To not understand the snobbery around skiing?

That is good value for skiing, especially at half term. Add on lift passes and ski lessons though, and you’d be looking at at least another grand, I’d assume?

Still good value for half term though, I’ll definitely be looking outside the alps for next holiday!

Yeah, we went to Lapland (Ylläs) last Feb half term. 2 adults and 2 teens. Through Crystal and it was £3300 including flights, transfers and half board. I thought that was excellent value (if you love skiing that is).

I love skiing, I also like beach holidays. But I still would prefer skiing. My ski suit is from Aldi, it was £74.99 and it has all the gubbins & bells and whistles that the more expensive brands have.

@HollyKnight

Yet we have every year for a decade now. I went every year for a decade with my parents.

I live in Europe, most people of all backgrounds here go skiing so I wasn't sure why it's considered upper class in the uk.

The UK is in Europe. Do you mean you live on mainland/continental Europe?
If so, then access to skiing is wildly different - what with the whole crossing the sea thing.

I lived in Germany for 2 years in my early 20s. I'd never skied before, yet we'd pack up a car and go off for the w/e. Split the petrol. Ski and boot hire from where I lived was cheaper than from the resort.

Editing to add that I know we can ski in Scotland, but for people in the south of the UK you can't really do that for a w/e, unless you fly and then you're back to the cost issue.

The cost of petrol? (Haha)

Yeah people have said to me that they tried skiing because people said it was a fun past time.

They hated it.

I tried skiing once at our local dry ski slope...it was painful and difficult. Not what i'd call a holiday...really fancy the apres ski though.

Of course it is. And that's just 1 child.
I am in a comfortable financial position. £1,500 is a large chunk of our FAMILY holiday budget. And then they need all the kits and extras.

I only started skiing at 39, dh was 45. Was never an option when I was growing up (one of 5 kids). We've been 3 times now with dd14. It is an expensive holiday. Our last trip we paid 4.5k (feb half term) for the 3 of us, flights, transfers, 4* hotel, half board, ski lessons, passes and equipment. Aside from buying lunch on the slopes (and a few beers) we don't spend much other money as we're too tired to do anything else. I wouldn't swap a ski holiday for a summer one though.

You didn’t specify you lived ‘in Europe’ in your OP. The U.K., which is where Mumsnet originated (and is predominantly posted from) is coincidentally in Europe also. Its a fair assumption if the poster doesn’t specify they are outside the UK that they aren’t, therefore to wonder why it’s a class/money issue is a bit silly as there isn’t an awful lot of skiing here, and ppl don’t tend to go on holiday within the UK to ski.

No. But it's not the same is it. It's very dependent on weather on the day. No one is going to book next year's ski HOLIDAY in the hope the snowfall will be good in Scotland.

Yes, Snowheads bashes very reasonable prices. It’s cheap and cheerful, but all about the snow and the company rather than the hotel and resort.

Hats off to anyone who skis in Scotland. The Scots I’ve met who grew up skiing are generally pretty phenomenal skiers because of variable conditions and regular practice. As I understand it, any day could be a truly great day or you might get no skiing at all.
My husband and I both learned as adults, he was young and I rather older. Never thought it would appeal but I love it. I agree it has a bit of a label attached to it (I’ve certainly met plenty of types who perpetuate that so we DIY to avoid them).
i also know people who love skiing from rather more ordinary backgrounds. Snowheads bashes and the like do a great job at making skiing more accessible to people from a wider variety of backgrounds.

Some places in Scandinavia are good value for money these days compared to the Alps. It used to be very expensive to go to Norway for example but there's not much difference these days.
In fact the Norwegian lift passes are often cheaper, as is ski hire, because the ski resorts are more basic with older lifts but you can still have a great time.

Like many things you can have the budget version of ski-ing - self drive, self cater, 2nd hand kit or an all in coach trip and youth hostel style or a last minute deal. You need to be very motivated so understandable that people may not choose it as a random holiday.
I went as a teen (budget church trip - coach and basic accomadation) and got the bug. I met my DH ski-ing!
I see it as the more fun version of hiking in beautiful mountains - thrill seeking with a dollap of hygge christmas cosyness.

you are joking right 😂 maybe stick to Switzerland…

The above prices are Feb half term btw. Cheaper if you go in Jan.

Those stating that a ski holiday will cost over £10k are as wrong as those saying ‘anyone can afford skiing these days.’ Skiing will always be an expensive sport. It can be done on the cheap though - cheap relative to £10k, that is!

I’ve costed up where we are going this year, and for a family of 4 with all travel, car hire, accommodation, lift passes, ski school, equipment hire, and petrol it would come in at just under £3k. We are paying less than this, as we have our own skis, don’t need lessons, and I get cheap flights through work. The only things not included in that cost are food (but self catering - you’d be buying food at home, so you could live on spag bol every night and cornflakes for breakfast and it wouldn’t cost much more than home, or you could go out for dinner every night you don’t get takeaway in - personal choice and budget dictates here!) also non-ski outings not included, if your family suddenly decided they need to go the swimming baths or snowmobiling. It’s not in the Alps or Pyrenees, and not Eastern Europe either. Northern Europe, harder to get to, less mountainy, but cheap and different. Still skiing!

For the posters saying at the start of the thread that skiing is something people don’t take up as adults - I did, as did everyone in my family except for one sibling who went on the school ski trip. He became so obsessed he went to work in a resort, and we all went to visit him as grown ups and took up skiing then. Me and my other sibling in our mid 20s, our parents in their early 50s. From a very working class background!

I don't think you can lump fox hunting with skiing. One is very illegal for a start!

Just done a quick search on Crystal Ski, 2 adults and 2 children skiing in February All Inclusive from £744 per person total £2976. Adding on all the extras like Ski hire, lift pass, lessons £3300.

I can't understand how ski hire, lift pass and lessons can only be another £300 total for 4 people - lift passes would be over 1k for 4 people in a decent resort, lessons you'd be looking at £200 per person. I'd reckon you'd be looking at another 2.5 k each, not £300.

In fact I just priced up a half term holiday with Crystal for 2 adults and 2 kids, with lift passes, half day ski school and ski hire it was £8796 total. That's half board so you need to pay for lunches still. If you want full days ski school it's more. If your kids are too young to ski it's £600 a week for childcare but obviously they would have no ski lessons or ski hire or lift pass so would be slightly cheaper for a non skiier kid.

@HollyKnight

You literally said the UK doesn't have the weather for it - did you mean England?

You know that's not the skiing people are talking about.

I have zero interest in skiing, fox hunting or golf! Which I think of all as rather private school types activities to do! I often wonder if the posh types invented these very dull, cold, outdoor pursuits to keep as their own because they new the masses would have no interest in them! And so they could keep these boring hobbies for themselves and their elite buddies without infiltration from us peasants!!

As an adult, I can well afford any of the above but fox hunting just seems cruel (IMO), golf is vvv boring (tried it once and was like...eh? What is meant to be fun about this?) and skiing just does not appeal to me in any way. I'd rather hike the mountain or run in the mountains. Just not bothered by the thought of skiing.

Where are these places where you can get lift passes and ski hire for a family for under 350 quid? 35 years ago maybe.

I live in a small family ski resort in Austria. It has about 10 lifts.
Cost for a 2 adults and 2 children family ski pass for a week is €923 for 7 days.
Ski hire here costs for 2 adults and 2 children around €650 for 7 days.

A nearby, large and famous resort doesn't do a family ticket. The costs are €437 per adult for 7 days and €218 per child so €1310 for family of 4.

I don't know what planet people are living on if they think that "anybody" can afford to go skiing. These are just the costs for the actual skiing in the resort and you have to pay for flights, accommodation and food on top of that.

I think skiing has become much less affordable than say 25 years ago when I first went to Andorra where it was cheap and cheerful. Now every resort has to be equipped with top quality lifts, heated chair-lifts with bubble covers so you don't get cold on the way up and snow making because the natural snow isn't adequate any more. The costs of snow making are astronomical.
There is no future in skiing in the Alps with less and less snow every year but these places are clinging on desperately and investing heavily to keep it going a bit longer because it's a massive contribution to the economy.
And to do all of this the costs have to be passed on to the customer.

Mumsnet is for everyone. There’s a skiing holidays section, a property section and a style and beauty section, despite many people in the UK being unable to afford a skiing holiday, a house or fashionable clothing. Yet I have also seen huge amounts of support and compassion being offered to people in need, so much so that Mumsnet actually has a pre-made warning statement to discourage people from offering too much to strangers who may or may not be genuine.

Going on a camping holiday does not stop someone from being a generous, socially aware or compassionate person.

Going on a skiing holiday does not stop someone from being a generous, socially aware or compassionate person.

Even ordained religious ministers, priests and nuns - some of whose entire vocations are to support the poor and needy - are allowed annual leave and to take time away from their work and travel or relax. This costs money which could be given to the poor. Yet it is still permissible.

Or should everyone sell all they have to give to the poor?