Ahead of the sports holidays, Fritidsbanken is in full swing, and is now expanding throughout the country.

Slalom skis, boots, poles and helmet, and maybe cross-country skis, sleds and skates on top of that – a sports holiday can get really expensive if you have to buy everything new. But it's possible to avoid going broke before your sports holiday.

”"We've had a lot of people, and actually broke records both in terms of lending and visits before the sports holidays," says Fanny Sannerud, location manager for Fritidsbanken's operations at Frölunda Square in Gothenburg.

Now it is mainly skis and ski boots that are in demand, but some people also want to borrow skates.

”It is very appreciated to be able to borrow,” says Fanny Sannerud.

Fritidsbanken, which is a kind of library for sports equipment, lends out sports equipment for two weeks at a time completely free of charge, says Henric Byström, communications manager for Fritidsbanken.

“At most leisure banks, winter equipment now dominates,” he says.

Entire families should be able to borrow their equipment to go away on winter vacation, says Byström.

– It's great to borrow for the whole family. It's good, because then you can make well-considered purchases after you've tried them. It's also good if you want to try out new sports.

Likewise, those who have outgrown or tired of their gadgets can hand them in, and be sure that the stuff will come in handy.

”"We have three pillars. Everyone can borrow, and it's completely free. This means that Fritidsbanken does not handle money, we do not have a deposit fee, no reminder fees and no compensation claims if something breaks. It is also based on recycling, which means we have what we receive as a gift, we do not buy equipment," says Byström.

Alpine skis in particular need to be adjusted so that the bindings release correctly.

”"We adjust them to fit the ski boot, but there are many parameters to take into account, for which we cannot take responsibility. We therefore recommend that you pay a small amount to a sports shop that is good at adjusting skis.".

The leisure banks have grown rapidly, and are now located in 89 different locations in the country, he says.

”"The first Leisure Bank was started in small Deje in Värmland in 2013. At the time, the focus was not on it growing, but it worked, and since then it has progressed rapidly.".

The Leisure Banks are often run by municipalities, or with the support of municipalities, he says.

”We are like a kind of franchise concept, but free,” says Henric Byström.

Source: TT