Ah, winter vacations and memories of … schlepping bulky, heavy snow sports equipment to and through airports, stuffing it into rental cars and now paying plenty to check it through the airlines.
Leave the hassle to someone else this winter. Sports Express (www.sportsexpress.com) will deliver equipment domestically and overseas, and guarantee it arrives on time and undamaged. For the return trip, customers just leave the gear at their hotel or condo and the company will deliver it back home.
If boots and boards don’t arrive on time, Sports Express will arrange and pay for rentals or even new purchases.
The company, which has been delivering sports gear and other bulky items since 1999, recently found its way onto some resort web sites as guests grapple with the costs and hassle of getting their gear to the mountains far from home.
The company’s web site allows users to type in their home town and destination to see several options for sending their equipment. Options range from three-day delivery to overnight. There’s also a ground delivery option for the return. Shipping a snowboard from Washington, DC to Winter Park Resort in Colorado ranges from $153 for the three-day option to $300 for express overnight (a good option for those “what do you mean you left your board in the garage?” moments midway into a flight).
Sports Express monitors the delivery along the way, sends email status reports to customers, follows up with resorts and customers to make sure the delivery was on time and problem-free.
The company has a rewards program for frequent customers. It also delivers bikes, water skis, golf clubs, even kayaks, as well as simple luggage.