I've purchased a padded ski bag and boot bag for an upcoming trip to Colorado. Has anyone had good or bad experiences about flying with ski equipment? Would I be better off just renting?
Well, you are coming to ski central. DEN has lots of practice handling skis and they even have their own little baggage wall... thing. Assuming you aren't flying someone like Alliegent (joke!... sort of) they should be well versed in handling ski equipment when flying into CO. All that being said, I'd follow Analise's advice and rent if you don't mind using those skis. It's not as though any of our major resorts out here will rent bad equipment. They all have a major economic reputation to protect.
One other option is I see many people coming with just their boots and then renting skis out here. Much easier to transport and you get to try out some new skis while having the comfort of your own boots.
On a serious side...i did travel a few times with my snowboard (but within France) and everything went smoothly. Since i own a snowboard there is no way for me to go for renting one...