 Poster: A snowHead
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Is it me or has the cost of organising family trip gone past expensive into ridiculous/non runner territory this season? Lessons, hire, passes, flights and transfers on top of hotel and food. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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No. Are you booking school holidays? If so, when and where?
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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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Sadly skiing is becoming a rich persons leisure activity 
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Go somewhere inherently cheaper and drive rather than the prime resorts, for example the Maurienne Valley in France. There’s a separate thread for it.
€450ish for a season pass. Completely different league of cost compared to the Isère valley on the other side of the national park.
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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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Are we talking TO's?
I have been DIY booking our annual Christmas family trip for 4 (driving and S/C).
Tunnel crossing - a tad more maybe
Apartment - similar price
Ski pass - similar price
I think diesel is a bit cheaper than it was last year
Tolls similar
We don't have lessons or hire to worry about - price of ski boots + fitting has definitely gone up
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I've noticed no discernable increase in prices of accommodation since last year. Long hall flights are a bit cheaper than last year. Guiding cost is the same as last year. I guess we'll see if lift tickets and beer and food have increased once we get there.
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DIY. Need to fly. Looking at 4* hotels w/ half board in high altitude Fr/Aut/Ita. Am aware that I could theoretically cycle to Bulgaria, stay in a hostel and eat on the lifts but too old for that. Hotel we stayed in last year has jumped +50%. Same in the one two years ago. Kids need lessons too.
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@rjp123, For me flights and higher end accommodation have gone up quite a bit in the more well known resorts. It seems particularly bad for Feb half term week.
I was looking at flying to Innsbruck and then staying in a 4*+ half board hotel in Ischgl but ended up booking the train and a basic B&B (pension) instead because it saved 1500 Euros per person.
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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 wanted this to be about skis getting really large - like balloon large... instead, yep stuff costs more than it used to. Policemen look younger these days. Dem kids don't have no respect no more...
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| Quote: |
Sadly skiing is becoming a rich persons leisure activity
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It always was, when I was young. I went on a school trip when I was a teenager (using up all my savings) but although I went to a grammar school with a pretty middle class intake I didn't know any families who went skiing and when I was a university student none of my friends ever went skiing - either with families or with groups of friends. And there was no such thing as uni ski trips.
I think costs HAVE gone up since we first did family ski trips, certainly what I pay is more, in real terms. But that's partly because my standards and expectations have gone up - and I'm richer than I used to be. I've rented a nice chalet for 10 of us at Christmas. Bedrooms for everybody, several bathrooms, a ski and boot store, lovely living area. Even a sauna! It's a world away from the cheap catered chalets with shared bathrooms or basic apartments which we were perfectly happy with when the kids were young. People now look with horror at the prospect of not having their own onsweet bathroom, not shared even with their own smelly kids. No wonder it's expensive! And people moan mightily about drag lifts, demanding fast chairs preferably with heated seats and covers to keep the snow off one's face. One difference is the difficulty, now, of taking kids out of school. Which we always did - went in those very cheap early weeks in January.
The same huge rise in standards applies in the sailing world. Cruising yacht are vastly bigger than they used to be and people want convenient marinas with electric hook ups to power the microwave and swish shower facilities with endless hot water. We're very fortunate to be able to enjoy such luxury in this day and age - I'm not knocking it - but of course it costs a lot of money. It astonishes me that there are so many people who evidently HAVE a lot of money. I feel very privileged, and well off, but there are clearly people with a lot more dosh, as well as very many for whom a family ski holiday would be an unreachable dream.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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My wife reports that her first ski trip cost £30 - £40 inlcuding travel (train to Switzerland), 10 day accommodation, full board, lift pass, lessons, ski equipment - in fact everything. IIRC our school trip was even less but we couldn't aford to go. It sounds cheep but my dad only earned about £8 per week.
I'm with @Layne, on the cost of ski holidays; apartment rental, self drive and self cater then ski holidays have risen about the same as general inflation. Given the the slight rise in the pound to euro exchange rate they may actually be less expensive than last 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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What the OP seems to be questioning is the +50% in Hotel price.
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| Origen wrote: |
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| Sadly skiing is becoming a rich persons leisure activity |
It always was, when I was young. I went on a school trip when I was a teenager (using up all my savings) but although I went to a grammar school with a pretty middle class intake I didn't know any families who went skiing and when I was a university student none of my friends ever went skiing - either with families or with groups of friends. And there was no such thing as uni ski trips. ... |
The US is one place where statistics are easily available, for example here.
Participation has been rising steadily there: happily skiing is becoming a poorer persons activity.
However the UK had a significantly lower standard of living than the US through that period,
and the UK's geography made the costs more significant for most people. It used to be a rich peoples' activity: that's why I wanted to do it.
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You know it makes sense.
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I think participation has risen steadily in the UK too - that's the point I was making, really. Participation in all kinds of holidays has risen dramatically. My school holiday in 1962 cost £40 which is £725 in today's dosh (Bank of England). That was to Norway, staying in a youth hostel, and included all costs. Only needed a tiny bit of "pocket money" on top of that.
The cost of hotels has certainly risen - but so have the standards demanded - and the cost of staff is a major factor there, made more difficult for them since Brexit.
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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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| Quote: |
The US is one place where statistics are easily available, for example here.
Participation has been rising steadily there: happily skiing is becoming a poorer persons activity.
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As much as everyone likes to consider n America as an expensive place to ski, focusing on extreme walk up prices. I do think the likes of epic and iKON cheap season passes have made it much more affordable.
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My school holiday in 1962 cost £40 which is £725 in today's dosh (Bank of England)
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I've organised 2 weeks in chamonix for this winter coming which is costing approx £1500. So not massively different.
If you are based in UK skiing is never going to be a cheap hobby. You really need season passes and lots of time to get the best value. There are certainly cheap options for those willing to sacrifice a bit i.e. stay in hostels, forgo fancy meals and nightlife etc.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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@luigi, No. She won a prize at school and she described skiing as an education trip.
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Well I am currently booking accommodation in multiple resorts for a five week trip to the Salzburger Superski area. The last times we did this were in 2017 and 2018. Same sort of resorts, same standard of accommodation, prices now double what they were then. Season pass however has only gone up by about 25%.
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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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| RobinS wrote: |
| Well I am currently booking accommodation in multiple resorts for a five week trip to the Salzburger Superski area. The last times we did this were in 2017 and 2018. Same sort of resorts, same standard of accommodation, prices now double what they were then. Season pass however has only gone up by about 25%. |
But that pricing in accommodations is for ALL types of travel, not ski specific.
I am also doing a Salzburger Superski trip for 4 weeks, and have been able to keep our accommodation to an average of about 110€ per night, in fully equipped condos. I don't think that is particularly ridiculous.
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@TOLOCOMAN,
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about 110€ per night, in fully equipped condos
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That's roughly what we are paying, but it's double what it was in 2017 and 2018.
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Congratulations everyone, you've just discovered inflation 
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Our accommodation quote for the Families Bash at Easter went up by 40% compared to just last year!
OTOH, after I totted up the various movements relating to the PreBBWUW overall, it's gone up at the same price as last year! 
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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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| RobinS wrote: |
@TOLOCOMAN,
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about 110€ per night, in fully equipped condos
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That's roughly what we are paying, but it's double what it was in 2017 and 2018. |
So 8 years ago. So if you pulled off 9% annually on your investments over that time period ( which isn't totally unreasonable in that particular time period), your money has doubled too. So in real money, it hasn't actually increased that much.
I'll give you most wages haven't doubled in that time period, but in investments one certainly could have doubled their money from 2017 to 2025.
Besides, we're talking skiing! It's worth it whatever it costs!
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I've been thinking about this some more, and come to the conclusion that skiing hasn't really gotten more expensive over the long haul, and has beat inflation better than most things.
Yes, hotels and restaurants have jumped a lot in the last 5 years or so, but so have the investment markets to help with that. And a fairer way is to look at a longer term, say 20-25 years, and then hotels and restaurants have kept up with actual wage increases.
For everything else, wages have MORE than kept up with inflation. I just paid about the same for a flight from Calgary to Munich as I did in 2006. I just bought a ski and binding set up for LESS than I paid on a shop pro deal than I did in 2002. Bought state of the art touring bindings for MUCH less than the crappy touring bindings you could buy in 2000. My season's pass is not quite double what I paid 20 years ago, while my wage has quadrupled. You get the idea...
So in reality, I think skiing has beat inflation compared to most things in life over the last 20 - 25 years. Except maybe things like tv's and computers, where you get way more for less these days...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Precisely correct.
Whilst skiing is no longer just for the rich, that doesn't mean that everyone in the UK is better off than they were for example in 2010; in fact a fair number are definitely worse off. Those people might have a reason to whine, unless of course they voted to make themselves poorer 
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Yes, hotels and restaurants have jumped a lot in the last 5 years or so, but so have the investment markets to help with that.
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Er, investment markets are not much help to those of us who pay for ski trips out of income rather than huge investment savings. The doubling of prices I quoted is a vastly bigger increase than my income has gone up by. The 25-30% increase in the season pass price is much nearer the mark.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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| RobinS wrote: |
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Yes, hotels and restaurants have jumped a lot in the last 5 years or so, but so have the investment markets to help with that.
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Er, investment markets are not much help to those of us who pay for ski trips out of income rather than huge investment savings. The doubling of prices I quoted is a vastly bigger increase than my income has gone up by. The 25-30% increase in the season pass price is much nearer the mark. |
So we are agreed that most things ski related have not gone up that much really. It's mostly only hotels, and that only impacts ski trips away from home. And hotel prices impact ALL vacations, not just ski ones, so I'm not sure I would call that "skiflation'. That's vacation inflation. Your everyday skiing at home is actually cheaper than it was 20 years ago. WAY busier, but cheaper.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Skiing at home?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| rjp123 wrote: |
| Skiing at home? |
Yeah dude! I don't spend any more skiing in N.London than I did 20 years ago 
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| rjp123 wrote: |
| Skiing at home? |
I think @TOLOCOMAN was referring to the fact that his home is Banff Alberta.....
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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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Subjective view: going to Morzine used to feel like good value for eating out and shopping compared to CH. Not any more.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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The golden era of lowcost skiing in 1985 to 2015 is long gone.
With less snowfall, less frost, less snow, less skiable terrain, and more electricity cost, ski prices worldwide are only going in one direction -- up.
The skiing future of the 2030s lies in bankloans and creditcards.
Admin should startup SnowHeads Bank (SHB).
Lend Joe Blow $10k at 10% for a family week in Zermatt.
Be a millionaire in no time.
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| admin wrote: |
| rjp123 wrote: |
| Skiing at home? |
Yeah dude! I don't spend any more skiing in N.London than I did 20 years ago |
Free touring on Hampstead Heath!
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Try Italy. I've been twice in the last few weeks, and was pleasantly surprised by how cheap the food and particularly the drinks were. I didn't even intend to drink wine one lunch time, but it would have been rude not to! Also bike hire was only €30/day. Made me feel like a boiling frog, not having realised how much prices have risen locally 
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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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| Richard_Sideways wrote: |
| I wanted this to be about skis getting really large - like balloon large... instead, yep stuff costs more than it used to. Policemen look younger these days. Dem kids don't have no respect no more... |
Maybe a new ski technology where you can inflate the ski depending on the conditions. Rock hard pistes then run around with a narrow ski, huge dump of snow and just pull out the pump and push those bad boys out to 120 underfoot.
Dunno why people expect cost of everything to stay the same, everything else is increasing in price, in particular fuel which every part of a ski holiday is dependant on,
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FAQ
