Ski Shipping Companies Compared: What a Family Actually Gets

ShipSkis

• What ships: skis, snowboards, boots, bikes, luggage and "other gear" (FAQ).
• Price: "Ship Skis & Snowboards from $39." Park City, Deer Valley, Breckenridge, Vail, Lake Tahoe and others are all listed "starting at $39." Price goes up with distance, weight, size (dimensional weight) and speed. Items over 75 lb can cost extra (cost page). The booking page shows a $0.99 processing fee (book).
• Transit: "ground service to next day express." Exact days: check on their site.
• Pickup and delivery: pickup from home, office, resort or hotel, or drop at a carrier store (UPS, FedEx or DHL, assigned after booking). Delivery to "the resort or lodge."
• Coverage: "every shipment comes with complimentary coverage with the option to insure for more" plus an on-time guarantee (guarantee). Dollar amount: check on their site.
• Cutoffs: during holiday volume they say UPS and FedEx dates aren't guaranteed and "strongly encourage" a delivery date at least 2 business days before you arrive. Drop-offs must beat the store's same-day cutoff.

Our longer take: ShipSkis for families.

ShipGo

• What ships: skis (ski page). Boots and kids' gear: check on their site (their ski-and-snowboard page didn't load for us on Oct 20).
• Price: quotes online through Quick Quote. Cost depends on location, bag weight and size, and service level (FAQ, cost). Ski-bag starting price: check on their site.
• Transit: you choose pickup and delivery dates. ShipGo guarantees delivery by end of day on or before the scheduled date. Next Day Air is offered, with set commit times in some ZIP codes.
• Pickup and delivery: residences, hotels, resorts, or a carrier store. Domestic carrier is FedEx. No signature required, so the driver may leave it. ShipGo recommends calling your hotel or resort before you book.
• Coverage: $500 built in, with the option to insure up to $7,500. If a shipment is late, their Shipment Protection Plan reimburses up to $200 of approved expenses (on-time guarantee).
• Cutoffs: schedule up to 60 days ahead. Cancel 48+ hours before pickup for a full refund, or pay a $5 late-cancel fee inside 48 hours. Groups of 8+ traveling domestically get group rates.

Our longer take: ShipGo for families.

One thing worth knowing: ShipSkis and ShipGo list the same Palm Beach Gardens, Florida street address on their own pages. Quote both anyway. They are separate storefronts with different published terms.

Luggage Forward

• What ships: skis and snowboards in a soft or hard ski bag. No box needed. Boots must go separately in a small boot bag, booked as an extra bag (ski page).
• Price, as listed: single ski/snowboard bag $114 (up to 25 lb, ski bag up to 72×8×8 in). Double ski/snowboard bag $149 (up to 40 lb, ski bag up to 80×10×10 in). Small boot bag $99 (up to 25 lb). They say pricing is all-inclusive with no oversize fees.
• Transit: domestic speeds from overnight Express to 7-day Economy.
• Pickup and delivery: scheduled doorstep pickup. Delivery to resorts, hotels, lodges, condos, rental homes and private homes. For a vacation rental, make sure someone can receive it, or ask a nearby carrier store to hold it.
• Coverage: up to $500 of value protection included. You can raise it until midnight on pickup day. On-time guarantee: arrive on time "or we'll refund you double what you paid to ship the bag."
• Cutoffs: they recommend shipping "a few days ahead" to resorts that get winter weather.

LugLess

• What ships: luggage, skis, snowboards, boxes and most sports gear. Boots and poles can go in the ski bag, but weight affects price. Standard ski bag up to 45 lb and 76×9×8 in. Large Skis up to 90 lb and 76×15×9 in (ski page).
• Price: LugLess shows FedEx and UPS rates side by side and you book the cheaper one. Luggage "starts at $25 per bag" on domestic routes, and there are no overweight fees up to 100 lb (home). Ski-bag price: get a quote. Doorstep pickup costs extra. Drop-off at FedEx or UPS locations is the default.
• Transit: ground 2 to 6 business days, express 1 to 3, plus a next-business-day option.
• Pickup and delivery: hotel, resort, vacation rental, home, or a FedEx/UPS hold-for-pickup counter near the mountain. Not to a lift or gondola base. Ask your hotel or rental about package fees and storage.
• Coverage: not included. Value Protection is a paid add-on, up to $3,500 per package. It covers loss and damage, not delay. Damage claims within 15 days of delivery, missing claims within 30 days of the expected delivery date.
• Cutoffs: they recommend shipping skis 5 to 10 business days before you need them.

Luggage Free

• What ships: luggage, skis, snowboards, bikes, and also car seats and strollers (shipping info). Skis go in "an appropriate ski container, along with boots and bindings" (FAQ).
• Price: skis "starting at $74.99" (ski page). Your quote comes from their online calculator.
• Transit (domestic): 1, 2 or 3 business days by air, or 5 business days by ground. The pickup day doesn't count.
• Pickup and delivery: they pick up at a time you request. Delivery to hotels, private residences, businesses and cruise ships, anywhere in the US.
• Coverage: their home and ski pages say $500 complimentary, extendable to $10,000. Their FAQ says "up to $1,000." Check on their site before you rely on either number. On-time is guaranteed, "or there will be no charge," plus up to $500 per bag (home).
• Cutoffs: same business day (weekdays) in most major US cities, within six hours. Otherwise as little as 24 working hours' notice. Their FAQ says reservations up to nine months ahead, and their info page says six. Check on their site.

Send My Bag

• What ships: skis, snowboards, boots and winter gear. They want skis in a freight-approved hard case. Soft cases may be refused by the driver, and free cover won't apply unless the case is freight-approved (ski page).
• US routes: they offer drop-off at courier partner locations "if shipping within the US" (FAQ). Their ski page is written mostly for overseas trips.
• Price: based on size and weight. Items are laser-measured at collection, and you pay extra if they're bigger than you entered. No minimum booking fee.
• Transit: US domestic days: check on their site.
• Delivery: to a resort address where someone can sign for it all day. Chalets and rentals without regular courier deliveries should ask the resort for a delivery point.
• Coverage: extendable to £250 to £1,500 per item, but only with a freight-approved hard case.
• Cutoffs: have skis arrive at least 3 working days before you, or 5 if booking flags a remote area. Book a week ahead if you want their free label holders by mail.