 Poster: A snowHead
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well i'm off to a local resort in a mo, were my lift pass for the day will be 36chf..bargin..
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Swiss skiing is a premium product with some of the best lifts, on hill food and is at the luxury end of the skiing price range.
Thats rather subjective...
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From the Swiss themselves so probably is quite subjective; http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Swiss_ski_resorts_must_diversify_to_survive.html?cid=31710328
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I apologise if buying a bottle of water in a supermarket does not quite meet your usual expectation of having your butler crawl over with Fiji water on his back!
Now that's talking extremes isnt it? I was pointing out that it's nice not to have to go into a supermarket to buy a bottle of water when you are on holiday! I mean honestly, £16 or £17 for a burger, chips and drink is pretty steep and it seems that people are actually saying thats a bargain? When prices are that high, you are forced to go out and fend
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Most places I ski will envolve a visit to the supermarket to buy a couple of bottles of water a day. You are dam right I am on holidays and like a break but you can eat and drink cheaply if you make a tiny bit of effort in Switzerland.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I know it's expensive and prepare for it (save a bit harder during the year). I want to ski in Switzerland so I'm prepared to put up with the extra expense. And what's all this bottle of water malarkey, visit to the supermarket to buy beer to drink in the apartment before we go out in the evening 
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| under a new name wrote: |
Hmmmm, it's all relevant really isn't it?
When we moved to CH in 2006, it seemed broadly comparable to central London.
Hotels and food/drink priçes really haven't changed.
The exchange rate however... |
Central London is filthy expensive too.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Smokin Joe, The mayor of Val d'Isere is not very happy with Brits either saying they do not spend enough money. I suppose it is a bit like brit F1 "fans" deck chair, sarnies and ‘allo mate rather than blazer, luncheon and stand dear boy, I knew the colonel you know. A fringe following of a rich man's sport.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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bobmcstuff, and there's not a lot of skiing to be had 
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| pam w wrote: |
| I watched a man on a roof today, shovelling the stuff |
Ooh do me a favour Pam, describe his shovel! Didn't get a photo did you ?? 
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| Cynic wrote: |
| Downhill Sailor, I remember 10 CHF to the pound before the Tory government got in, a round of drinks at the Palace hotel was still £76 I also remember. |
Which Tory government had you in mind? May 2010 1.55 ish now 1.36 ish 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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LOL 10CHf to the pound was a very long time ago, back in the 1950's it was 13CHf to the pound but in those days you could only take £50 of currency out of the country, before my time, I can remember over 5CHf to the pound but that must have been in the 1970's I think
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bobmcstuff, Not relevant to switzerland it isn't apparently... 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I was in Engelberg, got there by train and took a bottle of water up the mountain. I did not have lunch, never on a powdr day! There is no free tap water on the mountain!
Luckily you can get to Engelberg by public transport until 2.15am otherwise it is cheaper to stay at a hotel than get a taxi looking at the quotes I recieved.
Yes it was great skiing until it rained yesterday up to 2000m.
Everyone knows Switzerland is expensive but you are in for a surprise this year!!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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stevew, Thatcher D G Orf,Is correct it was 5 to the pound at that time my mistake.
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You know it makes sense.
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I've had far cheaper holidays in Zermatt then in som eother places (bar lift pass obviously)..even a poo-poo hole like passo tonale was more expensive..but then was when the pound bombed against the euro a few years ago..
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Cynic,
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| The mayor of Val d'Isere is not very happy with Brits either saying they do not spend enough money |
The opposite in Samoens wherein the French do of course eat out but predominantly eat in and those that do, often stay in accommodation that would unlikely win any awards for amenity.
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Poster: A snowHead
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the gossip I've heard is that the Dutch are the least popular from the spending point of view, coming down with huge cars crammed full of fodder and buying very little locally.
I think restaurants all over France have been having a thin time for some years, especially with working people doing the Anglo Saxon "sandwich at the desk" rather than a proper lunch in a resto. Every now and then French TV carries reports of the numbers of restaurants closing all over France. The ones who make money round here seem to do it by using family members to cope with peak demand, living on the premises to keep costs down, working very hard for the winter and summer seasons and not expecting a fancy standard of living.
The local authorities here have been quite negative about owner-occupied properties, complaining that they are empty too much. They are far more in favour of the old rabbit hutchy places - more mouths per square metre and rented out as much as possible. Or, with new builds, a "residence de tourisme" rather than "co-pro classique". There's an association of chalet and apartment owners which has done some very good research which seems to suggest that the owner-occupied ones are just as well used, but the mairie is not too inclined to accept it. The association's AGM is at the end of the month. I shall attend - I won't understand 100% but will get the gist and other owners (overwhelmingly French but with a growing sprinkling of other nationalities) are very friendly and welcoming.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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radar,
I have also skiied Japan and found it very reasonable. I did a 5 week ski tour. There was always free tap water, travel if booked at home was much cheaper for the tourist than the locals and you could always find a decent meal for 10 Euros. I also found nice cheap accommodation everywhere I went.
None of this seemed to exist in Switzerland, it is rigged up to get as much money out of you as possible. I know that Switzerland is very expensive I have been going there on and off for years, but this time it seemed unpleasant.
I went there for the powder snow conditions and it was great but left a big dent in the wallet. Still I have 4 more weeks skiing to look forward to this year. I will have to make a better plan next trip!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Jivebaby, French often stay in accommodation that would unlikely win any awards for amenity.
Revelation in Val d' one year; booked flat all were taken, agent said would have to have French flat instead, which was on the left of corridor rather than right. I was amazed to see same flat as last year but decked out with dishwasher, washerdryer, an oven of domestic godess proportions, enough crockery for a army and a free bottle of wine and some fruit. During the next ten minutes 3 different tradesmen knocked on my door and offered me bread delivery, newspapers and groceries: all were puzzled/amazed that I was english and was I on the wrong side of the corridor? So all is not what it seems in the equality stakes in French apartment blocks
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Downhill Sailor, have never had a problem in Switzerland getting tap water for free except in one French owned restaurant, I find in general that knowing where to go and who to ask is a good thing, some mountain restaurants however will not be able to supply you with tap water simply because they may not have drinkable tap water, rare but not unheard of.
Indeed above Wengen at the top of the Mannlichen gondola car there is actually a picnic room with a lovely picture window and if I recall correctly a drinking fountain with views down to Grindelwald.
People have for years complained about Swiss prices but it's the exchange rate that hurts far more than the inflation, In 35 years that I've been going to the same resort I'd say prices for things like bread, cakes and fizzy drinks have maybe doubled in local currency, but compared to exchange rates I guess the prices have gone up by a factor of 6 or 7, if we had a better economy compared to the Swiss I suspect we'd not be having this discussion
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| D G Orf wrote: |
Indeed above Wengen at the top of the Mannlichen gondola car there is actually a picnic room with a lovely picture window and if I recall correctly a drinking fountain with views down to Grindelwald.
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Correct. A nice place for a picnic, even has good loos. Water on tap and no charge whatsoever.
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I have also skiied Japan and found it very reasonable. I did a 5 week ski tour....and you could always find a decent meal for 10 Euros.
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Do you think that now that the Japanese have joined the Eurozone, that might assist in bailing it out?
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under a new name, BobinCH, what you said. However, last Saturday I only paid 26CHF for a day pass (about £18 ) to ski chest deep freshies all day. I'm struggling to think of any French, Italian or even Austrian hills I've been to where it's that cheap. True, Verbier was 68 CHF (albeit shut) but then Verbier is one of the more expensive places and to be fair, that's not a lot more than skiing Glencoe for a day.
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It depends where you go, if you want to go to an interntional resort then you pay, but some of the less well known places are still very good value and you get to ski powder the whole day, not just the first 2 hours after the lift opens assuming you get up at 8:00 am. The trouble is everyone looks for a resort with 200km of pistes and 25 lift systems, what they dont tell you is that 20,000 other skiiers are looking at the same resort. Actually for powder skiers you really only need one or two good lifts and not too many people.
This was taken after mid day, its a lift service run, no one else around - good luck with that in France or Austria. You get what you pay for.
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I really like skiing in Switzerland, but suggesting that France and Austria don't have less well known places that fit the description above is just silly.
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Actually for powder skiers you really only need one or two good lifts and not too many people.
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Absolutely, but that's not unique to Switzerland, as miranda says. My son has worked two seasons, in the EK and the 3 Valleys and said the best day he ever had was here in Les Saisies, where an area served by one very steep drag (since replaced by a chair, sadly) was completely unpisted after heroic snowfall overnight. 10 very competent and happy snowboarders shared it all day, finding fresh lines to the end. He said if it had been in the EK it would have been tracked out in less than an hour. It was just a few steps and a chair from our apartment, and right by an excellent and cheap mountain restaurant. He and his cousin were totally exhausted and blissed out that evening.
Surely the main problem with Switzerland at the moment is the exchange rate? Like when people started grumbling very loudly when the euro got so strong. It's hardly the fault of other countries if our pound is not up to much! There are cheaper and more expensive resorts in all the main Alpine countries.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Sharkymark wrote: |
| True, Verbier was 68 CHF (albeit shut) but then Verbier is one of the more expensive places and to be fair, that's not a lot more than skiing Glencoe for a day. |
 Glencoe is £25 (£18 for a child)
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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...either there or Aviemore. I stand corrected! I paid £40 for a lift pass on one of the days, somewhere. Not sure which TBH as the snow was a bit epic there too and distracted me quite a lot.
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From personal experience the word "extreme" can be omitted or replaced with "always" in the title.
Relatively speaking for a DIY skier I do find having to pay more for the Swiss accommodations and ski passes and there is little or no escape. The excess is not extreme. The standard of services is higher and is reflective of the Swiss living standard relative to others. Thus it is the same thing if you do not ski and just go there in the summer.
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You know it makes sense.
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1.43 CHF to STG today, much the same as Mar 11.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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I believe the real problem is the Euro. There are a lot of people who are scared in Euro European countries and given that Switzerland is next to two big countries involved in this mess, the residents of those particular countries are pouring their money into Switzerland, which in turn strengthens the Swiss Franc and respectively weakens everybody elses currency, hence the now very expensive Swiss franc.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes but conversely there is tons of Swiss money pouring into Germany and Austria.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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It should be noted that promotional offers exist in Switerzland at the moment to counter the strong Swiss franc. For instance, Crans Montana is offering a 33% rebate on housing, ski passes, ski rentals, and lessons during most of January and March. The offer is valid if you stay 4 nights or more.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Downhill Sailor, There is another thread of mine I stayed at the youth hostel in St Moritz, £46.00 for two nights half board, oh and the WiFi was free as well.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Skiing in Gstaad at the Moment, still no Queues longer than 3 Minutes even in peak season with perfect conditions. For the 6 or 7 days most people get to ski , Switzerland is worth the extra expense. I guess it depends whether you prefer McDonald s. or San lorenzo
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I made an attempt at a budget ski holiday in Switzerland a few years ago.
Flight to Zurich €99 return, then all public transportation (trains and post buses I've found to actually be cheaper than just about anywhere in western Europe).
I stayed in a small village down in the valley (Castrisch, near Ilanz) and commuted to different resorts each day (Laax, Obersaxen, Disenties, Brigels, Vals, Klosters, Davos). Large self catering apartment with living room, bed room, full kitchen, Sat TV and internet in a restored historic building was €700 for two weeks over Christmas and New Years.
Groceries from COOP were not must more expensive than at home.
Lift tickets ranged from very cheap (Vals) to expensive but not overly so (Davos-Klosters).
So as long as we ate in and packed sandwiches in the backpack for lunch, we were able to keep costs down.
The trouble is that 2 on mountain meals busted our budget completely.
So yes, skiing in Switzerland can be done on the cheap, but you have to be disciplined.
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ami in berlin, what exchange rate were you getting? It seems to be the poor exchange rate, as much as anything, which makes things so expensive at the moment.
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| ami in berlin wrote: |
Groceries from COOP were not must more expensive than at home. |
I reckon a weekly shop at a COOP in Switzerland costs twice the equivalent at a Sainsburys/Tescos in the UK.
Switzerland is expensive because of the exchange rate - end of story.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I skied in Switzerland in 2008 & 2009 (Zermatt) and 2010 (Laax). The last 2 were DIY trips at half term and were very reasonable. However the deteriorating exchange rate was kicking in and making it less and less attractive (from a financial not skiing perspective). Love the place though, I shall get back there.
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