People often ask, how much does skiing cost? Well, skiing and snowboarding holidays do tend to cost more than a European beach holiday because on top of the cost of traveling to your ski resort and staying there, you have the cost of renting your equipment, buying a lift pass (a special ticket that allows you to use the chairlifts and other lifts at the ski resort to get you up the mountain) and paying for your ski lessons. You’ll also need to buy some specialist clothes to cover you from head to toe when you’re in the mountains.
On the other hand, once you have paid for these things your days are full on the ski slopes. You don’t have to pay for other activities (although lots of resorts also offer things like tobogganing, snowshoeing, dog sledding, zip wires, spa treatments and lots of other activities too so you may be tempted).
It’s worth keeping in mind from the start that there is a huge difference in what you might pay for these different parts of your ski holiday – the ski rentals, lift pass and tuition.
There is more detail on these aspects of your holiday in this guide but, for example, you could pay about £150 for a six-day lift pass at a small, less well-known resort, while at a bigger or more famous resort you could pay as much as £300 or £400 for six days. If it’s your first few weeks you probably won’t want or need access to hundreds of miles of ski runs so why spend more money than you have to?
Some resorts also have free beginner lifts so you may not need a lift pass at all to start.
There are also big differences in rental prices and ski tuition costs depending on where you go and how you book. Tour operators like Crystal often offer the best price and overall deal if you book these extras as part of your holiday package.
If you are on a tight budget you can buy very cheap thermal tops, leggings and ski socks, often from supermarkets or online. You don’t really need to worry about high-performance skiwear until you’re more experienced. Youcan of course also wear this clothing in winter at home so that might justify greater expense if it’s not just for your ski holiday.
Ski jackets and waterproof trousers cost more but again you can buy reasonably good ones from supermarkets or online. You can often find they have higher quality brands at lower prices if they’re last season’s fashion. People also sell lightly-worn, quality ski clothing online, or you could borrow from friends. There are companies that rent top quality skiwear too.
One way to prepare for your ski trip is to practise skiing beforehand. This will help you test your gear and clothing to make sure it fits and feels comfortable.
