Every snow season starts the same way: you check the flight price and it looks reasonable... until you add special baggage. Checking in skis or a snowboard adds a pricey extra on every leg, and if it's a return trip you pay the surcharge twice. That's why more and more skiers are choosing to send their skis or snowboard by courier and travel with just a backpack: your kit reaches the resort before you do, with no queues at the special-baggage desk and no nasty surprises on the scales.
And the plane isn't the only battle. Dragging a nearly two-metre bag with your boots and helmet inside through train stations, platforms, transfers and staircases is an ordeal that wears you out before you've even clicked into your bindings. Renting on the slopes isn't much of an answer either: decent gear costs a fortune in peak season, and skiing in boots that aren't yours shows on every run. Your kit is yours for a reason; it makes sense for it to travel with you... even if you're not the one carrying it.
Sending skis or a snowboard door to door, step by step
The process is designed to sort out in minutes, with no sign-ups or phone calls:
- Get your price online in 30 seconds: enter the weight, dimensions and origin-destination in the calculator and you get a fixed price with VAT included, from 15 €.
- Book and pay online without registering: you receive the shipping label by email, print it and stick it on the bag.
- Collection at your door, wherever you are: the GLS driver collects the parcel anywhere in Spain. If you prefer, you can drop it off yourself at a nearby GLS point or at our Puerto de Mazarrón branch.
- Track your kit in real time all the way to your hotel or apartment at the resort, in Spain or the Alps (France, Italy, Austria). There are no customs within the EU, so your board crosses borders without any paperwork.
Tip: coordinate the delivery with your accommodation's reception. A quick heads-up ("a parcel in my name will arrive on day X") makes sure they hold it for you until check-in.
How to pack skis, board and boots so they arrive in perfect condition
Snow gear is tough, but the edges, bindings and tips will thank you for a few minutes of careful packing:
- Use a padded bag (or reinforce a soft one with blankets or bubble wrap). It's the best investment for protecting edges and bases.
- Protect the tips and tails with folded cardboard or foam: these are the areas that take the most knocks.
- Secure the bindings: wrap them so they don't snag or rub against the rest of your kit.
- Fill the gaps: technical clothing (trousers, jacket, layers) is perfect padding and saves you a suitcase into the bargain.
- Boots and helmet, inside and well wrapped: each piece in its own bag, with nothing rattling around inside the bag.
Volume trick: a standard ski bag (185×20×15 cm) sits well below the volumetric limit, so make the most of the space for well-wrapped boots and gloves. Remember the service's one real limit: a maximum of 30 kg chargeable per parcel, taking the greater of the actual and volumetric weight (length×width×height in cm ÷ 5000). A full set of snow kit fits with room to spare.
Common mistakes when sending your kit to the resort
- Sending it too close to the date: allow a couple of days' margin over your arrival; better the kit waits for you than you wait for the kit.
- Not measuring the packed bag: measure once everything's inside; a full bag is bulkier than an empty one and the price is worked out from the real dimensions.
- Leaving pieces loose: a helmet rolling around inside the bag takes a knock every time it's handled. Keep everything wrapped and compact.
- Forgetting to tell your accommodation: most resort hotels receive parcels daily, but they appreciate a bit of notice.
- Trusting old tape: use good-quality tape and reinforce the bag's zips and handles.
Your snow kit, with a fixed price and tracking
With Logística Mazarrón, an official GLS agency, you send your complete kit at a fixed price with VAT included from 15 €, with collection at your door anywhere in Spain, delivery throughout Spain and the EU via the GLS network, and real-time tracking from start to finish. And if you swap the snow for the pedals come summer, the same service has you covered: find out how bicycle shipping works.
This season, hit the slopes, not the luggage. Work out now what it costs to let your kit travel on its own and arrive light.
