Ski Europe

This does not surprise me at all. We have had passes for years, and finally gave them up. Our Epic pass was dirt cheap ($172military), but our adult kids passes are extremely expensive at about $900-$1200, depending on Epic or Ikon. The parking has become atrocious and a can of sardines has more room than the lodge. The runs are too busy, and you have experts coming down into the beginner area, so a recipe for disaster. The parking lots are mostly by reservation/cost as well. I was out of commission for skiing for the last 2 years, but this year we will drive further to the less congested areas, and a bit cheaper.

Remember that, if a ski accident or haul-down from the mountain is needed, that’s not included in the price of your European lift ticket/pass. It is in North America, and Ski Patrollers in the U.S. are true heroes and angels. There’s also something to be said for snow quality, not just cost. Skiing in Europe, of course, is about more than just sliding on snow.

European resorts have had a tough time with snow quantity of late, and Colorado is still Ski Country USA. That said, as of this weekend, I’m avoiding the downhill ski areas until after New Years, and will be doing lots of cross-country skiing, including later today.

Rescue insurance is only a small addition on the lift ticket price, like 5 CHF per day on a daily lift ticket price of 90 CHF for Zermatt only, or 105 CHF to include skiing into Cervinia, Italy. And multi-day tickets have reduced prices.