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.

Dealing with the unlikely possibility of injury/rescue does still involve extra thought and effort in Europe.

Interesting article. There are certainly ways to save on skiing, anywhere. Both Aspen and Vail are upper-tier resort areas in the U.S., so other locations, in the U.S. and elsewhere, can cost much less. Passes bought early are still the best deal, unless someone truly wants to ski for only a day or two n a season. Walk-up, single day lift tickets have truly gotten severely expensive in many U.S. ski areas. There are still mom-and-pop-type ski operations, with much cheaper lift tickets, but even Ski Cooper doubles the prices on Friday and Saturday, compared to weekdays.

As for cut-rate savings, getting to the particular departure airport, to take advantage of the “cheap” flights to Europe the article mentions, could involve more expense, time, and effort for lots of people who don’t live in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, etc. That could take a lot to overcome the cost, once one has arrived across the Atlantic.

So lift tickets in Europe appear to be the biggest deal, as mentioned in the article. The European lodging suggested is still expensive, though. And lunch suggestions aren’t cheap, either, but do sound like finer dining than American pizza or chili options. A Clif Bar consumed on a lift is cheaper yet, if actual skiing is the priority. Europe certainly does offer a different ski experience, however, whatever the cost.

Backcountry skiing (hike up, no lifts) is cheapest of all, and a lot of fun when the snow is good. But it isn’t for everyone.

Sasha’s right, and backcountry skiing is getting more and more popular. Even some resorts are offering skin up, ski down annual passes for next to nothing.

All that’s not completely free, though. Specialized equipment, like skis that accept climbing skins, along with different bindings, or a splitboard, will be needed by most people. And in true backcountry settings, avalanche safety/rescue gear, and knowing how to use it, are essential. Another thing that sets in-bounds Ski Patrol apart is their avalanche monitoring and mitigation work, all included in your American lift ticket.

Sasha and Cyn--That is what our son and his fiancé do. They rarely do it at the ski resorts, as most of the time they are way off by themselves. They always wear their avi backpacks regardless of where they are skiing, and they have taken the appropriate courses and refresher courses each year, have the PLB's etc. They recently bought a snowmobile to get them even further away.

Now that we have reduced the skier population to the 2% of American skiers with the requisite skills and physical conditioning to do back country skiing, lets add buying your equipment used at ski-swaps and clothing at 2nd hand shops (Aspen has some good ones) and most important, a friend with a house in the mountains where you can stay for free.

How about the 0.0002% of American skiers (not including those featured in extreme ski films) who might go backcountry skiing outside of the U.S. … would that be cheaper overseas? Maybe the New York Times will have an article about options in, say, Uzbekistan.

Sam--Or be ski models for a ski company and get your gear for free:) That is how our son and his fiancé each got one set of their skis.

BREAKING NEWS: I’ve just learned about some Christmas Break lift ticket prices here in Colorado, from the local newspaper. I’ve earned ski passes for the last several seasons through volunteer work, so haven’t needed to stay abreast of out-of-pocket pricing developments. I’ve never (yet) skied in Europe, and have occasionally looked at options, but now more for cross-country than for downhill. My husband skied once in Europe, almost 22 years ago, and as a trip co-leader with a local ski club. Discounts were available, and that was a long time ago, when Colorado lift tickets were also waaaay cheaper, as was airfare to Europe.

Many of the prices below make it seem potentially a lot cheaper to go to Europe (at least between Dec. 21 and Jan. 5, 2025) to take some runs, than to walk up to a ticket window (or ATM) here in Colorado.

Vail - price has gone up more than $100 since 2019, and was $299 last year, but is now $329 !! You can save a few $$ by purchasing your single-day lift ticket in advance … “just” $313 for Dec 24 & 25, then $295 for Dec. 26 thru Jan. 5 dates.

Just down I-70, neighboring Beaver Creek is the same price for a walk-up, one-day, adult lift ticket, $329. Save a buck with an advance ticket at The Beav, with advance tickets costing $312 through Dec. 25, but still $295 through Jan. 5.

From there, prices at many popular Colorado resorts are still approaching $300 for a single-day ticket over the holidays. I’m surprised that Aspen/Snowmass are down at seventh on the price list! And I don’t know what Telluride is charging. I’m not sure about Silverton, either, but super-extreme isn’t ever cheap. All of these have better pricing deals, if you get tickets/passes early enough, and are able to plan ahead. so here’re those shocking prices for a same-day, adult lift ticket at other ski areas between Dec. 21 and Jan. 5:

Breckenridge Ski Resort: $299
Steamboat Ski Resort: $299
Keystone Resort: $292
Winter Park/Mary Jane: $267
Aspen/Snowmass: $264
Copper Mountain Resort: $264
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area: $189
Loveland Ski Area: $149

I remember when there was serious eye-rolling several years ago, when Aspen and Vail cracked the $100 mark. Now A-Basin and Loveland far exceed that!! Once in Europe, lift tickets may be cheap(er), food is better (but not necessarily cheaper), and lodging still isn’t cut-rate. It’s still the airfare to get to Europe, in addition to transportation to reach the ski areas, that make skiing in Europe more than just a financial afterthought for most of us. If skiing has always been a bit of an elitist activity, it appears to be becoming more of one, nowadays. Or, it’s taking extra measures to be able to keep sliding on snow.

https://bookstore.rose-hulman.edu/MerchDetail.aspx?MerchID=246095

This isn’t a news story. It has been cheaper (and better) to ski in Austria, for example, than the Rockies since at least the early 1980s.