EA ski holiday can really cost you money – even if it only lasts a few days. Some even believe that they cannot afford such a vacation anyway. But if you take a few tips into account, you will drive more cheaply.
Switch to the off-season
If you don’t have to go on vacation, you should better avoid this time and choose the off-season. Vacation dates are usually the most expensive, confirms Florian Schmidt from the German Ski Association (DSV).
If you have to travel as a family with children during the holiday season, you should at least skip the popular days of New Year’s Eve or Easter, advises the tour operator Snowtrex. Significantly more attractive offers are available before Christmas, following New Year or in the week following Easter.
Compared to the main season, the price differences are usually enormous. In addition, the slopes are usually emptier and the ski passes cheaper in the off-season.
Choose a small ski area
Avoid Ischgl, Kitzbühel, Sölden and Co. – “The less known and smaller a ski area is, the cheaper it is usually”, says Sandra Timár from Österreich Werbung. There are often only a few kilometers of slopes, a small selection of huts and not the latest lifts. But if you only go on a ski holiday for a few days, have children with you or fall into the beginner category, smaller areas are not necessarily worse off.
The tour operator Snowtrex has calculated that a ski holiday in a manageable area in France, Germany, the Czech Republic or Poland can bring savings of up to 70 percent compared to large areas. Ski pass, equipment rental, ski school, meals and accommodation are significantly cheaper there.
Holiday apartment instead of a hotel
Instead of a four-star wellness hotel with a three-course menu, it is better to look for a holiday apartment in order to save money. That is cheaper and no less relaxing, says Florian Schmidt.
In addition, many holiday apartments offer more space than hotel rooms. Comfortable and affordable offers can be found in almost every ski resort. Of course, nobody cleans for that – but you know that.
Accept longer journeys to the ski area
Rule of thumb: the closer the accommodation is to the lift, the more expensive it is. That is why Sandra Timár advises all savers to stay in places that do not have a ski lift and are not directly around the corner from ski areas. From there you can usually get to the nearest ski area by public transport in less than 60 minutes.
Compare prices for ski equipment
Ski vacationers without their own equipment should compare prices for rental equipment in advance. In some cases it might be worthwhile to borrow the rental equipment from a sports shop in your home country and take it with you, says Florian Schmidt.
If you don’t want to transport the equipment, you should reserve or book the equipment online in advance in a sports shop in the ski area, advises Snowtrex. This might save up to 70 percent.
According to Florian Schmidt’s experience, some sports shops also have special offers for the purchase of ski equipment for children: The children’s ski set can then be exchanged for the required new ski length up to three times for a service fee.
Or the used material can be returned and the price will be credited proportionally to the new ski set.
Buy a ski pass for several days
If you spend several days in a ski resort, you should always buy a multi-day pass instead of individual day passes. Rule of thumb: the more days you ski, the cheaper the ski pass per day is. According to Florian Schmidt, offers such as “pay for five days, six days of skiing” are particularly interesting.
Take away discounts for children
Whether from the tour operator or the ski region: With certain promotions, the ski holiday can be booked particularly cheaply – for example, if you don’t commit to a ski area at all. Sandra Timár advises looking out for offers or packages on the websites of the ski regions that, for example, significantly reduce skiing holidays with children.
According to Florian Schmidt, children up to the age of six ski for free in many ski areas if one of their parents buys a ski pass. In some ski areas this even applies to older children. Families should look out for such offers when booking. According to the DSV expert, there are also discounts on ski passes for schoolchildren, young people, students or senior citizens.
Consider package tour in winter vacation
Many book their ski vacation individually. They think: package tours are more for a beach holiday on the Mediterranean. However, a complete package of accommodation, ski pass and rental fee can also be cheaper on winter holidays than booking everything individually. It also helps some to keep an eye on the cost of their vacation.
Florian Schmidt also refers to the combined offers from Deutsche Bahn or bus tour operators. In addition to the arrival and departure, the day ski pass is included in the price. The Garmisch Ski Ticket from Deutsche Bahn, for example, takes you from Munich Central Station directly to the Zugspitze and Garmisch-Classic ski areas. Limitation: This is often only regarding day trips.
Know regional differences
If you keep your eyes open when choosing a ski location, you can also save money. “In the east of Austria a winter holiday tends to be cheaper than in the west,” says Sandra Timár as an example.
Hannah Lorbach from Snowtrex emphasizes the good value for money on a ski holiday in France. Here, the standards in the accommodations are not as high as in Austria or Switzerland. But you are often in the immediate vicinity of the slopes. The high-altitude ski areas impressed with their guaranteed snow, a wide selection of slopes and a solid infrastructure.
Packed lunch instead of a meal in the hut
Warm up at lunchtime in a rustic mountain hut and eat a warm meal at the same time: this is tempting following a long morning of skiing. The huts know that: the prices are often steep. The alternative: make yourself a bread roll for the slopes.
This way you can get as much vacation as possible with bridging days
Even if many public holidays fall on a weekend in 2022, you can still schedule your vacation days so that you have as many days off as possible in a row. With these tips you can make the most efficient use of the bridging days.
Source: WELT / Viktoria Schulte
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