Milan · Where to hire
Where to hire skis in Milan: in town or at the resort
Hire in Milan and drive off with the equipment, or hire at the resort? It depends how many days you ski. Here is when each makes sense, where the shops are in the city and how far the slopes are.
ren-to editorial team · Updated · 5 min read
In town or on the mountain?
There is a price difference, and it is big. An Altroconsumo survey from February 2026 compared the basic kit (skis, boots and helmet) in the city and in five resorts:
| Where | 1 day | 3 days | 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the city | €24 | €53 | €110 |
| Livigno | — | — | €164 |
| Champoluc | — | — | €171 |
| Sestriere | — | — | €174 |
| Roccaraso | — | — | €219 |
| Cortina d’Ampezzo | — | — | €274 |
Price isn’t everything. Hiring in the city makes sense when you use the equipment for several days; hiring at the resort, when you want to travel light.
| In the city, in Milan | At the resort | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Lower, especially from three days up | Higher, especially at the better-known resorts |
| Trying and choosing | Calmly, the evening before, with no queues | In the morning, often queueing with everyone else |
| Transport | Skis and boots in the car or on the train | Nothing to carry: you arrive and change |
| If something is wrong | You swap it when you’re back in the city | You swap it straight away, a few steps from the piste |
| Best for | Weekend, ski week, season | A single day, or anyone arriving by train or coach |
A day, a weekend or the season
One day
For a day at Piani di Bobbio or Foppolo, hiring in the city costs less but means calling at the shop before and after. If you leave early in the morning and come back late, hiring at the resort is often more convenient.
A weekend
Here the city wins: you pick up on Friday evening, ski Saturday and Sunday, and return on Monday. Some shops let you pick up the day before and return the day after without counting them in the hire: at Decathlon, for example, you pick up from 16:00 the day before and return by 14:00 the day after.
The ski week
A week is where the saving shows most: according to Altroconsumo, €110 in the city against €164-274 at the resorts. You also try the boots on calmly, and if they hurt you find out at home, not on your first day on the snow.
The season
For anyone skiing every weekend, seasonal hire in the city is almost always the best value: from about €150 for an adult and from about €100 for a child.
Where to hire in Milan, area by area
If you pick up your equipment after work, the metro matters more than any discount. These are the shops that hire out skis and snowboards, by area.
| Area | Shops | Metro |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | Decathlon Cairoli (Foro Buonaparte 74), Sporting San Lorenzo (Via Carroccio 3) | M1 Cairoli, M2 and M4 Sant’Ambrogio |
| North | Milano Sci (Via Fontanelli 2), Dameno Sport (Viale Affori 11), DF Sport Specialist (Via Palmanova 65), Decathlon Baires (Corso Buenos Aires 59) | M3 Affori FN, M2 Udine, M1 Lima |
| West | Skilifting & Bike (Via Appennini 92), DNA Bike & Ski (Viale Misurata 9), Decathlon Portello (Via Grosotto 7) | M1 San Leonardo, M4 Bolivar, M1 QT8 |
| South | Maro Rental Ski (Via Brizi 5), Radical Shop, snowboards only (Viale Faenza 12) | — |
| Outskirts | Demo Sport (Parabiago), Ferrari Sport Ski (Rodano), Decathlon in many shopping centres | — |
Check each shop’s prices and conditions before you go.
The slopes nearest to Milan
With the equipment in the car, here is how far the nearest ski resorts are. Distances and times are approximate, without traffic, and come from the guides by DoveSciare and SportOutdoor24.
| Resort | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Piani di Bobbio - Valtorta (LC) | 69 km | 1 h 08 |
| Monte Pora (BG) | 103 km | 1 h 47 |
| Foppolo (BG) | 104 km | 1 h 56 |
| Montecampione (BS) | 109 km | 1 h 51 |
| Madesimo (SO) | 131 km | 2 h |
| Pila (AO) | 186 km | 2 h |
| Chiesa in Valmalenco (SO) | — | 2 h 15 |
| Aprica (SO) | — | 2 h 20 |
Frequently asked questions
Where can you hire skis in Milan?
In every area of the city: in the centre at Decathlon Cairoli and Sporting San Lorenzo, in the north at Milano Sci, Dameno Sport, DF Sport Specialist and Decathlon Buenos Aires, in the west at Skilifting, DNA Bike & Ski and Decathlon Portello, in the south at Maro Rental Ski. For snowboards there is also Radical Shop, on Viale Faenza.
Is it better to hire skis in the city or on the mountain?
From three days up the city is better value: according to Altroconsumo a week costs about €110 in the city and €164 to €274 at the resorts. For a single day the mountain is often more convenient, because you don’t have to carry the equipment.
Which is the nearest ski slope to Milan?
Piani di Bobbio - Valtorta, in the province of Lecco: about 69 km and a little over an hour by car. Then Monte Pora, Foppolo and Montecampione, all within two hours.
How much does ski hire cost on average?
In the city a kit with skis, boots and helmet costs about €24 a day and €110 a week; at the resorts a week costs €164 to €274, according to the Altroconsumo survey of February 2026. Seasonal hire in Milan starts from about €150 for an adult.
How much does a ski lesson cost?
A private lesson with an instructor costs roughly from €50 an hour up, depending on the resort and the period. Equipment hire is paid separately.
