The belated onset of snow across the Alps has brought a flurry of bookings, encouraged by tour operators. When you add to your basic package price the cost of essential extras such as a lift pass, ski hire and so on, however, ski holidays do not come cheap. Prices in Switzerland, especially, have gone through the roof because of the strength of the Swiss franc: in sterling terms, local prices have almost doubled in the past four years, simply because of changes in exchange rates.
But you can still find good value in the other mainstream Alpine countries. In the new edition of Where to Ski and Snowboard, our annual resort guide, we have assembled our biggest-ever price survey, giving prices for a lift pass, ski or snowboard hire, modest consumption of food and drink (simple lunches plus a drink or two) and a four-hour private ski or snowboard lesson split between two people. Total costs for the four elements vary enormously between resorts and countries.
The priciest resorts include St Moritz (Switzerland), Whistler (Canada) and Aspen (US), where a week's extras add up to £800 or more. The cheapest resorts are in Romania and Bulgaria, where the extras total £300 or less, but these places won't satisfy most keen skiers.
Happily, there are places in Austria, France and Italy where the extras cost half what they would in the most expensive resorts. Here we have picked out 10 major Alpine resorts that offer excellent value for money (extras add up to between £430 and £535).
There are other ways in which you can cut your costs: buy a limited-area lift pass; search for lift pass discounts for the young, the old and beginners; choose a package that includes lunch or a chalet that includes afternoon tea and wine with dinner; self-cater, and stock up with supplies at shops in valley towns.
Package prices are for one week, departing on March 17 or 18, including half board and flights from the London area unless otherwise stated. Hotel and chalet prices are per person, apartment prices for the whole apartment. Lift pass, ski hire and food and drink are all for six days
Mayrhofen, Austria
Mayrhofen has long been popular with party-loving Britons and families attracted by affordable prices, good childcare and ski schools with high reputations. Snow reliability is relatively good, although there are no pistes back to the village from the main slopes. The lift pass covers the snow-sure Hintertux glacier at the head of the valley – reachable by free buses. The area also now extends to the slopes above Lanersbach – a much quieter base than Mayrhofen, which has some lively central bars. Mayrhofen itself is built in pleasant, traditional style but it is a sizeable place, and you may need to use the ski-bus. Beginners need a full lift pass from the start.