W are often asked, 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 a and other lifts at the ski resort to get you up the mountain) and to pay for your ski lessons. You’ll also need to buy some warm clothes to cover you from head to toe when you’re in the mountains.
On the other hand one 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 dozens 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.
We have more detail on these aspects of your holiday in this guide but, for example, you could pay only about £100 for a week’s lift pass at a smaller, less well known resort or at a famous resort you could pay as much as £300 or £400 for a week. If it’s your first few weeks you probably won’t want or need access to hundreds of miles of ski runs and you’ll probably find a smaller area far friendlier and less intimidating so why waste money at the big resort?
Quite a lot of resorts also have free beginner lifts so you may not need a lit pass at all to start.
There are also big differences in rental costs and ski tuition costs depending on where you go and how you book. Whoever is selling you your ski holiday may offer the best price and overall deal if you book these altogether through them. The resort you’re going to may also offer deals when you book through their website, particularly low season periods.
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 the ‘high performance thermal, breathable’ skiwear until you’re a complete addict. On the other hand you can of course also wear this clothing in winter at home so that might justify greater expense if not just for your ski holiday.
Ski jackets and waterproof trousers cost more of course but again you can but reasonably good versions from supermarkets and TK Maxx or online have higher quality brands at lower prices if they’re last season’s fashion. People also sell lightly worn quality skier in eBay and similar sites, borrow from friends, and there are companies that rent top quality skiwear too.
A great idea is to try skiing before you go, it gets your used to the feel and ensures you are definitely going to ahve a great time where you get there.
