We spend more on skiing than food!

in Uncategorized, News & Views, Slider October 27, 2017

Would you believe it – a ski trip can cost more than the annual food bill.

Good Ski Guide, along with No1 Currency, has produced this league table of popular resorts, which reveals the gulf in cost between the cheapest and most expensive ski places to take your family skiing this winter. Key points –

Choosing France over Switzerland can save a family the cost of a year’s worth of groceries*
A family of four can ski Cervinia in Italy for a fortnight for the same price as a week in Grindelwald, Switzerland
A couple can save £3,000 by choosing pretty Alpbach in Austria over Zermatt in Switzerland
Ski and boot hire in Borovets, Bulgaria, is a quarter the cost in the Austrian partying resort of Ischgl

Travel money specialists No1 Currency has exposed the huge disparity in European ski prices, such as – choosing the world-renowned ski resort of Chamonix in France (£5,924 for a family of four for a week) over Zermatt in Switzerland (£9,720) will save you more than what the average household spends on groceries in a year (£2,953). *

Switzerland is the most expensive skiing destination in Europe – while GSG favourite Austria varies massively from resort to resort. Italy and Bulgaria are mainly cheap all round and roughly half the price of the Swiss resorts. A family can enjoy a week of skiing in Bansko in Bulgaria for £4,442, while this would cost nearly double in the Swiss resort of Saas Fee (£8,546).

Switzerland is famous for its high quality and chocolate-box scenery Grindelwald is renowned for its stunning views, but it comes at an eye-watering price. At £10,100, a week’s skiing there costs the same as a new Renault Twingo, and 80% more than a similar break at Les Deux Alpes – the French resort blessed with the largest skiable glacier in Europe. By comparison, an all-inclusive two-week family holiday to the Maldives will cost you £200 less (£9,912). *

A family of four can ski for two weeks in Pamporovo, Bulgaria (£4,396) for the same price as a week in Zermatt in Switzerland. Zermatt may have some of the longest runs in Europe, but its ski passes are among the most expensive. A week’s pass there weighs in at £314 – which is £100 more than a pass in St Anton in Austria (£219).

Sunny Italy is known for its favourable weather. A week’s skiing for two in Cervinia costs £2,790 – half the price of a similar trip to any of the main Swiss resorts on the other side f the Alps. The Italian resorts of La Thuile (£2,914) and Selva Val Gardena (£2,988) are also worth considering.

While the cost of renting ski equipment is only a small part of the total cost of a ski break, it all adds up – and again we found a huge disparity between resorts. Renting skis and boots for a week in Borovets in Bulgaria (£55) is a quarter of the cost in Ischgl in Austria (£195) – a saving of £140 per person.

Zell's glacier skiing

St. Anton - Foto Sepp Mallaun

Beautiful Alpbach in Ski Juwel

SKIIER CIRCUS

Kitzbuheler Alps

Location	Ski/boot hire per person (6 days)	Area lift pass per person (6 days)	Flights & Accommodationper person (7 nights)	Flights & Accommodationper couple (7 nights)	Total per person	Total per couple	Total family of four
Alpbach, Austria	£84	£166	£1,215	£1,250	£875	£1,750	£3,270
Pamporovo, Bulgaria	incl	incl	£1,149	£2,198	£1,149	£2,198	£4,396
Bansko, Bulgaria	£64	£119	£1054	£1860	£1,237	£2,226	£4,442
Soll, Austria	£94	£220	£938	£1,858	£1,252	£2,504	£4,714
Zell Am See-Kaprun,Austria	£141	£230	£1,180	£2,100	£1,551	£2,293	£5394
Saalbach Ski Circus Austria	£148	£233	£1,519	£2,238	£1,900	£3,800	£5,554
Borovets, Bulgaria	£55	£124	£1,449	£2,420	£1,628	£2,778	£5,556
Cervinia, Italy	£92	£291	£1301	£2024	£1,684	£2,790	£5,580
Kitzbulher Alps Austria	£177	£243	£1,201	£2,174	£1,621	£3242	£5,586
Les Deux Alpes, France	£121	£229	£1335	£2110	£1,685	£2,810	£5,620
La Thuile, Italy	£140	£212	£1168	£2210	£1,520	£2,914	£5,828
Chamonix, France	£158	£274	£1226	£2098	£1,658	2,962	£5,924
Selva Val Gardena, Italy	£107	£267	£1279	£2240	£1,653	£2,988	£5,976
Obertauern, Austria	£123	£215	£1,188	£1,249	£1,526	£3,052	£5996
Kitzbuhel, Austria	£177	£243	£1200	£2192	£1,620	£3,032	£6,064
Val Thorens, France	£155	£263	£1533	£2238	£1,951	£3,074	£6,148
Tignes, France	£140	£258	£1531	£2364	£1,929	£3,160	£6,320
Solden, Austria	£144	£209	£1225	£2450	£1,578	£3,156	£6,312
Courchevel, France	£135	£263	£1818	£2530	£2,216	£3,326	£6,652
Meribel, France	£163	£263	£1732	£2540	£2,158	£3,392	£6,784
St. Anton, Austria	£171	£219	£1369	£2614	£1,759	£3,394	£6,788
Ischgl, Austria	£195	£267	£1239	£2478	£1,701	£3,402	£6,804
Val d’Isere, France	£176	£258	£1793	£2558	£2,403	£3,426	£6,852
Saas Fee, Switzerland	£199	£275	£2091	£3524	£2,565	£4,273	£8,546
Zermatt, Switzerland	£150	£314	£2492	£3932	£2,956	£4,860	£9,720
Grindelwald, Switzerland	£230	£259	£2113	£4072	£2,602	£5,050	£10,100

Simon Phillips, Retail Director at No1 Currency, comments: “Skiing has never been a cheap holiday, but the weak Pound has ratcheted up prices even further for Britons wanting to hit the European pistes this winter.

“The combination of good infrastructure and the odd dash of celebrity glamour make the well-established resorts in the big three skiing countries – Austria, Switzerland and France – an attractive but expensive proposition.

“A week-long trip to Switzerland for a family of four can set you back the cost of a small family car before you even board the plane.*

“So if you’re on a tighter budget it makes sense to choose resorts in Bulgaria and parts of Italy, as they are a lot more affordable – but make sure you shop around for currency before you leave to ensure you get the best possible rate.”

Notes to Editor

Information sources:

Skis, boot hire, flights and accommodation: www.crystalski.co.uk (Date: Feb 10th – 17th)

The price of what an average household spends on groceries a year: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/expenditure/bulletins/familyspendingintheuk/financialyearendingmarch2016
The price of a 14-day all-inclusive trip to the Maldives on Thompson holidays for 4 people (2 adults/ two children) (Wednesday 14th Feb – 28th Feb): http://bit.ly/2zvedLn
The price of a brand new Renualt Twingo: https://www.renault.co.uk/vehicles/newvehicles/twingo.html

For more information contact:

Flora Campbell, Rhizome Media

020 3755 7612 | flora@rhizomemedia.co

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