Head east to bag the best ski deal
British skiers in search of a good value skiing trip this winter ought to head to Eastern Europe & the Pyrenees, new research has shown.
The Post Office's annual Ski Resort compared the cost of lift passes, equipment hire, ski tuition & food & drink in ten popular winter sports destinations.
1. Bansko, in Bulgaria
Total cost of the items: £263
This was the resort offering the best value according to the study. Prices in this report have fallen by over 5 per cent since last years’ survey.
2. Andorran resort of Arinsal
Total cost of items: £368
This resort closely followed Bansko, again prices in this resort also fell by over 5 per cent since last year's survey.
3. Bohinj in Slovenia
Total cost of items: £371
The Slovenia resort, Bohinj came third in the study.
4. Formigal in Italy
Total cost of items: £398
Formigal took fourth position
5. Livigno, Italy
Total cost of items: £451
6. Adelboden, Switlerland
Total cost of items: £655
North America remains the costliest location for British skiers, according to the study.
Killington, United States came in at a total cost of items of £683 and Banff in Canada will cost the British Skier a total £673 for all the items we compared. A Six-day lift pass & ski tuition in North America are on average three times more expensive than they are in Bansko and 50 per-cent more pricey than in French, Italian, Swiss & Austrian resorts.
Among the more traditional European destinations, Italy is the best value for Britons to partake in a skiing holiday. In Livigno, the cost of the items was £451.
Although the statistics are not representative of all resorts in each country, they give a lovely indication of average costs. Skiing packages to Bulgaria & Andorra are among the least expensive currently available, with one-week breaks from as little as £199 per person with Balkan Holidays.
Skiers who are on a budget have quite a few great-value resorts to choose from:
Sarah Munro, head of travel money at the post office says "Italy is also looking lovely for those skiers who prefer skiing in one of the long-established favourites."
Switzerland is, by some distance, is the costliest country in Europe for British skiers. The total cost of the items in the resort of Adelboden was £655. A 27 per-cent increase on last year & around £150 higher than in the French resort of Serre Chevalier and the Austrian resort of Schladming.
It doesn’t help that the worth of the pound has fallen by nearly 10% against the Swiss franc since last winter, which has understandably led to a sharp drop in bookings for holidays in Switzerland.
Due to this it seems Switzerland are attempting to attract and win back British Skiers by offering free lift passes and cut price accommodation according to a spokesman for Crystal Ski, Britain’s biggest winter sports operator.
It seems the best time this winter to find discounted ski holidays is over the New Year, which is usually one of the costliest times to travel. Most ski holidays start & finish at the weekend, but this winter New Year's Eve & New Year's Day fall on a Saturday & a Sunday and with the many of our schools restarting on January 3rd or 4th it seems many British holidaymakers have been reluctant to travel throughout this week. His means that tour operators have been left with thousands of unsold packages which have massively contributed to the drop in price over this period!
We have found that the following sites provide the best skiing deals, we hope this article was helpful and enjoy your holiday!
If you have a ski deal and want to tell our Inside Scoop family please email info@insidescoop.co.uk
