Ski Equipment Hire • Sierra Essence

Rio Sport is our recommended supplier of Ski Equipment in Sierra Nevada with whom we have worked closely for many years.

They have professional and knowledgeable staff to help you to make the right choice both for renting and buying ski and snowboard equipment. Most of the staff speak English too.

Rio Sport have three shops in Sierra Nevada. Their main store (where our office is based) is located in the Plaza de Andalucía, very close to the Al-Andalus Gondola entrance. They open from 8:30am to 8.30pm.

Their rental rates are competitive with all other suppliers and for a nominal extra fee you can test out and enjoy some of the latest ski and snowboard models of the year. Added to this, they also offer free overnight ski storage (except during key peak periods) to save you having to take them back to your accommodation.

Rio Sport are renowned boot-fitting specialists. Not only for purchasing new boots but also modifying your existing boots to attain a better foot. So if you have any foot complaints, they will provide the best solutions for you to maximise your enjoyment on the slopes. They have the latest technology for ensuring the perfect fit for any size and shape of foot!

For ski maintenance Rio Sport has the latest Montana tuning machinery and trained personnel (unique in Sierra Nevada) for anything from a simple wax and edge to the most fine-tuned requirements that any elite sportsperson could ask for.

Discounted Equipment Hire

Get a discount on Rio Sport equipment rental when you book another service with us:

– either ski/snowboard tuition with the British Ski Center
– or accommodation, lift passes or transfers with Sierra Essence

Upon booking any of our services you will be given details on how to book your equipment with a special discount code.

Equipment Hire Rates (2025/26)

Adult skis, boots and poles


	Adults Skis, Boots and Poles
	Bronze	Silver	Gold	Platinum
1 day	29	43	55	80
2 days	52	77	99	144
3 days	70	104	134	194
4 days	83	123	158	229
5 days	96	142	181	264
6 days	105	156	199	290
7 days	113	167	213	310
Ski Storage (per night)	FREE

Adult skis and poles


	Adults Skis and Poles only
	Bronze	Silver	Gold	Platinum
1 day	23	38	50	75
2 days	41	68	90	135
3 days	56	92	122	182
4 days	66	109	143	215
5 days	76	125	165	247
6 days	83	138	181	272
7 days	89	147	194	291
Ski Storage (per night)	FREE

Adult snowboard and boots


	Adult Snowboard and Boots
	Bronze	Silver	Gold
1 day	30.00	43	55
2 days	54.00	77	99
3 days	73.00	104	134
4 days	85.00	123	158
5 days	98.00	142	181
6 days	108.00	156	199
7 days	116.00	167	213

Adult snowboard only


	Adult Snowboard only
	Bronze	Silver	Gold
1 day	23.00	35.00	45.00
2 days	42.00	64.00	81.00
3 days	56.00	86.00	109.00
4 days	65.00	100.00	127.00
5 days	75.00	115.00	146.00
6 days	82.00	126.00	161.00
7 days	88.00	135.00	172.00

Child skis & boots


	KIDS: Skis, Boots & Poles	KIDS: Skis & Poles Only
1 day	23	18
2 days	41	32
3 days	56	44
4 days	66	52
5 days	76	59
6 days	83	65
7 days	89	70
Ski Storage (per night)	FREE

Child snowboard


	KIDS: Child Snowboard & Boots	KIDS: Child Snowboard only
1 day	25	20
2 days	45	36
3 days	61	49
4 days	72	57
5 days	82	66
6 days	91	73
7 days	97	78

Other items


	Damage Insurance	Touring Skis, boots, poles and skins	Touring Skis, poles and skins	Helmets
1 day	5	55	50	8
2 days	10	99	90	14
3 days	15	134	122	19
4 days	20	158	143	23
5 days	25	181	165	26
6 days	30	199	181	29
7 days	35	213	194	31

Notes

Interested in ski clothing hire?

Lockers

Ski lessons

Lift passes

Jill Bryant

17 April 2026

Brilliant ski lessons, Husband- non skier when he arrived, loved it so much, we re-booked again! these guys are so talented, patient sympathetic and knows so much about skiing! Amazing ski school! Well we did another lesson, last of the season for us, as this is the 2nd time we have been with BSC ! I can only say that without Amy as my Husband's instructor, he would not have been able to enjoy the last few days of skiing with me! She was understanding, patient beyond belief and very knowledgeable. She took her time with my Husband, even took him up the ski lift! absolutely incredible! Thank you so much, we will definitely be booking few more lessons with you guys next season.

Ricardo Guedes Mota

17 March 2026

Great ski lesson, Ruan knows how 2 do it

Amai Tia

6 March 2026

Our Scouts had an unforgettable experience thanks to the incredible team at the British Ski School. When our rather motley crew of 16 Scouts and 4 leaders (many of them almost complete beginners and only on their second day of skiing) found themselves facing an unexpected power outage on the mountain, it could easily have turned into a very stressful situation. Instead, three members of the British Ski School team stepped in without hesitation and went far beyond what anyone could reasonably expect. Their calm professionalism, patience, and genuine kindness completely transformed the situation. What initially felt worrying quickly became an adventure. Thanks to their support and encouragement, our young skiers finished the day proud of themselves for achieving something they never imagined they could do. A special mention must go to Jonathan and Eleanor, whose calm, kind, and incredibly supportive approach made a huge difference. Their encouragement and steady guidance took a great deal of pressure off our leaders and helped our Scouts keep their confidence and enjoy the challenge. Helping a large group of mostly beginner Scouts safely down the mountain is no small task, yet the team handled it with such generosity, patience, and good humour. In a world where people don’t always go out of their way to help, this level of care really stood out. What could have been a difficult day became a memorable final adventure our Scouts will be talking about for years. Our sincere thanks from all of us at 1st Fuengirola Scout Group - we’re incredibly grateful.

jill webb

5 March 2026

If I could give 10* I would! The instructors we had were amazing with my husband, he is a non skier, but they were so helpful, amazingly supportive, fun, attentive and gave excellent advice! He's now hooked on skiing thanks to Tom, Jasmine & Amy! Thank you so much, absolutely recommend

Gareth Thomas

25 February 2026

Our two boys were in Ski School for five days during half term and loved it. The instructors were brilliant and ski school was the highlight of the trip for the boys - thank you!

rebecca hadrill

23 February 2026

We had a fantastic trip to Sierra Nevada this year. The boys really enjoyed their lessons with Asa, Luis, Harry and Tom! They came on loads, and it was great to be able to ski down with them on our last day. We will be returning for sure, we love Sierra Nevada and the BSC has been brilliant each time we have visited, which we think is 6 times now! Everything is very well organised, and communication from the initial contact is great. Thank you again!

S C

22 February 2026

Our first trip to Sierra Nevada for skiing was absolutely fabulous, and we would highly recommend British Ski Centre (BSC). We contacted BSC in advance to arrange ski school and lift passes, and the communication with Lynn and Giles was excellent. They were incredibly reassuring, especially as we arrived just after some freak storms, which could have been quite daunting for first-time visitors. Gorka was my instructor — funny, friendly, knowledgeable, and always happy to help. Graham taught our kids, and they thought he was hilarious! They went from being reluctant to attend ski school to not being able to wait to get back each day — especially to give him his “new name of the day,” often Samantha or Brenda! We also used BSC’s recommended ski hire company, Rio Intersport, taking advantage of their discount code. They are conveniently located right next door to BSC, although there are plenty of hire shops around the square. The team there were super helpful and perfectly positioned by the gondola. Being able to leave skis and poles there at the end of the day and simply return to click into our boots the next morning made everything so easy. We even left our shoes in a large bag while skiing, which meant no awkward walks in ski boots! A special shout-out to Philip, who kindly helped me with my boots most days as I have a bad knee. Thank you to British Ski Centre for making our trip to Sierra Nevada such a fantastic experience. We have a feeling we’ll be back 😉

Laura Portway

31 December 2025

Great lesson for little one Our 5 year old son loved his lesson with Harry, who was a brilliant and calm instructor. He was thrilled to have made it to ‘the shark’ and told us all about his lesson later on. Would always highly recommend this company.