 Poster: A snowHead
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If ALL costs are taken into account I cannot see how an average family can do a ski holiday for anything less than £1000 pppw.
You would have work very hard (thus not enjoy your skiing) if you wanted to spend any less!
IMHO Anyone who claims to spend less, has either forgotten to include a cost or spend in their accounts.
Bring on the parsimonious persons ........let the discussion roll on
Illustrate how you can do it for less
I will be most intrigued.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hold on a mo, that's about what it costs me and I travel alone, thereby paying a single room supplement. There must be an economy of scale for more people.
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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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This year's budget:
Holiday cost (TO half board inc. flights, transfers and ski carriage) £585
Lift pass £165
Airport parking £40
Spending money £150
Cattery £40
Total: £980
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What costs are you including in your calculation?
£370 for flights, transfers & room only
£30 ski carriage
£185 for lift pass
£150 on food/beer
£30 airport parking
£25 on fuel to/from the airport
£2 on insurance (I have an annual policy)
I take my own gear that I've been using for long enough that it's saving me money on kit hire.
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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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What you spend on single room supplements they spend on meals, refreshments, lost glove/pole/ski/hat/etc etc replacements additional fuel if driving, etc
By the way Single room is a discretionary charge you should try to bargin it away when booking your room ALWAYS!
Hotels base their budgets on room costs. It don't cost them more to provide a room to a single or pair...think about it.....Yes they can generate more revenue by letting to a pair but their COSTs are per room occupied!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Bryan, nonsense.
eg: Accomodation & half-board catering for family of 4 = about £1800 in first week of Easter hols.
Eurotunnel = free (Tesco clubcard vouchers)
Tolls and petrol both ways = £350
Lift passes = £450
Equipment hire (as needed) = £150
Spending money = £500
Total = £3250 = £812.50 pppw.
OK I'm not including depreciation on the car or an overnight stay (which although optional need only be another £100 tops) but I'm not being mean on the travel or spending money costs either.
You just haven't been trying hard enough, Bryan.
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andyph, where?
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I'ts easy to do it for less, if you go at the right times. This year I've been able to fly from Aberdeen to Innsbruck return inc ski carriage for £150. Go to a small resort you can get a lift pass for under £150. Stay in an apartment, foo costs the same as it would in the UK when you cook for yourself, so you can't really count that as an extra cost. And a small aprtment doesn't cost much for a week if you fill it. Sandwhiches on the mountain.
If you just want the skiing and aren't bothered about the luxuries (ie nice hotel with pool and good restaurant) it doesn't have to be expensive. Apres is usually where I fall down, but that's hardly a neccessity.
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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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Bryan, in that case <£1,000 is easy.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We spent £3,600 with 2 adults, 2 children last year to Risoul (with Risoul Vars lift pass inc so nearly 200km piste) and that included everything: flights to Marseille, all food (inc eating out twice at night, every lunchtime (with wine for us) and self catering for the meals not mentioned, 12 hours lessons for each child, i private lesson for me, lift passes, car hire at marseille and taxi to and from stansted - plus airport food spends. The price I've said has quoted literally everything and we were definitely not slumming it. So what's that? £900 each inc spends and UK travel. Research is everything. We're coming in at £2,800 all in again for same group this year to a different resort but obv price can change when you're there.
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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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I did say ALL costs: Here are some that get forgotten I am sure there are more
Cost of non uk suitable clothing (e.g thermal underwear)
Ski outer wear
Travel to and airport parking
Petrol/diesel
Snow chains
Warning triangle/ bulb replacement and hi viz vests
Tolls
wear and tear(mileage)
Duty free purchases
Pre departure meals
Ski passes
ski, boot, pole and helmet hire
Meals / refreshments on the hill each day
Creche
Ski school
Meals out on chalet staff day off
Gifts for granny
Booze (Apres etc)
insurance for a family
That must have item we forgot to pack
Tobogan hire for the afternoon for the kids
Snow tubing
Skidoo rides
Dog sleigh rides
etc
etc.
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PS we did joue de loup (inc SuperD lift pass) for everything, UK costs, France costs and inc spends (snow trex, ryanair to marseille, car hire etc) for £420 each last year too albeit in the cheapest week of good snow - second week of jan - resort was great. If you want to do mileage and and won't get your thrills going off piste in smaller resorts.. you could still do la plagne on £650 ALL in I reckon and that's with the paradiski lift pass. Stay away from tour ops, get in early with flights, be prepared to self cater and you're laughing.
PS - UCPA anyone?? Another one that came in cheap.
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You know it makes sense.
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This December our trip came in way under that.
£427 for flight, transfer, accomodation and chalet catering (breakfast and dinner, fresh cake & bread in the afternoon)
£42 for hotel the night before and one week parking
£50 at most on beer and snacks in chalet
£120 for Lunch (£20 per day, 6 days)
£190 lift pass (all of Espace Killy)
Only other costs would be ski hire, we got ski carriage included in the price on our deal and have our own stuff, hire for boots and skis would have been about £100 for the week.
Worst case scenario cost would be £929 if we rented boots and skis, and we could have saved a fortune by not eating out for lunch so much.
Easily under £1K per person.
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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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| Bryan wrote: |
I did say ALL costs: Here are some that get forgotten I am sure there are more
Cost of non uk suitable clothing (e.g thermal underwear)
Ski outer wear
Travel to and airport parking
Petrol/diesel
Snow chains
Warning triangle/ bulb replacement and hi viz vests
Tolls
wear and tear(mileage)
Duty free purchases
Pre departure meals
Ski passes
ski, boot, pole and helmet hire
Meals / refreshments on the hill each day
Creche
Ski school
Meals out on chalet staff day off
Gifts for granny
Booze (Apres etc)
insurance for a family
That must have item we forgot to pack
Tobogan hire for the afternoon for the kids
Snow tubing
Skidoo rides
Dog sleigh rides
etc
etc. |
My cost included everything you mentioned (inc gifts for granny and others) the things it didn't include were not relevant to our trip: dog sleigh, skidoo, snow tubing, tobagan). Wear and Tear was taken into account with the hire car price I presume but in any case wasn't an expense to me. MY price is literally all in.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Bryan, how many trips should I depreciate my chains over? 2, 3, 19?
Even accounting for depreciation of items in your list - I did not spend £5000 for the last trip. If I'm really bored one night I will go through the bills and work out what I can account for, which will include tolls, food, shopping etc and make a guess on my skis, which I've used for 3 years and probably will for another 3.
But in short - yes less than £1000pp per trip easily acheivable
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 20-01-10 15:44; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Bryan, I stand by my point that it's easy. Of the things on your list I immediately knocked 10 items off. You asked if it's possible to do a ski holiday for less than £1,000, which it obviously is. Then you added a load of extras on your tab - drop meals on the hill, creche, ski school, gifts for granny, tobogganing/snow tubing/skidoo/dog sledding, and you installed knock a few hundred quid off.
If you're paying for travel to the airport presumably you're flying, so what do you need snow chains and a warning triangle for?
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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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Bryan many of those are optional extras. And most of the rest of the cost can be spread out over 5 years or so if you buy the kit. If you research properly, small resort doesn't even have tol imit your skiing, there are plenty of tiny resorts that have epic offpiste, real hidden gems, but (some may say luckily) most Brits haven't heard of them...
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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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Also, fuel and airport parking will be split among four of us, so I can drop the cost per person even further.
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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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Or even more if you get your mate/sibling/parent/auntie Maybel to drop you off and pick you up...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Hurtle wrote: |
| andyph, where? |
You think I'd share that knowledge on a public forum? 
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I was illustrating the various hidden items that people often forget, (like I forgot to mention the package or accomodation costs) I was not giving a list of one particular holiday costs....And I did say a Family holiday....what family holiday does not include a thoughtful gift for granny? (Tounge firmly in cheek)
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A lot of things on your list can be done away with
Dont buy duty free - which is not actually duty free except if you are flying outside EU
Dont buy gifts - you are only away for a week!
Make a list weeks before and keep looking and adding to it so you dont forget to pack anything. Tick off as it goes in the bag
Make a packed lunch to take up the mountain
Make a packed lunch to take with you to the airport.
Dont go on expensive rides - make your own amusement
Going self catering means you should not spend too much more than feeding yourself at home - you eat there you eat here same difference.
My ski jacket has lasted me 8 years and has had lots of use. Surely no need to include that in my costs??
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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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Bryan, you could still do it for well under £1,000 if can tolerate and overcome Pester Power, and convince Granny that her bottle of Courvoisier was confiscated as you came through customs, of course.
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| Quote: |
You would have work very hard (thus not enjoy your skiing) if you wanted to spend any less!
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Well I think people are prepared to work quite hard to make family ski holidays affordable. Self catering, researching lower cost options, etc etc. But that doesn't have to mean they don't enjoy their skiing. But yes, if the thought of making yourself a bit of fresh toast and a pot of coffee for breakfast, or cooking some steaks for supper with a glass of decent wine at half the price charged for plonk in the restaurants makes you feel so weak and worn out that you can't enjoy your skiing, then I suppose you have to spend a bit more.
Skiing holidays with children, especially small ones, ARE hard work. Finding the gear which fits, getting them into it all, then out of it again when they remember they do want to do a wee, after all........ persuading them that they would like to have a go at skiing, etc etc.
On the whole, I think families who go skiing, on limited budgets, are not afraid of a bit of hard work - and maybe even enjoy it!
Plenty of active holidays are equally hard work - e.g. taking small kids sailing in Scotland. Same kind of grappling with ridiculous amounts of clothing. And cooking even in a small ski apartment is a piece of cake compared to doing so in a small yacht. Some of us are just masochists, I suppose.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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andyph, fair enough.  It's definitely relevant, though.
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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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I'm also intrigued as to at what point do you stop including items in your budget for skiing  For instance - things which we took skiing with us, but are by no means specific to skiing include
Portable DVD player
ipod and speakers
camera
video camera
Harry Potter DVDs
Kids teddy bears
A portable game of Connect4
My watch
Mobile phone
Contact lens
Sunglasses
A potty
My mum also took 2 new plastic knees which were free at point of delivery, but you could say she paid for through tax and NI contributions over the years - should I factor this in as well?
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pam w,
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Some of us are just masochists, I suppose.
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Ah, an admission at last!
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You know it makes sense.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
You would have work very hard (thus not enjoy your skiing) if you wanted to spend any less!
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Well I think people are prepared to work quite hard to make family ski holidays affordable. Self catering, researching lower cost options, etc etc. But that doesn't have to mean they don't enjoy their skiing. But yes, if the thought of making yourself a bit of fresh toast and a pot of coffee for breakfast, or cooking some steaks for supper with a glass of decent wine at half the price charged for plonk in the restaurants makes you feel so weak and worn out that you can't enjoy your skiing, then I suppose you have to spend a bit more.
Skiing holidays with children, especially small ones, ARE hard work. Finding the gear which fits, getting them into it all, then out of it again when they remember they do want to do a wee, after all........ persuading them that they would like to have a go at skiing, etc etc.
On the whole, I think families who go skiing, on limited budgets, are not afraid of a bit of hard work - and maybe even enjoy it!
Plenty of active holidays are equally hard work - e.g. taking small kids sailing in Scotland. Same kind of grappling with ridiculous amounts of clothing. And cooking even in a small ski apartment is a piece of cake compared to doing so in a small yacht. Some of us are just masochists, I suppose. |
Absolutely and if it's a choice of 2 or 5 active family holidays (3 of them ski) to me the budgetting to get the 5 is a no brainer and, as I said, we don't slum it - we plan!
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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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Hell, the way things are working out at the moment I'm going to be getting two weeks of skiing in Kashmir for circa £1200. Europe can definitely be done cheaper than that, and as a family individual costs tend to get shared and go down a bit.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have done everything for under £700 per week, great food and some of the best skiing I have ever had. Unlimited alcohol too. No lessons or hire included.
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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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£3K for me and 3 kids at Feb half term, full board, kit hire, ski school and lift passes + €150 euro transfer and £65 parking, not counting the petrol to get to the airport as it'll be less than a weeks commute worth. Insurance is an annual policy I'd have bought anyway, non of the clothing is foreign ski specific, thermals already well used this year with the snow and pretty much everything else gets used on the rugrats frequent trips to the Tamworth fridge!
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Wed 20-01-10 22:22; edited 1 time in total
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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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| Bryan wrote: |
If ALL costs are taken into account I cannot see how an average family can do a ski holiday for anything less than £1000 pppw.
You would have work very hard (thus not enjoy your skiing) if you wanted to spend any less!
IMHO Anyone who claims to spend less, has either forgotten to include a cost or spend in their accounts.
Bring on the parsimonious persons ........let the discussion roll on
Illustrate how you can do it for less
I will be most intrigued. |
Even travelling solo, I manage for quite a bit less than that. If two of us had been traveling, I could have done it for even less pp.
This year (last week).
Package price £418 (flights LGW-SZG inc. ski carriage (which was £30 return), transfers, half board accom in a single room in a decent hotel). Booked mid-November - 7 weeks before departure.
Lift pass €211 (£182.89) - Kitzbuheler Alpen Allstar pass
Cash from ATM - €100 (£86.67) - paid for lunches & drinks. I did already have €20 from a previous trip, but brought back almost as much.
Car Parking at LGW £37
Diesel home-LGW & return - approx £50
Insurance £20.50
Total - £795.06
In spite of trying to do it cheaply this year, this is probably the most I have ever spent on a ski trip since I stopped hiring kit & taking lessons, because the package was about the same as the highest I have spent before, and the lift pass was the most expensive I have bought.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Oh and I'll have lived very well even with Alpine resort prices if I get my total for the EoSB up to £1K
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Bryan, look harder.
£600 a head for a family of four, at Easter, including flights, accommodation, all meals, lunches/drinks/spending money, lift passes, ski hire or ski carriage, transfer to/from resort, fuel to UK airport, airport parking, kindergarten for one, pub meal en-route to airport on day of departure.
Does not include ski clothing (but we buy that out of the kids Christmas money anyway) (j)
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yes, in Bulgaria, easy 
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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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| Bryan wrote: |
I did say ALL costs: Here are some that get forgotten I am sure there are more
Cost of non uk suitable clothing (e.g thermal underwear)
Ski outer wear
Travel to and airport parking
Petrol/diesel
Snow chains
Warning triangle/ bulb replacement and hi viz vests
Tolls
wear and tear(mileage)
Duty free purchases
Pre departure meals
Ski passes
ski, boot, pole and helmet hire
Meals / refreshments on the hill each day
Creche
Ski school
Meals out on chalet staff day off
Gifts for granny
Booze (Apres etc)
insurance for a family
That must have item we forgot to pack
Tobogan hire for the afternoon for the kids
Snow tubing
Skidoo rides
Dog sleigh rides
etc
etc. |
The only expenses among the above that I incurred, but were not included in my list were clothing. I paid £40 for my ski jacket (2 trips so far, will do several more), my Salopettes weer part of a £40 Aldi outfit which cost £40 including a jacket, and have done 6 trips so far. My base layer was an icebreaker merino top, bought for £15 when Blacks were closing in Cheltenham, and I have three pairs of ski socks bought in TKMaxx for £5 each, 2-3 trips so far, many more expected.
So I doubt the per-trip cost of my ski clothing comes to more than about £10-15 per trip.
Boots & skis will work out at more, but I still doubt they come out at more than about £20 per trip (not counting transport, which was already included above)
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oops, forgot, Mrs masmith will need a hair cut before any holiday, that'll completely blow the budget
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FAQ
We've been with the same company as you 8 times and not one accomodation has fallen into the "slumming it" catagory. We have friends who pay 3 or 4 times what we do - they are no nearer the lifts and their accomodation has not been of a higher standard. My moto is " the more you pay the more likely that you'll be disappointed". We are fortunate to have 2 or 3 ski trips a season, we couldn't do it if it was based on £1000 pppw! 
