I recently went skiing for the very first time. I had always wanted to go but never quite made it, maybe because I just thought skiing was too expensive and didn’t want to prioritise it over other trips.
However, I’ve found out that you can have a cheap ski holiday and I’m going to show you how.
Read on for my budget ski holiday tips.
| Press Trip with Ski Hostel |
Stay in a ski hostel
Switzerland is notoriously very expensive, and food and accommodation both come at a premium. However, you can find cheap accommodation in the Alps. Instead of opting for a premium ski chalet, why not stay in a hostel?
Ski Hostel in Switzerland offers budget accommodation close to the ski resorts. I stayed at the Relais de Dranse hostel, a typical Swiss mountain chalet in the St Bernard region of Valais.
It’s close to the village of Liddes, and it’s just a 10-minute drive to the nearest ski resort.
Ski Hostel also offers some fantastic coliving opportunities through Coliving Frilingue. I stayed on one of Coliving Frilingue’s workation packages where you can ski in the morning/afternoon and do work at the hostel when you’re not skiing.
Accommodation in a private or shared room, coworking space, and party nights are all included. A two-week workation is priced at just €250.
Accommodation is basic but clean. I stayed in a six-bed dorm, but there were only four of us, so there was enough space for all of our things.
There are toilets and showers on the same floor. There’s also high-speed Wi-Fi, free coffee and tea, and amazing mountain views while you work.
If you’ve had enough of work, there’s a table football, table tennis and a lounge area where you can read or relax. Downstairs there’s a sauna and for the most beneficial experience, spend some time in the sauna and then head outside for a roll in the snow!
As for food, you can choose whether you want to cook your own meals and buy your own groceries, chip in to cook all together, or pay a little extra to eat half board. I recommend eating and cooking with the rest of the guests, as it gives you a chance to catch up and chat about your day.
I highly recommend opting in for fondue and raclette nights – the Swiss love their cheese, and so do I!
You can also book extra excursions during your stay. We went to Les Bains De Lavey spa, which had outdoor heating pools, hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, and even a plunge pool (as if those -14 C outdoor temperatures weren’t cold enough!).
We also went into Verbier one night to enjoy the aprés ski nightlife.
My favourite thing about staying in hostels is the new friends that you make while you’re there. There’s such a social atmosphere compared to hotels, with friendly, like-minded people from all over the world. Ski Hostel was no different, and I made so many friends here who I know I’ll keep in touch with and travel with again.
Choose cheap ski resorts
Switzerland is packed full of the glossiest and most expensive ski resorts in the world. In fact, it’s a fave destination for celebs. If you want to save money on your ski trip, steer clear of Verbier, Zermatt, and St Moritz and head to the lesser-known slopes instead.
In the Swiss Alps, head to Pays du Saint Bernard where a ski pass bought through Coliving Frilingue will set you back just €80! This ski pass gives you access to three ski resorts, free entry to an indoor pool, and free bus travel in the St Bernard region (you can use the bus to get to the ski resorts). Oh, and did I mention that it’s just €80 for the entire ski season? Not just the week!
In fact, the pass is valid for the whole year as you can use it on public transport during the summer months. This area of the Alps is great for a hiking holiday, and you pass through on the Tour du Mont Blanc, so it’s definitely worth popping back in the summer if you can. You’ll really appreciate the contrast between seeing the Alps in winter and seeing them in summer.
Your ski pass covers three resorts Vichères-Liddes, La Fouly, and Champex-Lac. All of these resorts are within a 40-minute drive of the Ski Hostel, and they’re close enough so that you can go every day and spend the day there or just pop by for a few hours of skiing.
Instead of tourist traps, these resorts are quieter and more popular with locals.
La Fouly
La Fouly is the perfect place for beginners like me. It has a learner slope with a magic carpet lift so you can get your confidence up. Once you’re ready, a t-lift here takes you to the top of a short blue run.
If you’re more advanced, a chair lift takes you to red and black runs, and you can go off-piste.
We also went night skiing here which was so much fun! Only the blue slope is open, and it’s lit up with floodlights. It’s a great experience, whether you’re new to skiing or you’ve been skiing for a while.
At the bottom of the resort, there’s a small restaurant serving food and drinks. I had a pizza here, and it was delicious. I also realised on my first visit here that I’d been here before. We stopped for a drink here at the end of one of the Tour du Mont Blanc days!
Vichères-Liddes
Vicheres-Liddes is the closest resort to the Ski Hostel at around a 10-minute drive. You can also catch the bus here, which stops just at the end of the road. This resort is truly breathtaking – the mountain scenery is just amazing.
It’s not the best resort for beginners, as the blue runs have a mountain drop on the side (eek!), but if you’re a bit more experienced, you’ll love the red runs that intersect and weave around the mountain.
It’s worth taking the chair lift to the top anyway to check out the views from up there, even if you come back down on it! There’s also a restaurant up here where you can grab a drink.
Champex-Lac
I didn’t visit Champex-Lac during my stay because it’s more suitable for advanced skiers. There’s one blue run, but the rest are mostly red and black runs and off-piste trails.
Hire your equipment
If it’s your first ski trip, you want to avoid shelling out for all the gear if you’re not sure you’ll keep it up. Equipment can be expensive, and you have to pay extra to bring it on the plane too.
Hiring your ski boots, helmet, skis, and poles is likely to be more cost-effective for you. You can hire your equipment directly through Ski Hostel, and they’ll help to find all the suitable sizes. Ski rental costs €180 for your stay.
Get second hand gear
There are many things you need for skiing that you might not have lying around. Salopettes, a ski coat, base layers, ski gloves, goggles – the list goes on. Instead of forking out a fortune for new gear (again, you might not love skiing, so you won’t use it again!), why not see what you can get secondhand?
Head to the charity shops, check Facebook Marketplace and search on eBay or Vinted. There are lots of places to source secondhand ski gear.
For an even cheaper solution, why not see if you can borrow some things from your family and friends? My bestie kindly lent me some of her salopettes and a ski coat for my trip.
Enjoy your budget ski holiday, and let me know in the comments if you have any more tips for a cheap ski trip.
