Skiing on a budget: top tips for saving money

Prices are rising and you're watching your spending? But you're not ready to give up your mountain vacation? You're right and, fortunately, there are solutions to go skiing without breaking the bank!

It is a false good idea to believe that going to a ski resort on a small budget must necessarily rhyme with: small resort, low snowfall and uncomfortable ski lifts.

In this article, Mountain Pass is teaming up with Les Petits Montagnards to bring you the best advice for going skiing while respecting your budget (without making concessions on the destination)!

Accommodation and meals represent half of the budget for a ski holiday

According to a report published by Domaines Skiables de France, Accommodation represents on average 29 % of the budget for a ski holiday. To find out the average price of accommodation in French ski resorts in just a few clicks, you can use the website skidata.io.

But this is far from being the only solution to reduce your expenses related to accommodation in the resort. You can also benefit from reductions thanks to your CSE. This is particularly the case for Passe Montagne members who can benefit from discounts up to – 50 % on the Travelski.com website.

Reconciling ski pass and small budget

The ski pass also represents a significant part of the ski budget. Are you wondering how it is possible to benefit from discounts throughout the season? This is precisely the reason for Passe Montagne, a company that democratizes access to the mountains by negotiating with each of their 150 partner ski resorts to offer exclusive rates to their members.

Membership costs between €5 and €10. It is therefore quickly amortized since some Passe Montagne partner resorts offer the package at – 50 %!

This is particularly the case for resorts such as Les Ménuires, Valloire, Valmorel Grand Domaine, Valmeinier, Albiez and Saint-François-Longchamp… Beautiful French resorts, which therefore allow you to enjoy all the comfort of a large ski resort at a reduced price.

Unlike some works council offers, Passe Montagne wanted to give its members the freedom to choose from a wide range of resorts. So, even with a small budget, you will find a resort that suits your needs.

And to easily take advantage of these discounts, use the interactive map to easily find a station and the associated reduction.

Rent your equipment rather than buy it

Are you wondering whether it is better to rent your ski equipment or buy it? The answer is: it depends…

The first indicator is the number of days of skiing you do per year. Indeed, it is not financially interesting to buy your equipment if you do not come to the resort often, because it will be technically obsolete before you have had time to make it profitable.

Remember:
If you ski less than 10 days a year, then renting is preferable.
If you ski more than 20 days a year, then it's time to buy your equipment.

Between 10 and 20 days, the argument is not financial but logistical: do you have the space to store your equipment? Will you have the time and patience to maintain it or have it serviced (waxing several times during the season, winterizing, washing ski outfits with the right products, etc.)?

To rent at the best price:
– your ski outfit, discover the Millet, Rossignol or Columbia outfits available in our O'rentees rental catalog and for regular skiers who like to change their style regularly, try seasonal rental of your winter sports outfits at an attractive price;

@LaviedeCoralie in O'rentees outfit, Columbia jacket and Volcom pants

– your helmet, skis, boots and poles – 60 % by booking online at Skimium after subscribing to Passe Montagne.

Vary activities: each day in the mountains must be reinvented

There are two main categories of skiers.

Those who ski all week, regardless of the weather, are on the slopes from the opening to the closing of the ski lifts and eat on the go so as not to miss a single minute of skiing.

And then there are those who like to vary the pleasures and buy their package day by day to ski according to the weather and their desires.

For the latter, the Mountain Pass card, which allows buy your ski pass 10 minutes before going skiing, is a good alternative to the weekly package (admittedly very advantageous financially, but only if you ski all week).

Of many free activities or inexpensive ones allow you to enjoy the mountains in winter without skiing: snowshoeing, relaxing in aquatic centers or even lazing on a terrace in the sun...

How to save money on transport?

Aside from carpooling, it's difficult to reduce your transportation costs if you come by car.

However, only 10 % of holidaymakers come to ski by train. Often seen as an expensive mode of transport, the train is nevertheless a good alternative to go to the resort at a low price if you buy your tickets early in the season or during promotional offers proposed by SNCF. As a bonus, the train offers you incomparable peace of mind and drastically reduces the carbon footprint of your stay!

With that, you already have enough to make some great savings on a ski holiday!