In a few weeks’ time you will be able to make your first turns of the winter season 2014 - if you’re lucky enough to have a ski holiday planned before Christmas! As ever, our team is always looking for ways to help you find the best deals for your ski holiday and one of the most important parts that we often forget about is ski passes. The basic rates for ski passes can sometimes seems extortionate and the larger ski areas are becoming aware of this and have started putting together some interesting offers, especially for families and groups.. We’ve put the best ski pass deals together below…
The price of a ski pass can vary enormously depending on where AND when you choose to go skiing. It goes without saying that you will find cheaper ski passes in the smaller ski resorts that are off the beaten track or in the less well-known alpine countries such as Norway or the Czech Republic. You tend to pay for what you get. Not surprisingly, you will find the cheapest ski passes during off-season periods such as early December, mid January and at the end of the season. During school holidays at Christmas, February half term and at Easter, ski passes will always be more expensive. However, saying that there are nearly always lower priced ski passes for younger children and seniors and groups and families can often find good reductions when paying together. You will need to show passports for proof of age or family relation to get these special prices.
Another factor which influences ski pass prices is whether you buy a local or whole ski area pass. The local ski pass generally covers the ski resort where you are staying whereas the whole area ski pass includes other ski resorts which are linked together within the ski area meaning the number of kilometers of slopes increases dramatically. For example, if you are staying in Meribel you can buy a local ski pass for the resort’s own ski area or a Three Valleys ski pass which will give you access to the ski slopes of the other fantastic ski resorts in the ski area. If you are a beginning or skiing with young children, the local ski passes often offer sufficient skiing for 6 days.
A standard ski pass is a 6-day pass that is valid from Sunday to Friday. However, any duration is possible bearing in mind, of course, that if you buy a 1-day ski pass each morning you will pay more! If you have an early flight meaning you arrive Saturday during the day, you can always buy a half-day ski pass for the afternoon. If you are lucky enough to get away for a few ski holidays in the year and you ski in the same ski area, it may well be worth looking at buying a season ski pass!
Let’s start with the Pass Tribu for the Three Valleys ski area. This ski pass allows you to ski freely in the beautiful ski resorts of Val Thorens, Les Menuires, Courchevel and Meribel. To benefit from the Pass Tribu, you need to be a group of at least 3 people and the ski passes need to be purchases at the same time and with the same bank card (if you are paying by credit card) This ski pass offers the possibility to ski for 6 days for 262 euros instead of 277 euros. In Les Deux Alpes, the family is being honored with their own special Ski-Pass Tribu. This ski pass is valid for family groups from 4 to 8 people and gives access to the Grande Galaxie ski area. This offer gives significant discounts on the basic price as the package amounts to 30 euros for an adult and 23.50 euros for a child (under 19 years old)! In the Portes du Soleil ski area, home to the wonderful ski resorts of Avoriaz, Morzine and Les Gets, there is a great late season offer valid from the 29th March 2014. When you buy one adult ski pass, you get one free Portes du Soleil ski pass for a child under 12 years of age (subject to conditions of course)! For late-risers you can also buy the 5-hour ski pass so you can enjoy your lie-in without feeling guilty!
In Vars, a special rate has been set up especially for the month of April. This is the "spring skiing" deal, which allows the use of lifts for 6 days for the price of only 4 days! In Pra Loup, skiers can opt for the Freedom Pass (one day) which will cost only 20 euros for students / children / seniors and 25 euros for adults.
Another good tip to save a few euros is to pre-book your ski passes. Ski resorts often offer this service on their official Tourist Office websites or if you have booked your ski holiday with a tour operator, this is often an extra service on offer – with the extra luxury of having your ski passes delivered to your accommodation on your arrival! No queuing on your first morning – you can be the first up on the slopes… sounds like heaven to me! You can save up to 10% on the standard ski pass price by pre-booking.
In a few weeks’ time you will be able to make your first turns of the winter season 2014 - if you’re lucky enough to have a ski holiday planned before Christmas! As ever, our team is always looking for ways to help you find the best deals for your ski holiday and one of the most important parts that we often forget about is ski passes. The basic rates for ski passes can sometimes seems extortionate and the larger ski areas are becoming aware of this and have started putting together some interesting offers, especially for families and groups.. We’ve put the best ski pass deals together below…
The price of a ski pass can vary enormously depending on where AND when you choose to go skiing. It goes without saying that you will find cheaper ski passes in the smaller ski resorts that are off the beaten track or in the less well-known alpine countries such as Norway or the Czech Republic. You tend to pay for what you get. Not surprisingly, you will find the cheapest ski passes during off-season periods such as early December, mid January and at the end of the season. During school holidays at Christmas, February half term and at Easter, ski passes will always be more expensive. However, saying that there are nearly always lower priced ski passes for younger children and seniors and groups and families can often find good reductions when paying together. You will need to show passports for proof of age or family relation to get these special prices.
Another factor which influences ski pass prices is whether you buy a local or whole ski area pass. The local ski pass generally covers the ski resort where you are staying whereas the whole area ski pass includes other ski resorts which are linked together within the ski area meaning the number of kilometers of slopes increases dramatically. For example, if you are staying in Meribel you can buy a local ski pass for the resort’s own ski area or a Three Valleys ski pass which will give you access to the ski slopes of the other fantastic ski resorts in the ski area. If you are a beginning or skiing with young children, the local ski passes often offer sufficient skiing for 6 days.
A standard ski pass is a 6-day pass that is valid from Sunday to Friday. However, any duration is possible bearing in mind, of course, that if you buy a 1-day ski pass each morning you will pay more! If you have an early flight meaning you arrive Saturday during the day, you can always buy a half-day ski pass for the afternoon. If you are lucky enough to get away for a few ski holidays in the year and you ski in the same ski area, it may well be worth looking at buying a season ski pass!
Let’s start with the Pass Tribu for the Three Valleys ski area. This ski pass allows you to ski freely in the beautiful ski resorts of Val Thorens, Les Menuires, Courchevel and Meribel. To benefit from the Pass Tribu, you need to be a group of at least 3 people and the ski passes need to be purchases at the same time and with the same bank card (if you are paying by credit card) This ski pass offers the possibility to ski for 6 days for 262 euros instead of 277 euros. In Les Deux Alpes, the family is being honored with their own special Ski-Pass Tribu. This ski pass is valid for family groups from 4 to 8 people and gives access to the Grande Galaxie ski area. This offer gives significant discounts on the basic price as the package amounts to 30 euros for an adult and 23.50 euros for a child (under 19 years old)! In the Portes du Soleil ski area, home to the wonderful ski resorts of Avoriaz, Morzine and Les Gets, there is a great late season offer valid from the 29th March 2014. When you buy one adult ski pass, you get one free Portes du Soleil ski pass for a child under 12 years of age (subject to conditions of course)! For late-risers you can also buy the 5-hour ski pass so you can enjoy your lie-in without feeling guilty!
In Vars, a special rate has been set up especially for the month of April. This is the "spring skiing" deal, which allows the use of lifts for 6 days for the price of only 4 days! In Pra Loup, skiers can opt for the Freedom Pass (one day) which will cost only 20 euros for students / children / seniors and 25 euros for adults.
Another good tip to save a few euros is to pre-book your ski passes. Ski resorts often offer this service on their official Tourist Office websites or if you have booked your ski holiday with a tour operator, this is often an extra service on offer – with the extra luxury of having your ski passes delivered to your accommodation on your arrival! No queuing on your first morning – you can be the first up on the slopes… sounds like heaven to me! You can save up to 10% on the standard ski pass price by pre-booking.
Being lucky enough to have parents who were crazy about skiing, my love for the mountains started when I was 4 years old on our first family ski holiday to Austrian ski resort of Obergurl. One ski holiday a year was never enough and tears rolled down my face as I looked out the back window of the car on the drive down the valley on the way home!
