Skiing in Austria

[ShortDaysLongNights]

Never been skiing in my life so haven't got a clue about what we need, costs, etc but adding a few things together, I would expect a one week holiday to cost about £2,000 per person (conservative guess)

Can someone advise a good starting point of how to pull things together and what a realistic budget is?

(Background, my dad who lives in Europe would like to go skiing with his kids and grandkids, and whilst he is well off I'm trying to tell him that it is not a financially viable option for a lot of us. He's having none of it and downplays the costs)

Look on crystal ski to get an idea of what it would cost for your flights transfers and accommodation. This is a ski package firm run by TUI. You can book it separately too but I find it’s easier to book via crystal because they sort your transfers which can be tricky and expensive on ski holidays. Then add ok about 250 euro per person for ski pass and about 150 euro per person for equipment hire. This could be less if you’re not planning on doing much skiing. You will also need spending Monday. We do £300 per person spending on a self catering holiday.

we are skiing for a week in Italy for about £900pp half board for a week early February and will probably be close to 2k pp by the time we have factored in other costs so your estimation is probably right. But you can also go to much smaller cheaper resorts. If the kids haven’t skied before then they won’t need a big area.

Thank you. That's really good advise. I was looking at flights and car hire and going from there but already so expensive. Ski passes are €400 for the week at the resort he's looking at! Just trying to manage expectations and rung him earlier to say that spending £8,000 isn't feasible. I also think booking now for Feb is quite short notice. A lot of hotels and apartments are fully booked!

If you are from the UK then looking at Crystal or one of the similar Tour Operators is a good starting point for a first-time trip.

As above ^^ a week in Austria in February is going to cost about £2,000 pp by the time you've factored in the cost of the package (flights, accommodation and transfers) the ski rental, lift pass and then some spending money e.g. lunch on the mountain, a drink or two after skiing etc. Half term coincides with school holidays across Europe, so prices in Mid-Feb are much higher than say the last week in January or from mid-March onwards. Easter would be a cheaper alternative - and the days are longer and warmer than in February so you might get to sit on a sunny terrace in the afternoon.

You'll also need to have some ski clothing - jacket, trousers, underwear, fleece, ski socks, lots of gloves and a warm hat. These can cost from about £100 pp (Decathlon, Aldi, Trespass) to mega-bucks in Ellis Brigham, Quicksilver and other specialist ski shops. Alternatively, beg or borrow clothes for the kids from anyone else you might know who skis - they will only fit for one week as they'll have grown out of them for next year.

You'll also need winter sports insurance.

Very few resorts have a ski pass that costs €400 for a week. Only the mega-resorts cost this much, and as beginners you won't need a resort that is that big or challenging. Either look at somewhere smaller - or go at Easter and look for resorts that have "kids ski for free" offers. For example, Saalbach has free tickets all season for children born in 2017 and later - and free tickets for all children born 2007 and later at Easter (from 1st. April).

Somewhere smaller - see this great trip report: >www.mumsnet.com/Talk/skiing/3893018-First-time-skiing-how-does-it-work
and the post from @TeetotalKoala about 9 posts down.

I missed out ski school - which is a must for beginners.

A word of warning - teaching other family members to ski is a recipe for disaster and can lead to falling out, divorce and worse!! Far better to go to ski school for at least the first few days to learn the basics. The kids love it (and lessons are paced to suit them) and the adults learn the correct way without the "family" stresses. Whatever granddad thinks, you won't be skiing together until mid-week, when you might take a few quiet runs in the afternoon after ski school. And if he suggests "this run is easy enough" at about 3pm, when you're already tired and thirsty, tell him to go ahead on his own while you head for the cafe or download on the cable car.

Get your post moved to the skiing board! Lots of good advice over there including the Austria first timers thread linked above. my only thing to add is to echo the advice of Easter holidays skiing for beginners. Cheaper, warmer and quieter. Feb HT is very full on in most resorts (and flights are most expensive and roads busiest/most susceptible to snowfall in Alpine areas).

Mal @ ski Line will be able to help, they are experts in Austrian skiing short breaks too..

We are going to Italy in February half term, family of 4. No Ski School. Flying BA, half board (so no lunch included), private transfers.

All in, including dog minder for 2 dogs, parking, lift passes and ski equipment we won't get any change from £6.5k

One thing i would definitely suggest adding into your costs is skiing insurance. I got it for peace of mind as when i went as a few years ago a friend broke their leg and the travel insurance took forever to get sorted! Sports FS have great advisors and will be able to suggest what is best for you :)