will take place on most Monday through Thursday nights between October 30 and November 16, plus November 27 and 28. Your family will use the signup genius link at the end of the slideshow 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: [look for packet in October, 2023]

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 surcharge 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 28th and when we open for the season, tentatively set for December 16th.

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, head to the main page of our website and complete the form located on the right hand side of our main page. 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 22-24! 

This year equipment returns will be April 22-24. 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!