The BackCountry

Winter Equipment Rental

How to Find Us!

See map here. Truckee, CA is right off of Interstate 80. Our store is very close to a huge assortment of high quality Sierra ski touring destinations that we have outlined on our website. We are in the process of developing an amazing online guidebook and search engine for backcountry ski tours and descents, coming soon! We are also within 5 miles of Sugar Bowl, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, and Northstar Ski Areas. We are only 30 minutes from Reno Airport.

Discounts

10% off for 3 day rental, 15% off for 4 days or more. 15% discount for groups of 8 people or more.

Special arrangements

Email mike@thebackcountry.net if you need more than a few speciality items. With some advance notice, I can sometimes bring in extra gear for your party. I'll also be happy to help you plan your adventures in any way!

Reservations

We avoid making reservations because we cannot control when the previous person returns the equipment, and would never wish to have your reservation missing at pickup time. This allows us to treat everyone with more flexibility. Our rental fleet is large and items are typically out for only one day, and we will nearly always have a number of good choices of equipment in your size. If you require an equipment reservation to make your trip possible (such as a guided trip or a class, or just have very tight scheduling), call or email ahead and we can work with you. Students and clients of Alpine Skills International, upstairs from us, are allowed to reserve gear for ASI events and classes.

Rates and Time Periods

All rates are per day only. You pay for individual calendar days, not 24 hour periods like 11am to 11am. To get the 1-day rate you return the equipment the same day by closing time; 2 days is returning it any time the next day, and so forth.

Telemark and Alpine Touring Ski Gear

$30	Telemark Skis	Various modern tele bindings on the best skis
$40	Randonnee / (AT) Alpine Touring Skis	With Fritschi or Dynafit Bindings
$20	Ski Boots	For Telemark and AT. Mostly Scarpa, Garmont, Black Diamond
$5	Ski Poles	Adjustable or fixed length
$15	Climbing Skins	We'll do our best to match your ski dimensions, not always a perfect match
$15	Avalanche Transceiver	We cannot test avy beacons, and you are responsible for batteries. We rent these if needed but it's best to own your own, and we sell all major models.
$5	Avalanche Probe	These are not tested between each use, check them out before you leave the store. Another item where it's best to own your own.
$5	Avalanche Shovel	Basic safety item even if no avy terrain is involved... shovel = shelter potential
$10	Backpack	We have a few day packs available in a pinch, but they get pretty beat up in rental. We stock a HUGE assortment of new packs for sale
$15	Crampons	Going to the high, steep places like Mt. Shasta or the High Sierra's East Side? Crampons help you make the summit
$10	Ice Axe	Ditto
$5	Ski Helmet	A good idea for all

Splitboarding Gear

$50	Split Snowboard with skins	Bring your binding and we will help you install it. Allow up to 30 minutes to get snowboard bindings set in a stance you are happy with. Splitboards are much better than snowshoeing, unless you just have a short hike above the car. We rent snowshoes too!
$10	3-section Adjustable Poles	Black Diamond Expedition Poles

X/C Ski Touring

$30	NNN-BC X/C Touring Ski Package	NNNbc boots and bindings on lightweight waxless skis. Fairly straight skis with edges
$40	3-pin X/C Touring Ski Package	Leather or plastic telemark boots. Voile HD 3-pin or Switchback binding on beefy, metal edge, slightly shaped waxless skis
$15	NNN-BC X/C Touring Boots	Requires NNN-BC style bindings on your skis.
$15	NNN-BC X/C Touring Skis	Requires NNN-BC style boots.
$15	Leather 3-pin 75mm boots
$20	Plastic 3-pin 75mm boots	The Scarpa T4 is back! (somewhat limited quantity, call ahead)
$25	X/C Touring Skis with HD 3-pin or Switchback bindings	Beefy, full metal edge, and slightly shaped for better turning than regular x/c skis. Alpina Cross-Terrain, Karhu Guide, or Madshus equivalent.
$5	Ski Poles	Adjustable or fixed length.

Snowshoeing Gear

$15	Adult Snowshoes	High Quality snowshoes from Tubbs or Atlas. We have tons, bring your whole group!
$8	Child Snowshoes	High Quality snowshoes from Tubbs. Kids don't get that far, but they enjoy it
$5	Ski Poles	Adjustable or fixed length. Try it with poles, you will be able to move faster and you will feel much more stable.

Other Gear

$25	Enclosed Child Sled	From Wilderness Engineering. Easy to pull, with safety and sun and weather protection for your kid or just all the gear you want to haul to a hut or camp.
$10	Child Carry backpack	Deuter Child Carrier Backpack with extra storage. For ages approx 1-4 years old.
$65	Full Suspension Mountain Bike	Snow sucks or you're not a skier? We can give you directions to drive 45 minutes east or west to some awesome singletrack.
$65	Road Bike	If the roads are clear and dry and you need a break from snow, this area has fantastic road cycling. See also our bike rentals page.