As an enthusiast of skis & boards, I concur that it's rare to get a good hire board, the issue is often in the bindings - anything other than my P1s won't do! Skis, however, are much easier to find. Even the argument for owning your boots isn't as great these days; hire boots have improved massively over the last 15 years or so.

I'd even go as far as saying it's harder to get a decent pair of snowboard boots on hire than ski boots.

If I'm packing my skis, my boot bag will be my hand luggage. I've even weighed up wearing my boots on the plane, but that would be ridiculous.