Season costs 12/13 - from Geneva

A snowHead

I decided to track my actual spend on skiing this season, to work out how expensive a hobby it really was (this is only my second year skiing, I didn’t have a clue last year!). A few friends have asked me about it, including a couple of snowheads, so I thought I’d post here for those interested.

I’m based in Geneva, so racked up quite a few days, but only holidays and weekends, so that’s the basis…

I’ve converted all costs into GBP for the purposes of this, though they were incurred in GBP, EUR, and CHF. As the exchange rate varied throughout the year, it’s not exact, but good enough.

Total days: 39. Note actual days on snow was 42/43 I think, but where I did two runs and sat down for the rest of the day, either because of drinking, a hangover, or lack of visibility, I only counted as half a day Smile

Where: Verbier, Chamonix, 3 Vallees, Grand Massif, Portes du Soleil, and a couple of really lovely days in Combloux/Le Giettaz

Total spend: @£4,400
Of which…
Trips/holidays: £1,290
Travel: £420
Ski passes: £1,000
Equipment: £1,090
Instruction: £590

Not included – food and drink, unless bundled with accommodation. I don’t want to think about the cost of this…!

Trips/holidays: This was accommodation and any all-inclusive trips - self-catered accommodation for a week at NY (Verbier), a few odd weekends, one fully catered weekend, and the PSB
Travel: various car hire; trains; petrol; tolls
Ski passes: Lots! Some savings through local offers for Chamonix, Verbier and Grand Massif (and a free day pass for Combloux!) Also includes Carre Neige.
Equipment: New pair of skis and bindings (Scott Luna + Scott bindings for £550 total); Transceiver, probe, shovel, backpack; goggles; ski servicing; other
Instruction: Group Lessons and 2 clinics at PSB; guide for a day (shared) in PdS; 5 private lessons

Was it worth it? Well, it’s scary looking at the numbers, and it was definitely the majority of my spend over the winter (other things cut down a lot), but YES!!

Hmmm, better start saving again for next year!

A snowHead

Interesting that even as a local you don't get below the £100 per day on snow plus food rule of thumb. Though for most equipment wouldn't be bundled into the calculation. Season pass is where you stand to make real savings as a "local" I'd guess plus if you can strike a flatshare accomodation deal for the winter.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I would say that is very good value...
From a UK perspective 42 days skiing might be 7 weeks holiday / 7 trips (6 days in each)
I normally budget £1,000 for each - your accomodation is cheap... you don't have the same travel costs (I would expect to pay at least £100 - £150 travel each trip when you include petrol / parking / flight / transfer / etc. - it can be £200 a trip)
I reckon on £50-£60 ski hire per trip - but your kit will last many more, so you should only really count a pro-rata cost
Instruction is optional - i.e. not in my normal costs...

So - take out instruction / half the equipment and you are nearer to £3,000 which is very good value and under half the price I would expect to be paying

Alasdair

You need to Login to know who's really who.

yep,, I'd take instruction and capital costs of kit out. Otherwise sounds about right.

you seem to be missing a trick on not acquiring a season pass for somewhere. Grand Massif are very good value - to the point that we almost bought one this year in addition to our chamonix ones. as it happened that turned out for the best as we didn't ski the gM quite as much as anticipated.

I am not going to count, but over 60 days this season and I am still pretty sure I/we am/are below €100 a day. That said, we have accom available in Cham and Italy, and stay with friends for GM and PDS.

If I include kit costs...

This year was reasonable with only the addition of a pair of GS skis from the local ski sale at €120. Next year however, we are looking at SGs (which will be previously cherished), SLs (which will be new) ((if I can justify them)), boots of some description (TLT6s seem interesting, although that suggests touring skis as well) and a lighter pair of something for TOH, and replacement liners for the race clogs. rolling eyes

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I would second what under a new name, said re passes. The big cham pass is was around £750 and included three away days in France, 8 days in Verbier, and unlimited days in Courmayeur. I managed 70 days for, acc £1500, pass £750, transport, £300, kit- £600, less £300 for stuff sold, so £300, insurance £250. Recon that adds up to £3400 most other costs like food I would have incurred at home so about £50 a day.

I bought some Scarpa RSs secondhand for £300, plus some super light skis and tech bindings and skins for 300 euro, and flogged some touring kit for £300.
We had ten days in Courmayeur, 6 in verbier, plus a day each in Les Contamines, Megeve, and GM, the rest in Chamonix of which around 7 touring. Had a great season. Very Happy

You'll need to Register first of course.

jbob, How do you do season accomodation in Chamonix for £1500?

(not having a pop just interested if there's a way of affording a pied a terre for frequent use during a winter)

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

There's got to be a way to save more on lift passes. Mine (whole year, includes summer stuff) was under €400.

The only options to save on lift passes are:

- to be over 75; or
- get a season pass; or
- get the 'liberte' pass that some resorts sell.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Grand massif season pass is €440 (I think) if bought before the end of october. Plenty of smaller resorts have very reasonably priced season passes

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

nbt, yep, that's about right for GM.

Chamonix for second home owners as couples for the year (which makes sense if you can use it) is about €650 per head. Winter only a little cheaper.

snow reports

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

pam w, indeed.

There's also something called something like the Valais Pass which I fervently would like to have copied into the Haute Savoie!

A snowHead

Thanks all - advice always appreciated on reducing costs!

Season pass is a great idea, and one I'm already looking at for next season (if I'm still here...) - the Cham pass including a few days at Verbier and Les Contamines is very appealing. The problem I had this season was I'd committed to a few different places early including a week in 3 Vallees, so had to trade off overall cost for flexibility.

Accommodation, well - I'd love to have a little place in Cham next season Smile

I'm talking to a few friends about getting a group together and splitting the cost, we'll see.

I totted up and this year paid for accommodation for 2 separate weeks (Tignes, Verbier) and 4 weekends (Verbier, Avoriaz, Chamonix, Val Thorens). The rest were either day trips from Geneva (I'm not counting home rent Smile

) or staying with friends - 1 week and a couple of weekends.

And yes, very grateful I haven't had to pay for flights!

Instruction and equipment - no regrets, they've been worth every penny! My skiing has developed brilliantly over the season thanks to the lessons, and I loooooove my skis - I paid just for season hire up front, but brand new top notch current season skis, bindings mounted just for me. Then paid the rest at the end of the season when I knew I wanted to keep them. I'm quite sad to be putting them away for the summer now Sad

Hence wanting to plan next season... Twisted Evil

A snowHead

fixx, Insurance on a GM season pass is a bit of a bargain as well, I think it was Euro 29 for the season

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

On accommodation costs I would think that people letting a 2 bed cheap studio for a season in 3v (certainly in VT) would be looking to get 4.5K ish sterling so you could do the accommodation for just over 2k if sharing.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

What do you all do pass wise for Morzine/Les Gets?? Alternatively for Avoriaz season?

I think the PDS is about Euro650 per person, but is it better (or possible) to buy say the Morzine pass, and then just upgrade daily if you want to ski Avoriaz/Chatel etc?

Hoping to get 3 to 4 weeks at least next season and it may just be worth a season pass, although the we only normally ski/board for about 5 hours max as we are either hungover or already getting drunk, plus late wake up to avoid early crowds!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Thanks Pam, hoping we can do more than a few weeks, but even economy flights are over a thousand pounds EACH from here - kind of eliminates the quick weekend away! lol

Do you buy a Les Gets pass Pam, or the full PDS? Guessing the latter? Is the daily upgrade an option?

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

dennisp, I buy an Espace Diamant pass - in my case a daily upgrade would be a nonsense as the whole area pass is not that much more than a Les Saisies pass, but the upgrade is quite a lot. Doesn't help you - the other pam - pamski - will know about PdS passes. I don't do weekends either - I tend to go for at least 4 weeks except sometimes in autumn, but anything less than 2 weeks is just too short. But then I've done away with the tedious business of having to work!

After all it is free

Thanks pam, sorry for the misrepresentation of your location! Lol

Good advice, and I think I will get the residents PDS pass if the chalet happens. May get the wife as hoc passes online as I tend to want to ski a lot more than her.

Believe me, if I didn't work then I would be a seasonaaire Smile

dennisp, it might be me! We buy PDS season passes and get 20% reduction for being able to show with a bit of paperwork that we have a home there, and then there is another 10% off if you are 65 or over - which will probably be non existent by the time you are that age, they keep moving it up a year each year. This means that we are able to ski Avoriaz etc earlier than Les Gets is open and also the same applies at the end of the season. Then we get three days to use in other Haute Savoie resorts - you have to watch the dates on those as by the time we drove to Samoens to go up to Flaine they had expired - it was the last week of the season but we had not spotted the date.

Our daughter and SIL knew that they were spending the whole of January with us, and another week at Easter, so they bought Les Gets/Morzine season passes before a certain date in November or December and that had 40% off which was a no-brainer as anything over about 14 days would have cost them more. On the days that they wanted to ski PDS, and we did whole days of baby sitting, they were able to upgrade in Les Gets the evening before which was ten euros cheaper than doing it in Avoriaz. Sometimes too much faff to do that though
Each year we wonder whether to just get LG/Morzine season passes and then get a second season pass for GM or Evasion Mont Blanc for a change. There has never been a reduction for early purchase of PDS.

And the LG/Morzine season passes also give you the three days in other resorts,

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

I prefer the advice give by a very wise snowhead on this topic.

Always pay for the various elements of your skiing holiday with different credit cards and under no circumstance, do you ever, ever, ever add the total up. Skiing remains inexpensive and comparable with all other forms of holiday using this methodology. Simple. Cool

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Good advice indeed!
I managed 6 trips to the snow this year and 21 days in total. Not the cheapest way of doing it I know but a job and limited holidays meant it was the way it had to be this year!
My strategy involves paying for different things at different times and never at any point try to add it all up.
Starting to think about flights for next season now, keep checking car hire and book when prices are good normally manage £20-£30 per day, accommodation is normally the last thing I sort so I can follow the snow or good lift pass deals.
Thinking a cheap season pass might be an idea for next year, anyone got a spare bed/cupboard under the stairs/garden shed they wouldn't mind renting for a few weekends? Seasonaires maybe with a wee bit of space Little Angel

snow reports

haha, we do that too Alasdair.

Pay for flights, wait a couple of weeks, pay accomdation, wait a week or so and pay for the car, then by the time you get on hols, its just spending money Smile

We have a new plan for this year:

Flights on points
Car hire isnt that expensive from Geneva
Stay in own chalet, so thats FREE (sort of)
Residents ski pass paid for 2 months in advance, which cant be allocated to one trip, so is written off.

Euro2.50 bottles of wine from supermarket - this represents an 8 euro a bottle saving from here at our outlets. Therefore, factoring 4 bottles a day, for 2 weeks, is around a Euro400 saving, which pays for the car hire!

Therefore - FREE 2 WEEK HOLIDAY! Toofy Grin

I cannot see a single flaw in my calculations.

No flaw whatsoever Dennis. Simply drink 4 bottles of nice wine for 2 weeks and get a completely free ski holiday. Great way of looking at it, haha.

You know it makes sense.

dennisp, One simple flaw. As you are staying in your own place that is not free, in actual fact you are saving many hundreds if not thousands of euros by doing this. Therefore you can invest that saving in an extra weeks holiday.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

dennisp, Why buy bottles, you can get good wine in boxes in France now.

A snowHead

thefatcontroller, hahahaha, i'll tell the wife! thats a great one. Its certainly going to make it tough for us to holiday anywhere else in the world!

rjs, because consumption goes up. I seem to think boxes are the same size as bottles, so generally consume 5 times as much!

A snowHead

Help!!

Season costs 12/13 - from Geneva

snowHeads Forum Index >>> The Piste