Christmas 2011: Ways to save on ski holidays

Whether it’s your first time on the piste, or you head off to the snow-covered mountains year after year, here are ways to save on the slopes this winter.

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Save money this winter on the slopes

Many tour ops are offering good deals, so even if you are too late to take advantage of the early booking discounts, you can still make some savings. For example, Crystal was offering two-for-one lift passes in some Austrian and Swiss resorts, and Val d'Isere and Tignes in France. Inghams had free child places, as well as 13-day lift passes for the price of 10 in Banff and Lake Louise, Canada. Look out for deals from Neilson too. 

Book ski school in advance

Prices soar during Christmas, half term and Easter, so if you have to travel at these peak times, book as early as possible, especially if you want a specific resort or property. Book ski school and any extras such as ski rental in advance – ski school gets booked up and it can work out a bit cheaper.

Consider a chalet or self-catering

Chalet holidays can be good value as most meals are included. Self-catering accommodation can save money too. If driving to the resort, stop off at a big supermarket en route. Some mini-marts in resorts don’t have a huge choice and can prove to be expensive.

Compare the price of ski lift passes

Check out the ski area’s official website to compare the price of ski lift passes with your tour operator’s price. You may also find some money-saving tips on the site. For example, on the website for Sauze d’Oulx in Italy, it says that children under seven ski free when an adult buys a full-day ski pass, and over-75s ski free. Half-day passes may be a better option for skiers who also want to spend time away from the slopes.

Hire your skis and boots before you go

Spend some time looking online for a good deal. Skiset.com was offering up to 40% off ski rental, even for high-season weeks in popular resorts. Intersport Rental have some good deals too. From experience, we’ve also found that the further away rental shops are from the main ski lift, the cheaper they are.

Bring a rucksack and make a packed lunch

It’s much cheaper than eating and drinking at pricey mountain restaurants. If you don’t want a picnic, it still pays to ski back down into the resort.

Visit an indoor snow centre in the UK

If you haven’t tried skiing before, consider visiting an indoor snow centre before you fork out on a ski break. You can get a taster at Xscape in Milton Keynes, Castleford and Braehead in Glasgow, or Tamworth SnowDome, the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead and Chill Factore in Manchester.

Don't forget insurance

A cheap ski holiday can become very expensive if something goes wrong and you don’t have winter sports insurance. You don’t want to think about being airlifted off the slopes, but if you happen to find yourself in that unfortunate position, you certainly don’t want to be paying for the privilege. You can buy ski insurance from around £15, but take note that this may not cover you for injury from off-piste skiing or tobogganing. Check your policy.

Further information

Visit The Ski Club of Great Britain to read about the latest snow conditions, historical snow records and destination reviews. Check out the latter – you don’t want to end up in a purpose-built resort if you were after alpine charm, or find there are no bars when you want some après ski.

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