Tips for a budget ski trip please! 🙏

[oli252]

I've been skiing for over 20 years, but I find costs keep going up and up year on year, making it more and more difficult for us. Share your tips for a budget ski trip!

We have a few criteria:

• large enough resort in the Alps. I know Bulgaria or Slovakia etc is cheaper but we want to stick with the Alps. I have a soft spot for the Dolomites, but happy to go elsewhere
• self travel is good. We used to rent a car but decided a few years ago that public transport is actually really good and cheap (and less stressful) - so must have decent enough transport links (train + bus is fine)
• a swimming pool (hotel or public in the resort) is highly desirable for the kids, although not a must
• a well connected sledge run or other activities are a distinct bonus but not a must
• as we have kids in school (8 and 10) our dates are problematic. We tend to go either right after Christmas or the first week in January (the kids have to miss a few days of school but it's cheaper and quieter).

My problem is that I struggle to find cheap enough accommodation and every year it's more and more expensive. I'd consider around £1000 or a bit more for a week (2 adults + 2 kids) a very good deal. There are a lot of "luxury chalet" options but so little for those who just want to ski and are happy to stay in a shed essentially (must be heated 😆).

Any tips??

P.S. Long time ago before kids we stayed in a French hostel and absolutely hated the experience - all the guests were clearly there to party all weekend and it was unbearable. So a hostel is a stretch too far.

P.P.S. I don't mind package holidays and have done them before but each time I compare the costs I find even the cheaper options more expensive than self travel. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong sites..

Have a look at Soll in Austria, ticks all your boxes (not sure about whether it's got a village swimming pool though) - that is a tight budget though 😬

I have a friend who has this down to a fine art. They drive, do a big cash and carry shop before they go and fill the car so they don't have to shop in expensive resort supermarkets, they use Tesco Clubcard vouchers for Le Shuttle and they find a SC apartment on Airbnb. This is often a fairly spartan sort of place, but as long as it has enough beds for everyone (they have teen/20-something boys), then it works.

They are open-minded about resort, but also favour the Alps. Small satellites to the main resorts can work well, as long as they have a reliable lift connection to the main area. Big ski areas have multiple dormitory options so look at the small villages around e.g. Flaine, 3 Vallees, Val D'Isere, La Plagne, Morzine, Verbier, etc that have a link into the main ski area. Also, consider staying somewhere like Brides les Bains, from which the Olympe gondola connects to Meribel, as this can be a good, budget-conscious option.

We have this relatively sorted and have introduced a number of families to our way of doing things and they keep coming back!

We have a small house in a small town in the French Alps (in the valley not in a resort) which is 20 mins drive from the nearest skiing, but there are about 20 resorts within an hours drive, including Serre Che, Puy St Vincent, Vars, Les Orres and a lot of smaller places costing sub €30/day for lift pass.

We rent our place out for £6/700 a week, which is market rate in our town. At new year friends found a comfortable but not flash flat, sleeping 6 for €600 on air b&b.

So, easy option is to drive, but you can fly (to marseille - cheaper for skiing flights than the usual suspects) and get a hire car. Or go by train all the way. There are buses to the local resorts in the event it snows and you don’t want to grapple with snow chains.

The town has 2 big supermarkets and a lot of character.

Its quite outing to say the towns name on here but I’m happy to DM if you’re interested to know more.

We have always done the self-drive/tunnel/self-cater/shop at the bottom of the mountain ski holiday; never stayed in a catered chalet and only once in a hotel many years ago pre-dc.

We book apartments through an agency in the resort - have a look at the main resort website for details: check number of beds, square metres and bed configuration. With dc we often used to book a ‘2-room’ apartment, which is actually one bedroom and a separate lounge/kitchen/diner with sofa bed: usually had fold down or fixed bunks in the hall which gave 3 separate sleeping areas. Often quite basic so check photos - and many are 2nd holiday homes and rented in weeks the owners don’t use so have an eclectic mix of furniture - generally warm and comfortable, but not luxurious by any means. We’ve stayed in Pierre et Vacances studios in the past - some have pools - which were cheapest option we’ve found. Prices have gone up since COVID; staying in a lower resort which gives you access to a wider ski area will be cheaper, but have a look at Easter - you need to go high and north-facing but more cost-effective than half-term/Christmas/NY.

We always go here ; Barzio it's 45 minutes drive from Como. Only Italians. www.pianidibobbio.com

I found some really good last minute deals for end of March on Sunweb today and all their quotes INCLUDED the ski passes. In the French alps.

Look at places in the Maurienne Valley as close to train and also good bus links. Lots of self-catering apartments and small Carrefour/ Casino etc.

We had some great skiing there years ago. Mainly Valloire but some other little places, and of course there’s the Orelle link to VT and the Three Valleys. Not cheap though!!

I am definitely not normally one to recommend any sort of package but recently came across Sunweb and the all in price (accommodation, flights, lift pass & equipment hire) was very competitive. Have a look at Résidence CGH Kalinda in Tignes.

Those SunWeb options do look pretty good. Just been checking out prices in Les Orres ;which I know really well). Pretty good - esp when you factor in the lift pass.

As others have already posted, Sunweb can have some excellent deals when you consider that their prices include the lift pass.

Otherwise look at almost anywhere in Salzburgerland or the eastern side of Tirol in Austria, flying in to Salzburg.

Large resorts? - Yes, and many resorts are linked on the same lift pass (e.g. Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang-Fieberbrunn-Viehhofen-Zell am See-Kaprun). Accommodation in Saalbach and Hinterglemm is fairly expensive (€1,250-€2,000 per week for a reasonable apartment) but Leogang, Maishofen or Viehhofen are cheaper and give access to the same area. Likewise staying in Kirchberg for the Kitzbuhel area, or Maria Alm for the Hochkonig area. Look for accommodation on the usual rental sites, or on the Tourist Office websites.

Good, cheap public transport? - Yes, public transport in Salzburgerland is free for tourists if they get the Salzburgerland Mobility Card from their accommodation provider (which includes private apartments and small B&Bs as well as hotels). Most resorts can be reached in less than 90 minutes by train or bus from Salzburg. The #260 bus runs directly from the Airport to Zell am See, with changes to local buses for Saalbach and Maria Alm.

Pool and other activities? Many hotels have pools, as do a number of apartment blocks and apartment hotels. Where I ski there ice skating, horse-drawn sleigh rides, bowling, night skiing, a tree-top walk in the forest - and two night toboggan runs.

Thanks everyone for the tips, I'll check them out!

I do know about Sunweb but being a control freak I like to book my ski trips in summer when the deals are not so great, at least I've never managed to get great ones 😒 but maybe I should have another look.

Driving is not really an option for us - we are in Scotland so we either face a 10h drive to Dover or a very expensive ferry from Newcastle. But we usually manage to find decent flights from Edinburgh.

It has got horrendously expensive to do this, and I agree with you that from EDI you have to fly (although you could then hire a car or get a transfer - I've done both). If you are not doing either of those things (and relying on public transport, which is generally OK) then you are massively limited on which resorts. The only hope is they have a family lift pass deal, and some accom that will suit. Our best shouts (as a family of six on public transport) were Leysin SW, Les Houches FR, Bardonecchia IT, and also Obersdorf GR (Nebelhorn not great for beginners, but there are some busable easy slopes) and also some of the resorts near St Gervais (FR). All had ski gear, none were beginners (Leysin is good for beginners - it has a little ski school down by the sports centre, free nursery slopes, sledging, and also a public pool (very cold). Plus you can get the train direct from GVA to Aigle, then the funicular up to the resort. Some of the big souless resorts in France have OK accom, but harder to get to, and the price of the passes is extortionate (although in fairness, very good terrain and lots to go at). Have also done Andorra and Livigno, but without kids. HTH xx