 Poster: A snowHead
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Prior to the late 1990s finding out the cost of a lift ticket in advance of arriving in resort normally required a phone call or a letter. There would be one price for the type of ticket you wanted and you would be told it or sent it.
In the period from the mid-1990s to around 2005 there was a ‘golden era’ when the kind of tables shown in paper brochures were displayed online, you went to the resort’s web page, you clicked on ‘Liftpass Price’ or similar, the information was there for you in a tabular form.
Then came online ticket sales. Although the majority of resorts still post their ticket information clearly an increasing number, and usually the biggest resorts with the highest prices, will instead disguise their prices.
The following possibilities can occur when trying to obtain the price, or a list of prices for a lift ticket from a resort website.
1. You are sent to an online booking page. This does not give you a list of pries but if you complete details of when you might visit and how long for it will tell you how much the ticket will cost in that set of circumstances purchased online. You do not know if this is a good deal or not.
2. You are sent to a page that tells you how much tickets will save, the discounted price of the ticket, if you buy it online then and there. It does not say how much tickets would cost otherwise.
3. You are sent to a page with a ticking clock telling you that if you buy a ticket for a certain period within a certain period of time the price will be ‘only’ €XXX.
The common factor with all of these pricing models is that the ski area fails to commit to an actual baseline price.
In an attempt to find out pricing you are often led in circles.
In the case of Verbier for example if you go to the official home page: www.verbier.ch
Unless I'm missing it, there is no direct link to ‘Ski pass Prices’ – the closest thing seems to be ’Lifts’
Click on this and a new window opens, ‘verbierbooking.ch’
This does have ‘SkiPass’ written clearly on the right side of the home page. Click on it and a third window opens:
https://www.esecure.ch/verbier/
This has six options (looks like you need to ‘create an account’ and log in) but none are lift passes anyway.
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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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Genius, thanks, I just needed some lateral thinking!
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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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In the past you also had to pay extra to use the Mont Fort lift which made it the most expensive lift pass in Europe, is this still the case?
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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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snowhunter, weird.
Verbier is free. If you have a Chamonix MBU season pass.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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snowhunter, They've made a right mess of the various sites by developing some really confusing branding. They did publish a tarrif card on their Facebook site this week, but that's probably an indication of the problem. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5083390&fbid=439926603375&id=227504528375
welshflyer, The mont fort lift is included if you by a 4 vallees pass.
12.5% discount for season and annual passes if you by before Friday.
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I collect prices from about 400 ski resorts in 30 countries each year and have done so for the past decade (used on various websites and I compile a report which resorts, bankers etc buy), hence my initial rant! Most expenive in europe the past few years has been the big Mont Blanc 6 day one Ski Pass Mont Blanc at 257 Euros (and 205.6 Euros for children 4 and up!) - although it comes down to exchange rates. EG 4 Valleys dropped below cost of 3 Valleys for some years when Euro was up against Swiss franc but that's reversed now. Haven't checked the exchange rate yet on usually the most expensive Swiss One - the Zermatt-Aosta Valley ticket which can be most expensive ometimes of exchage rates better against euro than Franc - it's 424 Swiss francs this winter . Actually will just check on Expedia currency converter - wow, yes, saying 321.6 Euros!! Looks like Swiss Franc is going to be a problem this winter. Still a few US ones are up touching 600 dollars and remain the worse... You read it on Snowheads first 
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You do also need to take into account family mix, etc for ticket prices. I normally take skiing holidays with just my 14 year old daughter. In France she pays full adult prices, in many Swiss and I think Austrian resorts her ticket is only half price. Therefore when we went to Zermatt last year our lift passes were cheaper than they would have been for a middling french resort. The same will be the case when we go to St Anton next 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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Absolutely true. I've got three kids so that one fascinates me. French resorts typically make kids pay about 70-80% of full adult price from age 4 or 5, which can be anything from 100 to nearly 200 Euros for a six year old. As you say Zermatt is one of the most generous and 50 other Swiss resorts (mostly on the german speaking side though Villars too) don't charge for children at all until age 8 or 9 and the charge 50% or in a few place (Davos...) less, and keep that price while they are actually children until age 16, 18 or older. Again France usually asks for full adult fee from age 11 or 12. They often have complex 'family deals' but even if you qualify they're usually more than buying two more expensive Swiss adult passes and the kids going half price or free for a family in Switzerland. For some reason Canada and New zealand are the only other countries that almost universally match the more generous Swiss family pricing structure.
It gets more complex still if you add in to the mix French accommodation which is typically cheaper for families with appartments the norm, and they also have the more extensive and afforsable nursery facilities if you want care for a yound child than in other countries. So for families, typically, if there is such a thing, you pay more for lift passes but basic holiday cost may be lower, in Switzerland it's a bit the other way, and other countries between the two, mostly. 
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You do also need to take into account family mix, etc for ticket prices.
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Also true at the other end of the age scale - the age you have to be to qualify for reduced or even free lift passes varies a lot. For two years I had a reduced season pass for being over 60, but now it's over 65 - and the reduction is minimal. Some places do free passes for over 70 years old, though probably that qualifying age will be gradually increased as more older people are continuing to ski. Still, bought in advance my season lift pass will only cost 367 euros (for the Espace Diamant) so no grounds for grumbling, really.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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French accommodation which is typically cheaper for families with appartments the norm
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although I've got studio apartments for the 2 of us for a very good price at half term too. 2009 in Zermatt was very nice near the Kleine Matterhorn lift. This year at Laax I was very near the Murchegt lift and it was amazingly cheap for a lovely studio. Hopefully next years at St Anton will be just as good, it's a good price near the Nasserein lift. Having said that I always go to Les Deux Alpes at Easter and the apartment I use there is very reasonable although the 9 day lift passes for the 2 of us is a bit of a shocker.
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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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pam w, that was a bit mean to let you have the reduction then take it away again!
They have been sliding the PDS pass up from 60 each year and it has now reached 63 so still chasing it. I think it is 20% reduction. Then there is 20% for residents on top.
But no reduction for buying it in advance - I keep hearing of yet another area that gives a reduction for buying season pass in advance and keep sending the info into PDS following up my original query on why nothing for advance buying. I seem to do this each year to no avail.
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You know it makes sense.
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Pamski, yes, ours is quite a good deal. Anybody can buy in advance, not just residents. The full area season pass is 533 euros, 367 bought in advance. A 6 day pass is 174, so that's a really cracking deal and makes me feel less guilty when the weather's rubbish and I decide to stay in and bake a cake rather than go out skiing! We don't, obviously, have the mileage of the PdS but, as it happens, exactly the same as Zermatt (185km).
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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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Also true at the other end of the age scale
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Absolutely. I've noticed that both the age at which discounts for older skiers/boarders is given keeps creeping up or equally common, goes altogether. The number of places still offering free skiing to those 70-80+ is diminishing too. Some seem to be more canny and offer savings only midweek whe their slopes are empty and they know 'seniors' is a potential market.
Discounts vary - Most of the Alps seem to start at 60 - 65 and only between 10-30%, The free tickets seem to be mostly a French think, Tignes and Alpe d'Huez still seem to offer these from 72, La Clusaz 75...
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Poster: A snowHead
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snowhunter, OH hasn't had a seniors reduction in Austria in recent years (well before that he would have been too young in any case).
On the other hand he was quite, well very, lucky a few years ago when he was going to be 60 on February 1st. He convinced the salesperson that he would be skiing for more than half the season at 60 rather than 59 and didn't she think it would be nice to sell him the seniors pass in December with the discount - and she did. Have a feeling that just would not happen now.
And of course as the skiing population is ageing and if they give generous senior discounts then they will just have to make everyone else pay a bit more to balance the books - well probably.
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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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limegreen1, wow, that's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying one just for Verbier for the season, assuming you buy in advance. It makes the Verbier pass look very poor value in comparison.
I'm almost tempted, but I do like to try other resorts while I'm living here - Grand Massif, Megeve, PdS, Aravis to name but four.
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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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Whitters, until the recent dramatic change in €/chf FX rates the two season passes were almost the same price if bought in advance:
Verbier 4 Valley (Includes Chamonix)
and
Greater Chamonix (includes Verbier)
FX rates have changed a lot in last couple of months making the € version cheaper now, but I am sure that when they priced their reciprocal arrangement they did not intend there to be sufficient differential for it to be an arb'
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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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Whitters, the MBU pass comes with 3 day passes which can be used at PDS, Megeve and a few others
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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rungsp & BobinCH, thanks - that's useful information
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Looking at the Chamonix website it states:
"Access to Verbier-4 vallées ski area included in the 6-day pass and over! * (for each visit, collect a voucher at the ticket office)"
Regarding the bit about 'collecting a voucher at the ticket office' - does anyone know if this is in Chamonix or can be done in Verbier, if it can be done in advance, if you need to know your dates, etc? I would be going to Verbier the 'wrong way' around Lake Geneva from where I live so I wouldn't be passing through Chamonix.
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Whitters, you just show your MBU pass at any of the 4v ticket desks and they give you a day pass. If you're driving from Nyon, easiest will be Le Chable where you will rarely queue more than 5 mins for pass or lift at the weekends.
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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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Thanks BobinCH
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FAQ
Being an end of the year baby-boomer, it means I have had a season extra at reduced rate. I had to produce my passport/ID card to prove it all the time, but it was worth it, one for the saving and two for the compliments!
