Cheapest places to ski this winter

Skiing isn’t a cheap holiday but you can make it more affordable for clients by seeking out resorts that offer the best value, not only in terms of flights and accommodation but also for essential extras like lift passes, ski hire and lessons.

Fortunately, Post Office Travel Money has published its latest ski report, produced in conjunction with Crystal Ski, which will help you work out which are the cheapest places to ski and board this winter.

However, you need to ask your clients what their priorities are for a winter sports holiday as some destinations have cheap food and drink but expensive lift passes, others offer affordable ski lessons but sting clients on the cost of eating on the mountain.

Also, some of the cheaper destinations have a much smaller ski area, fewer facilities and sometimes even less snow. They might be an excellent choice for beginners or families with young children, but more experienced skiers might be bored.

Bansko in Bulgaria has the lowest prices overall. A ski pass and equipment hire work out 25% cheaper than the next cheapest, Kranjska Gora in Slovenia, and food and drink are also much cheaper than anywhere else. A beer is 71% cheaper than in Soldeu, Andorra and Ruka in Finland. Bear in mind, however, that Bansko offers just 70kms of runs compared with over 400kms at some of the larger European resorts.

Within the eurozone, Kranjska Gora  is the cheapest destination, but if your clients are after a well-known northern European resort with more extensive skiing,  the best value destination is Ellmau in Austria, which has 279kms of runs. A quick check by TravelMole found that it was possible to book a package for a family of four to Ellmau for more than £200 less than to Bansko, departing on December 29 and including bed and breakfast accommodation.

However, if your clients plan to have lunch on the slopes every day, they’ll find Ellmau is quite pricey as a two-course meal here will set them back about £17, twice as much as in Bulgaria.

Livigno in Italy, which has 115kms, is also good value and is recommended for complete beginners as it has the lowest priced ski school. Here they’ll pay just £75.44 for a week’s instruction, £495 less than in Nendaz, Switzerland, one of the most expensive destinations. Prices in Livigno are down about 9% year on year, due to the strength of the pound and a 3% drop in resort prices.

Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money said: "Seasoned skiers may have their favourite resorts and stick to them whatever the fluctuation in prices, but bargain-hunters, especially novice or intermediate skiers are more likely to look for the cheapest deal.

"In this case there is no doubting that Eastern European resorts will be the best bet. However, while skiing is cheapest in Bulgaria and Slovenia, our research shows that there is good value to be found in long-established favourites Austria and Italy, providing you choose your resort carefully. And skiers heading to Europe have the added bonus of up to 7.5% more currency for their pounds this year due to the strengthening of sterling."