Going out west. Checking skis vs. Shipping them?

Boof.

Fly southwest and you can check them for free.

I fly AA or UA all the time with gear , they always charge my skis at standard baggage rate of $35 for arcing checked bag . I believe when traveling to " ski destination airports" this is typical .
BTW- my skis are 189, so my hard case tops out about 195 cm
Sky cab or flirting with checker doesn't hurt either ! And being damn good looking too helps !

Second checked bag ... Not arcing .

yeah, im going UA, and i was trying to see if that was the case cuz the language on their site was unclear if "gear" counted as something different then a normal over sized bag, which, according to your post, it would appear that it does. So thanks!

Shipping is probably cheaper, but they'll take much longer to ship than to bring on the plane. You have to weigh the options

looking at getting a double with wheels so i can jsut get all my cloths and remaining gear in one bag so i onyl have to check the one bag.

http://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/baggage/sports.aspx

Click on "ski equipment". Should just count as regular baggage (as long as it's under 50lbs).

If your traveling with your skis, it means you spent good money and you really like your own gear... I personally would ONLY travel with a sport tube- hard case ! Baggage employees do not give a shot about any of our luggage ! They throw the shit and beat the hell out of it ! I've had a double wide bag in past , held skis and all my gear... With that you run into weight restrictions and they have torn the handles every single time I used them . They don't bother to pick a luggage up by proper handle, they just grab any thing that is loose and close and shove it! This typically means they grab a 50# bag by one strap and boom , it's ripped ! My personal preference, 1 gear bag , 1hard shell ski case , and carry on your custom for boots . Good luck

You should just drive