Missed skiing this year given the fact that a week in Val Thoren in 2009 cost me about the same as the GDP of a South American country.

Started looking again recently for something in 2011 but given we have two little ones (the eldest doing GCSE’s next year) then half term in Feb or Easter is all we can do.

Is it me or is Skiing becoming even more expensive? As much as we enjoy skiing as a family I am seriously thinking of giving it a miss unless we can get something reasonable but even driving to Austria a couple of years back only saved a bit!

Any recommendations?

No recommendations but similar experience. Was going to book family (2 adults, 1 3yo) in a chalet. 3 yo pays EXACTLY the same price as adult despite not eating the same food (largely), not drinking alcohol (obviously the rest of us will be scooping the crap free wine by the barrel load) and sleeping on a z-bed in our room.

Told them to ram it – 3yo now staying at home with Granny and we’re going on our own. But same issue coming next year I presume – again keen to hear any ideas.

Poor Pound-vs-Euro means Europe has become really sodding expensive for skiing in the past few years.

Give Canada a go. It won’t be cheaper but you’ll get a different experience for the same kind of cost.

Slightly different take and more weather dependant but I worked out that a week at Glenshee in Feb with 2 x adults and 2 kids with fuel, passes and board would be about a grand.

I know its not “epic” mountain country but I fancy giving it a go?

Thoughts?!

Try booking accomodation direct with agency in the resort, you then pay a flat rate for the accomodation. does mean that you have to arrange flights and transfers independently thouugh

+1 Robilly..

Don’t discount a Scottish holiday, it’s shaping up to be another great season, and yeah the weather can change quickly but it’s rare to be without snow during peak season. If you want cheap then check Aviemore skiing as well, it is a larger ‘resort’ with the infrastructure to go with it, and you might get to stay somewhere cheaper. Also gives you more options if the weather is bad, including getting a bike.
Have a look at last seasons pictures and webcams of how the snow is already shaping up at http://www.winterhighland.info

Norway?
Question mark is because MrsDezB books all our stuff, having been in the travel business, so I don’t know the whys, wherefores & howmuches.
I do know she’s now a teacher so we can only go during out-of-term times and Geilo in Norway is where we’ve been for the past 4 years.
Not a massive resort, but the slopes are pretty empty, so is great for kids.
(£5 for half a beer, so not a place for boozers!)

what about eastern europe? a lot of the ex-iron curtain countries have mountains, the cost of flying to one is barely more than flying to Geneva et al.

The cheapest way I’ve found is to go with others and self cater a chalet.

Typically we take the Eurostar to Borg and self cater in Vallandry but skiing isn’t cheap as we know however 10 person Chalet is around 1300 quid
Between 125 and 200 PP travel on the star call it 150.

300 odd quid each which isn’t bad.

Easy jet to Geneva or Grenoble if they fly there, hire a car, book a chalet online beforehand or alternatively we used to drive from the UK – can do Geneva in 18 hours from Lancaster – then stay in the villages in the valleys. If you pick your area there are often lifts from the valley up to the purpose made resort anyway. The hotels are often more ‘French’ than the ones in the resorts anyway and you’ll also get to see a bit of the country as you travel. We stayed in Bourg D’Oissons – below Alpe D’huez / Les Deux Alpe and Bourg St Maurice which has access to a few resorts. It’s also where the snow train goes to but last time we looked this worked out more expensive than flying and hiring a car. Also if you fly to Geneva the car hire was cheaper on the French side but these cars did not have snow tyres on – also make sure you return it to the ‘side’ you hired it from – an expensive cock up last year for me – they charge £120 to take it back to the side you hired it from. Alternatively a caravan in Aviemore is always an option…

shame about the half term thing as lastminute.com have brides les bains (below mirelbel) for £199 per person on 12 feb (week b4 half term i think)

Filling a car with 4 people is cheapest way to get down there IME – even with roofbox hire, ferry, tolls, fuel, parking, euro breakdown cover, etc. Train is more expensive but less hassle, flights can be cheaper but it depends on how far you go at the other end and whether you bus/taxi/hire-car to your destination.

Euro exchange rate makes it pretty pricey now – 6 day Tignes lift pass is now over £200!

Always used to go self-catered and it’s OK if you’re disciplined enough to come home and cook every night, as well as nip back for lunch (or take a packed lunch). Someone always has to get up first thing to get bread though. If you’re more lax, you end up eating out half the time and it’s not hard to spend so much you’d have been better off in a catered chalet.

“Slightly different take and more weather dependant but I worked out that a week at Glenshee in Feb with 2 x adults and 2 kids with fuel, passes and board would be about a grand.

I know its not “epic” mountain country but I fancy giving it a go?

Thoughts?!”

1. Absolutely no guarantee of there being any snow what so ever. £1k is alot of money to spend to look at a load of heather.
2. Kids dont tend to like ice and rock skiing, and ice being flung in their face sideways in zero visability while its raining.
3. If you can cope with the above, Scottish skiing does make you in to a dam good skier!

As above chalet is the cheapest way to do it, but your never going to get it for £1k for a family to include lift passes and equipment hire, although £1k should get you accomoddation and meals.

There is a theme here.

The other idea is to take a sleeper down which is cheaper but more of a pain in the arse than the eurostar big benefit is that you arrive 8 – 9 am in resort and can get an extra day on the slopes. Until the kids that’s what we did. Also if you have somewhere to dump your gear you can ski an almost full extra day before coming home.

There was quite a lot of very good resort advice on here

Thanks for the replies!

Give Canada a go

I really fancy North America and as you say its only a bit more. I love quiet slopes and the fact that they are very wide (Mrs Surfer has skiied in Canada)

Went to the Czech Republic last year.

Pros – Lovely people, very welcoming. Great food if you’re not a veggie (some of the best food I’ve ever had on holiday), cheap too. Cheap flights, ski hire, accomodation, booze. Nice snow, not too cold. Depending on the resort, good for kids as there is was a water park and sledges and those innertube things, not just skiing.

Cons – Small resorts that get busy during half term. Need to be intermediate skiers as the runs are shorter and steeper than some others in western europe. Three hour transfer from the airport. Depending on the resort, lots of kids.

Had a great time and would certainly go again, but my other half is a lecturer and we have to go during half term. She tells me it’s no busier then France or Italy. I’m used to Canada and America, where I have skied for an hour without seeing anyone else other than on the chair lift.

What’s your budget?

Depending on what you want to do, you could drive to the Portes du Soleil and have a flipping good week for not too much.

As a total skinflint, I always do the following

1 Drive there. This ensures that you have your own car, and with 4 of you in the car it’s cheaper than flying. You’re coming from Merseyside so it’s a longing drive to the coast, but the train is quick and, if paid for in Tesco vouchers, very cheap.

2 Drive all night. This saves hotel costs. I tend to stop for a few hours at 2am or so and doze, then press on.

3 Self-catering is the only way. Obviously I would say that (I have an apartment in Morzine) but it’s way cheaper than catered.

4 Take a portable fridge with you and fill it to the roof with things that are expensive in the resort. Meat, fresh orange juice, bacon ….cram it in.

5 Take non-perishable stuff as well. Anything like sweets/chapsticks….anything that you think there’s a good chance you’ll need will be ¼ of the price over here.

6 Buy your ski clothing cheaply over here. TK Maxx have a surprisingly good range; not in any way the coolest, but decent quality, decent brand (my local has a lot of Trespass stuff).

7 Take sandwiches out on the slope for you and your partner and let the kids eat in the mountain restaurants whilst you picnic. Never been a problem for me; restaurants are usually OK with it if you’re buying food for others and a drink fro yourself.

8 Hire skis in advance from the resort – a lot cheaper (30+%) than doing it when you get there

9 Don’t eat out in the evenings more than once in the week – the food is usually not that great and it costs you an arm/leg.

10 Borrow a roofbox – there’s always someone has one you can borrow. A couple of bottles of wine as a thank you is a damn sight less expensive than renting.

11 Borrow clothing if possible – we’ve done this for our kids. Again, deeply uncool, but who cares?

I agree with the “borrow” element if possible. Makes a lot of sense. Also, if driving, do your shopping a way down the mountain! Prices rise with altitude!

This might be helpful, was in yesterday’s travel supplement on skiing holidays

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/oct/25/readers-tips-budget-places-to-stay

Have been puzzling over this.

Figured on driving down to the Aosta valley. Further than France, but food, drink and lift passes cheaper?

On the prices though – wow, last year was a shock. So the Euro has strengthed against the pound (by what 20%), so the travel companies stiff you by doubling their prices….

Didn’t book anything in the end and cadged a late flight only + hire car + out of resort accom.

Surfer – what’s yr mail as might be able to suggest a potential solution for you?
I’m c_w1979@hotmail.com

Last year we reckoned that we paid a total of £1500 for our skiing. Family of 4, following my ‘cheap-as-chips’ approach as described above. Given that lift passes and ski equipment took up £900 of that, and that we spent £150 on a couple of private lessons for the kids, you’ll see that we weren’t profligate with the rest.

We don’t have to pay for accomodation, but reasonable self-catering close to, though not in the centre of, most resorts can be obtained for £5-600/week at that time.

I always go with these… http://www.ucpa.com
room are mainly shared but rooms are 2, 3, 4, & 6 person, so you could hire out a whole room for yourselves.