UKC

Request for information, has anyone done a relatively cheap skiing long weekend?
Any European destination considered. Looking for cheap total price including ski/boot hire, pass, getting there and accommodation.
Just a pointer needed then I can look into the detail.

In reply to pasbury:

I'm also interested in tips on this. In general I hear the Balkans are great value for money, but have no detail I'm afraid.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ski/articles/The-best-ski-resorts-in-East...
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/jan/04/balkans-skiing-snowboarding-...

Cheers,
Conor

In reply to pasbury:

some friends of mine have done this a couple of times: Cheap flights to Grenoble, cheap hotel in the town, hired equipment in the town (which is cheaper than up on the mountain), and each day caught a bus to somewhere like Alpe d'Huez or Deux Alpes. Apparently you buy a combined bus ticket and one-day lift pass at the bus station, which again is cheaper than paying on the mountain. Does mean you're sat on a bus for a while at the start/end of each day though. Food/drink obviously cheaper than mountain prices too.

In reply to pasbury:

If you are near Luton airport you could fly with Wizz Air to Poprad-Tatry Airport in Slovakia (Fly out Saturday fly back Tuesday allowing you 3 days skiing on Sunday-Tuesday). This then gives 30 minute drive to the accommodation for the skiing at Jasna. There is lots of good cheap self catering accommodation about 10 minutes drive from the slopes. The ski passes and rental prices are cheaper than in the alps. The resort is good with a new efficient lift system. Things like eating out on the hill is about 5 euro for a burger and fries. A beer is about 2.50 euros. Overall it could be a good way to spend a couple of days especially if you luck out with the snow and can explore the large freeride zones.

In reply to pasbury:

After many years organising ski trips as cheaply as possible, I've come to the conclusion that skiing is never a 'budget' sport if you use lifts. You can definitely minimise costs by following the advice above, but lift passes are an unavoidable expense and generally end up being 30-50% of our total costs.

Picking a smaller resort helps reduce costs (we like Bernex, France where an adult pass is about 23 euros/day), and if you're only skiing for 2 or 3 days there should be enough pistes to keep you entertained.

In reply to pasbury:

Honestly no idea whether or not this would actually work out cheap travelling from the UK but i reckon Georgia is worth looking into. The main resort is about 1.5-2 hours drive from tiblisi and the costs of everything else will be considerably less than almost all western european resorts. Oh and it's the Caucuses so proper real big mountains not some snowy hills like you'll find in a lot of eastern european ski resorts. All of that being said taking into account the distance a longer trip may be more time and money effective than a long weekend.

In reply to Frank4short:

I've no idea about the skiing but I visited Tbilisi for work recently - no direct flights available from Paris & I spent something like 6 hours in the air, even with a direct flight I suspect it's 5 hours from London - a bit far for a weekend.

Personally I've had many cheap ski weekends but mostly when living in the Scottish Highlands (or nearby eg Aberdeen) or in eastern France - not much use to the OP based (I think) in England

In reply to sxrxg:
Is the skiing generally quite reliable there? Your post looks quite tempting, cheers..I'm off to France shortly for 4-5 weeks and I know its going to cost a fortune...

In reply to Jim 1003:
We went in late March in a poor snow season and there was still plenty to do. The freeride world qualifiers visit early March each year so the snow record must be pretty good.

The ski club have a nice little video review of the place that might be of interest to you:
youtube.com/watch?v=kiNuC9-GCxs&

In reply to sxrxg:

My first ever ski trip was to Slovakia, and it was extremely cheap. Food and accommodation were very good. We went at Easter and there was still plenty of snow on the pistes, plus there was a big dump while we were there. There was a train from town to the resort so getting around was very easy. This was in 2004 however, so I imagine a lot has changed. We flew in and out of Prague and got the sleeper train which was cheap and comfortable.

In reply to pasbury:

Would you consider going out by coach? Drugs / alcohol may make the journey pass relatively easily.
Ski Weekends may be worth looking at.

In reply to pasbury:
Just got back from a week in Bosnia (Jahorina) with Ski Sarajevo. Good, cheap and lots of snow. It’s beyond my abilities but you can ski the Olympic slopes. (Disclaimer: the Balkans are my second home and I more than know my way around, but I think they take a fair number of people out. Mostly locals on the slopes though)

In reply to Frank4short:

I skied a couple of Georgian resorts last year. It is in no way a long weekend/ short break destination though there is plenty of scope for adventures! I would recommend it for the relatively intrepid . Road access could be 'interesting', lifts may close without warning etc but costs are low.

In reply to sxrxg:




Good video, thanks...

In reply to pasbury:
How cheap is cheap?
Budget flight to Geneva, pre booked transfer to Argentiere, stay in pre booked bunkhouse, Gite belvedere or Les Randonneurs, bar meals in the village
I have flown out after work on Thursday then back on Monday night after a full day's skiing - 4 days skiing for 2 days off work

In reply to Pasbury:

Depends what you consider cheap. Spotted this the other day, £150pp sounded cheap to me for any kind of holiday.

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/from-london-7-nights-skiing-inc-flights-ac...

In reply to pasbury:

The best way to save money is to avoid eating and drinking out and especially up the mountain.

( I have in my younger days skied at Easter and camped very comfortably in Pralognan, Les Houches and Chamonix. )

In reply to pasbury:

Not in an environmentally friendly way, no.

In reply to pasbury:

I don't ski but there was lift infrastruce and huts/cafes dotted about the Carpathians in Romania

Walking hut costs were 5€ bed, 10€ breakfast and dinner. So I suspect ski costs would be on a similar ratio to that

In reply to pasbury:
Poland, don't expect the alps, but do expect cheap prices.

We do a week for under £400 which includes food, hotel, ski hire and lift passes

In reply to pasbury:

Thanks to UKC hive mind. Some great suggestions. The request was not for me but my partner and friend. They have booked a flight to Geneva, going to try Airbnb as near to Les Houches as they can and take it from there.