Sunday River expands its rental business — to ski clothing

Courtesy / Nick Lambert, Sunday River Sunday River is partnering with a Los Angeles-based startup to outfit skiers with a complete suit of snow clothing for as little $45 a day.

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By William Hall

Sunday River, the Newry ski resort whose origins date to 1958, has just added a line of business that didn’t exist a few years ago.

While the resort has rented out skis, boots and poles for decades, it now offers ski clothing by the day through a partnership with Arrive Outdoors, a startup based in Los Angeles.

The arrangement allows Sunday River skiers to rent all the gear they need to wear on the slopes — pants, jackets, goggles, gloves and base layers — for as little as 10% of the cost of purchasing them, according to a news release.

Arrive offers a range of ski wear and accessories in dozens of brands. Customers order online, get their items delivered in a reusable shipping box, and when the ski trip is over return the rented duds via FedEx for free.

Customers save an average of $1,032 over the cost of buying the apparel, Arrive says on its website. A parka that sells for $280 can be yours, temporarily, for a daily rate of $18. A complete outfit can go for $45. A high-end ski suit — including a jacket, pants, gloves, neck gaiter, base layers and goggles — goes for $162 a day.

“Arrive helps new visitors who may not have snow-specific clothing gear up in an affordable way, and also allows avid skiers and snowboarders to try out high-end apparel before making a commitment to purchase,” Sunday River Vice President Darcy Lambert said in the release.

At this point, the partnership with Arrive consists of joint promotions, a spokeswoman for the resort, Karolyn Castaldo, told Mainebiz. For example, Sunday River is offering a 20% discount on Arrive rentals during its Children’s Festival, Jan. 5-10. There’s also a referral commission.

But unlike some ski resorts in the West, she said, Sunday River isn’t set up to receive deliveries of the rented ski wear, so you’ll still have to carry that with you to Newry.

Still, the deal with Arrive may signal a new trend is influencing Maine's ski industry.

The move to rented snow clothes is a recent phenomenon. Arrive, which launched in 2016 by renting out camping gear, entered the ski market in October. Colorado-based Slope Threads, which offers similar outerwear at roughly the same price range, began operations in November 2018.

One of the oldest, and best known, rental outfitters for the ski market, Kit Lender, of Stowe, Vt., only began in 2014. The company’s founder, Forrest Shinners, appeared on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” the nationally televised business pitch show, on Dec. 2. However, the guest panel of investors was skeptical and Shinners failed to get their funding.

“Overall, this is a very new type of service for the ski industry,” Castaldo said. “But it will definitely be a game changer for those visiting Sunday River.”