[2ndround]

In terms of a ski pass, break/bend part of the rental equipment and tell them you had a nasty fall due to equipment failure.

Request a refund thereafter.

Very legit. What happened was that the boot kept getting de-attached from the bindings which caused quite high speed crashes.
In the shop they said they were from that season but I do doubt that. The lack of customer serice mentality in that country meant that a genuine a complaint at the rental place didn't get much gain. It did not matter as much as the cost was extremely cheap.
In a more developed country it would have worked very well.

If you walk in a with a limp and act you can get some gains via blaming failing ski equipment for sure.

It can certainly be pulled off without too much hassle.

It's all about how you word and physically present yourself.

Absolutely but in a customer focused country it does not require much effort.
However if this is not the culture you will get little benefit even from a genuine claim.