YamaSport — Local services in Kutchan

I had a slight hiccup on the first day of rental where the equipment wasn't set up correctly. It was partly my fault for not checking the stance in-house before leaving. Despite providing my shoe size, the bindings attached were way too big for my size. Which meant I had to return and change my gear. It turned out the guy who originally fitted my board was not a snowboarder and had limited knowledge other than a basic set-up. The second guy was way more clued up.

However, upon returning, I was told that the only binding I could use was a Burton which is a proprietary technology meaning I was limited to just the small number of Burton boards. But I was able to exchange them the following day for a different board with some non-Burton bindings that gave me a bit more choice.

In the end I stuck with a Burton Custom X for the second half of the rental week which sufficed my needs. But only because there was very little choice available.

From a premium perspective the list of boards available was fairly old stock and quite disappointing. I suggest they investing in more modern boards and especially extra bindings for medium feet. Improve set-up training for staff who do not snowboard, or even have at least one person around who is knowledgeable.

To be fair, they did email me after my first day to ask how my experience was. From then on they tried their best to accommodate me. So, from a staff perspective, I can't really fault their service other than the first day. But this can't hide the small list of...

Great service and knowledgeable stuff. They respond to emails really fast. The only downside is there was not many premium women powder boards/skis selections available (early Feb, so peak season). I requested the Orca (the board I ride at home) about 1.5 months prior, but it turned out someone booked it ahead of me, and there was only one Orca in my size. I wish they had told me when I requested the board that someone else already requested for the same time window. My friend had similar issue, she requested a dps ski, but they did not have that available when we arrived. They didn’t have the second or the third option she wanted either. The rest powder boards in my size (145-150cm) to choose from were Burton Family Tree, Ride War Pig, and a K2 board that I haven’t heard about. Good enough selection if you are not picky about boards/skis, but just not my favorites. Hope they carry...

Love love lovvveeedd Yamasport!! I was moderately vague in what I asked for (an all mountain ski that I could take into the powder but would be good on piste as well, not too long) and they put me on the most delightful Salomon Lumen 99s. Literally nailed it in one try. 10/10.

The location is also IDEAL as it’s a super short walk to both the Ace Gondola and the King Gondola. This came in super useful when we realized my fiancé’s boots were too big 30 minutes before our lesson. We walked from Ace to Yamasport, got them switched and got back to Ace in 30 minutes flat. This wouldn’t have been possible with shops further into town. Trust me, you want a rental shop close to the lifts.

And yamasport’s excellent prices and quality of gear easily put it at the top of our list. We will rent from them...