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Where to buy ski passes?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
When booking a package deal, there are 4 alternatives:

1. Order ski passes up front with booking.
2. Buy ski pass from rep on coach.
3. Buy ski pass from office in resort.
4. Attempt to buy online from resort in advance.

So, which is cheapest? I wouldn't think that the travel company would want to risk losing out on exchange fluctuations but having your money early would help their cash flow so thay could give a good deal. Some customers might check the price of passes bought on the coach or up front against the resort price so, presumably, thay're not marked up much.

Some of you guys must have checked this out.

Ciao
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
It depends where you're going Ull.

In Europe there is seldom much difference in cost between any of the options - maybe £10 on a six day pass if you buy it in resort - as the holiday companies make their money on passes by not passing on the discount they get on volume purchasing, rather than marking up above cost.

One consideration, though, is that if you're going early or late season it might be better to buy in resort in case linked ski areas aren't accessible - there's no point buying a full area pass for a linked ski area if you can't get to the other areas.

In Canada you can often get better deals by buying online in advance, or buying on the way up to resort. For example, the sports shops in Vancouver sell discounted lift tickets for Whistler that can't be bought in resort.
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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?
Like PhillipStanton says, you can get discounts in-resort at non-peak times. Not just if lifts/runs are closed either, our area has done 3 days for the price of 2 in the last few weeks of the seaon when the same number of runs were open as in peak weeks. Buying 2 passes to get 6 days skiing was cheaper than buying a weekly pass.

Pra Loup even do a women's weekend where women get free lift passes. I'm not sure how they square that with sex discrimination laws (perhaps they don't have them in France).
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
That's a good point ben wright, I'd not considered the specials, more the straight six day pass.

Les Gets, for example, does a reduced cost weekend pass aimed at locals and late season will often be discounted. But the deals don't generally help you if you're doing a week with a tour operator.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
PhillipStanton, to add to the Canada info, in the US the best thing to do is buy in town at one of the larger sports shops - you can get a hefty discount there. If you know what area you are going to, the best thing to do is ask the locals before hand - they'll tell you where to buy them cheaply.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
We usually buy lift passes in resort as we like to get out and about as soon as the lifts open on our first day. If you buy through reps then often they don't buy the lift passes till the morning and you need to wait till they have got them all, then gone back to the office for distribution. Not always the case though, we bought the whole area pass including Ski Welt through the Crystal rep at Kitzbuhel last he and he bought them the evening we arrived and delivered them to us at dinner.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
We booked our Whistler passes through Crystal when we booked our holiday. They were doing a special ski for 10 days pay for 8. You can also check out the web sites of the resorts to find prices, but as this is only our 4th skiing holiday we are still green as to which would be the cheapest, but it makes sense to do a bit of home research first.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
You have to watch out with buying them on the coach as they tend to quote the price in euros but charge you in pounds giving a shockingly bad exchange rate. I noticed this with Crystal in Val D'isere this year where they quoted me an exchange rate of about 1.3 Euros to the Pound.

This time i'm DIY'ing to Meribel and have booked them along with my accomodation and have received a decent discount over normal price with Meribe Neiges.

Chris Very Happy
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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.
we've bought via tour operator normally, as they can give some form of discount.
Though watch out for resorts that have a linked area to other resorts as the TO don't always give you the right pass or have them available.
This can delay your skiing on the first day - it's happened to friends with Crystals

buying in the resort is worth considering if going early or late.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
This may not be relevant to many on here (lots of euros, right?), but we just launched our site for a limited number of US resorts for advance lift ticket sales. Feel free to send any questions my way, the site is www.liftopia.com.

Have a good one.

Evmo
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Welcome to snowHead Evmo. We may be mainly euros but some travel across the pond and the US membership is steadily rising as well.
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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.
Chri$ said,
Quote:

You have to watch out with buying them on the coach as they tend to quote the price in euros but charge you in pounds giving a shockingly bad exchange rate. I noticed this with Crystal in Val D'isere this year where they quoted me an exchange rate of about 1.3 Euros to the Pound

The poor exchange rate scam is common. It all adds to the companies profits and of course the employees will be on a commission. Sad
IMHO never commit to pay for anything while intransit from the airport, if you do make sure its a fixed euro price. You control the exchange rate then. Either pay up front as part of the booking, or check out lift companies online advance purchase options. In 3V's or Paradiski area you can do the online purchase and they'll send a precoded lift pass in the post. wink
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
This is a no brainer. We are skiing with Crystal in Wengen and bought our passes up front. Now I discover that we are paying over £30 more than we would be buying them in the resort! I won't make this mistake again, and that includes using Crystal! By the way, they offered to cancel the ski pass order but wanted to charge us £25 for each booking!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Not only do the tour operators tend to charge more ,even in the brochure, due to the fluctuations in the exchange rate, but they do not also sell some of the group / family deals that are on offer. For example for our lot ( 2 adults and 3 children) there are group tickets available in many resorts which save up to 300 euros on the prices in the brochures and 200 euros on the price of individual tickets in resort. It's well worth researching via the resorts own websites to check out these deals, as most big French resorts seem to offer these now. Other than that I would always buy in resort anyway as the reps, even when you prebook with the borchure, tend to arrive with your pass in your accomodation on or around 9am on the first day, well that's the promise anway, which invariably ends up with lots of hanging around. Don't also forget, if needed, to take a passport photo as this will undoubtedly end up on the bill somewhere if they offer to take the photo on the transfer coach. The excitement of iminent arrival in resort regularly seems to overtake peoples wallet on transfer coaches as the reps "tout" the extras to bolster there incomes!
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
One other additional point, whilst researching lift pass prices, check what age children are!
For instance one resort I know of considers children to be up to 18 years old, when part of a family lift pass BUT only up to 14 when purchasing seperately Shocked Toofy Grin
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I don't know about anywhere else but WorldSki seem to do some good deals. I've just booked a last minute week in Meribel with passes quoted at £177. WorldSki had them for £101 Toofy Grin
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
In resort....

In certain Swiss resorts the hotel will arrange them for you... and its the price they quote everywhere..and you just add it to your room number.

Kitenski, the Cathrin will do this for you, just tell them at check-in and it will be at the desk for you 1st thing in the morning
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