As you’d expect, most of the ski and snowboard rental services are concentrated around the base of the ski lifts, many operating as ski schools as well, with the largest being the Zao Base Centre Jupia at the Zao Sky Cable base. There are also many hotels and ryokans that will offer their own ski and snowboard rental services, too. Most of the equipment throughout the area is of medium-level quality, but if you’re after fantastic equipment you’re best off going to the larger stores, as a lot of the rental items are quite old. If you can, we recommend bringing your own gear as much as possible, as larger sizes and high quality gear can be hard to find throughout the Zao Onsen resort. Another issue you may encounter is a language barrier, with many of the smaller rental shops not having many English-speaking staff, which can cause issues if you need to discuss your needs. If you’re not confident with your Japanese, you’re better off going to a larger store where English-speaking staff are more likely.