Beat the recession on the slopes

If you’ve had to reconsider whether to go skiing or not this year, then read on and you may reconsider again…

There are tons of ways to save money when booking your ski holiday. By taking into account lots of different criteria such as when and where to go, pre-booking extras online and choice of transport, it’s possible to make large savings on your holiday. There are also plenty of ways of saving a few pounds (or Euros) once to get to your resort. We’ve tried to think of all the possible ways to reduce costs to allow everything to get up on the slopes this season.

When booking, it’s important to consider the following:

When to book: If you can be flexible and wait until the very last minute, you can, of course, find some great deals, however, in more recent years many companies tend to offer better deals for early bookings to make sure they meet their objectives.

When to go:: The obvious advice is, of course, avoid school holiday periods - and not just the UK holidays – check on the net for other European school holiday dates which may apply to your destination. A simpler way of knowing when the school holidays are is by looking directly at the prices! Prices are often double at peak times like Christmas, February half term and Easter so no need to be a mathematician!

Don’t be put off by skiing in January – you may have to put on an extra layer or 2 but the snow is generally excellent and the slopes much quieter and most importantly of course, the prices are at their lowest. You will also find some low prices at the end of the season – nobody wants their hotel empty or to see their perfectly groomed ski slopes with no-one on it, so generally the prices are very competitive at the end of the season! If you go high you will get good snow, good deals AND a great suntan!

Redbubble.com

And... Duration: If a week still seems too expensive, then think about a 5 day trip from Monday to Friday – you have to search around a bit but there are offers on the market. Or why not a long weekend break – get your fix of snow without breaking the bank by choosing an easy-to-access ski resort and some low cost flights. Watch this space for a special report about weekend breaks.

Pre-booking extras: This is a great way of spreading your ski holiday costs over a few months - often very popular with the bank manager! Many ski resorts now give good discounts for pre-booked ski passes to try and boost their numbers throughout the season. Generally, you can choose from daily, weekly and sometimes a variation of the ‘ski 4 out of 6 day days’ type ski pass which is great if you have kids and want to do some other activities during the week. If you’re a fair weather skier and you like to sum up the conditions each morning before deciding whether to hit the slopes or not, this kind of ski pass is ideal. The other advantage of booking ski passes in advance, apart from good discounts, is little or no queuing with the hoards at the counter on the first morning.

Think about pre-booking your ski equipment too. This saves time and often quite a lot of money too – especially if you have children in your group as they often get special deals. Our trusted partner Skiset has some great offers this season... with up to 40% off!

2nd hand gear: It’s possible to find some excellent 2nd hand ski clothing AND equipment. Some people like to change their gear every year so it doesn’t necessarily mean out-dated ski suits or damaged skis or snowboards. I, personally, have never bought new ski suits for my kids – they’re expensive (the suits) and the kids grow so quickly, it’s just not worth it!

Where to go...choosing the country is extremely important: Italy and Austria are still among the most expensive countries but Switzerland is surprisingly reasonable in comparison. If you’re really looking for a cheaper alternative and you’re not too demanding, then why not try Norway or the Czech Republic where you will find some surprising prices and some pleasant ski resorts with small to medium sized ski areas. Could make a nice change too!

Choosing your resort: Staying low will mean lower prices too – if you’re happy to take shuttle buses up to the ski areas, mountain towns such as Innsbruck, Moutiers and Turin are very good options. If après-ski is not your number one priority, then staying in a small village that's part of a larger ski area can save lots of money too. For example, the village of Orelle in France where you have access to the huge Trois Vallées ski area or Vallandry which is connected to the Paradiski area. Also don’t forget there are some great little ski resort in the Southern Alps such as la Foux d'Allos, Vars and Risoul where prices are noticeably lower!

Choosing your mode of transport can make a big difference too! Traveling by car: This can often work out cheaper than flying especially for families or groups. This is even more true now the low cost airlines have added on so many extra charges they are actually more expensive than the “high cost” airlines! You can reach a lot of the French ski resorts in about 10 hours from London and Austrian and Swiss resorts in an average of 12 hours. Taking your car gives you more freedom once you arrive in your resort, however, check whether parking is free and not too limited in your chosen ski resort before deciding.

Traveling by plane: If you do decide to fly then check the small print if you have a lot of luggage or your own ski equipment – those low cost airlines have to make their money somehow! It’s important to tick the right boxes when booking online as you might have a nasty surprise at the airport where you’ll nearly always be charged more at the check-in desk for extra or bulky luggage.

Traveling by train: One of the most pleasant and stress free ways of getting to your resort is by train. Depending on where you go, the Snowtrain can almost take you door to door from central London!

It’s important not to forget transfers from airports or train stations – this can add up but there are lots of companies offering their services so look around for the best deals.

Travel Insurance This is the one area where it’s important not to cut corners! Accidents do happen – on ski holidays more than any other type of holiday and helicopter rescues are not cheap! We’ll be publishing an article about this important subject very soon… but in the meantime, one helpful tip is to get a free European Health Insurance Card before you leave the UK. This gives you access to state healthcare across Europe at reduced rates or even sometimes for free depending on where you are!

Once you arrive at your destination, you can save money by following these helpful tips:

Ski passes: If you’ve decided to wait until you arrive at your resort, but the high price of the ski passes for the larger ski areas puts you off, then check prices for the smaller sections within the ski area that are accessible with a limited pass. Maybe your group or family doesn’t actually need access to the whole ski area and will find enough challenges on the resorts own runs. This is particularly valid for families with young children or groups with beginners.

Even though you get a discount for buying a weekly pass, it’s often not that much of a difference, so consider buying daily ski passes! This is what I always do when skiing with my kids because you never know what the conditions are going to be like or someone might not be feeling well! There’s nothing worse than feeling obliged to go up the slopes when the weather conditions are bad, or with a sickly kid, just because you’ve already bought your ski pass! There are often plenty of other activities on offer or you can just relax for a day at the resort’s pool or playing games in front of the fireplace… Check out the ski area's official website to compare prices and see their particular special offers.

Some ski resorts have decided to offer loyalty discounts. This literally means that if you have returned to the same ski resort as the previous year and you kept your ski pass, you may get up to 5% off your new pass! This saving could buy you a meal in some resorts!

Renting equipment once you arrive Depending on where you’re staying, your hosts will often have an agreement with a particular ski hire shop giving their guests a discount – sometimes up to 25%! If not, then don’t go to the shop nearest the ski lifts – it’s bound to be the most expensive! If you don’t mind walking a little and shopping around you will find much better deals the further away you venture…

Lunch: This is always a tricky one as mountain restaurants are well-known for serving up rather expensive canteen style food leaving you feeling not particularly satisfied with an empty wallet to go with it! The high prices are due to transport costs and the low quality – well just a question of constant passing traffic… Ask at the Tourist Office for advice about mountain restaurants – they will have their favourites... Depending on where you’re staying, you may have a picnic hamper option at a small extra charge or make your own sandwiches if you’re in a self-catered apartment or chalet. There are often some really beautiful picnic spots where you’ll only be bothered by the birds – weather permitting of course – and you don’t need to worry about a coolbox! If you ski close to your resort in the morning, think about returning to your accommodation or eating in a resort restaurant at lunchtime – if you’re in a group or a large family, this could amount to quite interesting savings!

Self-catering: Ski resort supermarket prices are generally rather high due to transport costs and also due to the lack of competition. If you’re driving to your ski resort, plan a supermarket run at the last hypermarket you drive past in the valley before you start the climb to your resort. Supermarkets in ski resorts can be as much as 30%-40% more expensive and the fresh produce often leaves a lot to be desired!

Well after all that advice, we hope to have convinced you that you CAN beat the recession by just cutting a few corners and being very organized when booking our ski holiday.

Hope to see you on the slopes this season...

If you've got any hot tips you want to share with us, then feel free to comment or join us on our Facebook page.

If you’ve had to reconsider whether to go skiing or not this year, then read on and you may reconsider again…

There are tons of ways to save money when booking your ski holiday. By taking into account lots of different criteria such as when and where to go, pre-booking extras online and choice of transport, it’s possible to make large savings on your holiday. There are also plenty of ways of saving a few pounds (or Euros) once to get to your resort. We’ve tried to think of all the possible ways to reduce costs to allow everything to get up on the slopes this season.

When booking, it’s important to consider the following:

When to book: If you can be flexible and wait until the very last minute, you can, of course, find some great deals, however, in more recent years many companies tend to offer better deals for early bookings to make sure they meet their objectives.

When to go:: The obvious advice is, of course, avoid school holiday periods - and not just the UK holidays – check on the net for other European school holiday dates which may apply to your destination. A simpler way of knowing when the school holidays are is by looking directly at the prices! Prices are often double at peak times like Christmas, February half term and Easter so no need to be a mathematician!

Don’t be put off by skiing in January – you may have to put on an extra layer or 2 but the snow is generally excellent and the slopes much quieter and most importantly of course, the prices are at their lowest. You will also find some low prices at the end of the season – nobody wants their hotel empty or to see their perfectly groomed ski slopes with no-one on it, so generally the prices are very competitive at the end of the season! If you go high you will get good snow, good deals AND a great suntan!

Redbubble.com

And... Duration: If a week still seems too expensive, then think about a 5 day trip from Monday to Friday – you have to search around a bit but there are offers on the market. Or why not a long weekend break – get your fix of snow without breaking the bank by choosing an easy-to-access ski resort and some low cost flights. Watch this space for a special report about weekend breaks.

Pre-booking extras: This is a great way of spreading your ski holiday costs over a few months - often very popular with the bank manager! Many ski resorts now give good discounts for pre-booked ski passes to try and boost their numbers throughout the season. Generally, you can choose from daily, weekly and sometimes a variation of the ‘ski 4 out of 6 day days’ type ski pass which is great if you have kids and want to do some other activities during the week. If you’re a fair weather skier and you like to sum up the conditions each morning before deciding whether to hit the slopes or not, this kind of ski pass is ideal. The other advantage of booking ski passes in advance, apart from good discounts, is little or no queuing with the hoards at the counter on the first morning.

Think about pre-booking your ski equipment too. This saves time and often quite a lot of money too – especially if you have children in your group as they often get special deals. Our trusted partner Skiset has some great offers this season... with up to 40% off!

2nd hand gear: It’s possible to find some excellent 2nd hand ski clothing AND equipment. Some people like to change their gear every year so it doesn’t necessarily mean out-dated ski suits or damaged skis or snowboards. I, personally, have never bought new ski suits for my kids – they’re expensive (the suits) and the kids grow so quickly, it’s just not worth it!

Where to go...choosing the country is extremely important: Italy and Austria are still among the most expensive countries but Switzerland is surprisingly reasonable in comparison. If you’re really looking for a cheaper alternative and you’re not too demanding, then why not try Norway or the Czech Republic where you will find some surprising prices and some pleasant ski resorts with small to medium sized ski areas. Could make a nice change too!

Choosing your resort: Staying low will mean lower prices too – if you’re happy to take shuttle buses up to the ski areas, mountain towns such as Innsbruck, Moutiers and Turin are very good options. If après-ski is not your number one priority, then staying in a small village that's part of a larger ski area can save lots of money too. For example, the village of Orelle in France where you have access to the huge Trois Vallées ski area or Vallandry which is connected to the Paradiski area. Also don’t forget there are some great little ski resort in the Southern Alps such as la Foux d'Allos, Vars and Risoul where prices are noticeably lower!

Choosing your mode of transport can make a big difference too! Traveling by car: This can often work out cheaper than flying especially for families or groups. This is even more true now the low cost airlines have added on so many extra charges they are actually more expensive than the “high cost” airlines! You can reach a lot of the French ski resorts in about 10 hours from London and Austrian and Swiss resorts in an average of 12 hours. Taking your car gives you more freedom once you arrive in your resort, however, check whether parking is free and not too limited in your chosen ski resort before deciding.

Traveling by plane: If you do decide to fly then check the small print if you have a lot of luggage or your own ski equipment – those low cost airlines have to make their money somehow! It’s important to tick the right boxes when booking online as you might have a nasty surprise at the airport where you’ll nearly always be charged more at the check-in desk for extra or bulky luggage.

Traveling by train: One of the most pleasant and stress free ways of getting to your resort is by train. Depending on where you go, the Snowtrain can almost take you door to door from central London!

It’s important not to forget transfers from airports or train stations – this can add up but there are lots of companies offering their services so look around for the best deals.

Travel Insurance This is the one area where it’s important not to cut corners! Accidents do happen – on ski holidays more than any other type of holiday and helicopter rescues are not cheap! We’ll be publishing an article about this important subject very soon… but in the meantime, one helpful tip is to get a free European Health Insurance Card before you leave the UK. This gives you access to state healthcare across Europe at reduced rates or even sometimes for free depending on where you are!

Once you arrive at your destination, you can save money by following these helpful tips:

Ski passes: If you’ve decided to wait until you arrive at your resort, but the high price of the ski passes for the larger ski areas puts you off, then check prices for the smaller sections within the ski area that are accessible with a limited pass. Maybe your group or family doesn’t actually need access to the whole ski area and will find enough challenges on the resorts own runs. This is particularly valid for families with young children or groups with beginners.

Even though you get a discount for buying a weekly pass, it’s often not that much of a difference, so consider buying daily ski passes! This is what I always do when skiing with my kids because you never know what the conditions are going to be like or someone might not be feeling well! There’s nothing worse than feeling obliged to go up the slopes when the weather conditions are bad, or with a sickly kid, just because you’ve already bought your ski pass! There are often plenty of other activities on offer or you can just relax for a day at the resort’s pool or playing games in front of the fireplace… Check out the ski area's official website to compare prices and see their particular special offers.

Some ski resorts have decided to offer loyalty discounts. This literally means that if you have returned to the same ski resort as the previous year and you kept your ski pass, you may get up to 5% off your new pass! This saving could buy you a meal in some resorts!

Renting equipment once you arrive Depending on where you’re staying, your hosts will often have an agreement with a particular ski hire shop giving their guests a discount – sometimes up to 25%! If not, then don’t go to the shop nearest the ski lifts – it’s bound to be the most expensive! If you don’t mind walking a little and shopping around you will find much better deals the further away you venture…

Lunch: This is always a tricky one as mountain restaurants are well-known for serving up rather expensive canteen style food leaving you feeling not particularly satisfied with an empty wallet to go with it! The high prices are due to transport costs and the low quality – well just a question of constant passing traffic… Ask at the Tourist Office for advice about mountain restaurants – they will have their favourites... Depending on where you’re staying, you may have a picnic hamper option at a small extra charge or make your own sandwiches if you’re in a self-catered apartment or chalet. There are often some really beautiful picnic spots where you’ll only be bothered by the birds – weather permitting of course – and you don’t need to worry about a coolbox! If you ski close to your resort in the morning, think about returning to your accommodation or eating in a resort restaurant at lunchtime – if you’re in a group or a large family, this could amount to quite interesting savings!

Self-catering: Ski resort supermarket prices are generally rather high due to transport costs and also due to the lack of competition. If you’re driving to your ski resort, plan a supermarket run at the last hypermarket you drive past in the valley before you start the climb to your resort. Supermarkets in ski resorts can be as much as 30%-40% more expensive and the fresh produce often leaves a lot to be desired!

Well after all that advice, we hope to have convinced you that you CAN beat the recession by just cutting a few corners and being very organized when booking our ski holiday.

Hope to see you on the slopes this season...

If you've got any hot tips you want to share with us, then feel free to comment or join us on our Facebook page.