In recent years, there has been a trend of increasing ski prices in Canada and the United States. Lift ticket prices continue to grow each year, as well as the price for lodgings around mountains throughout the ski season.
This trend may mean that it is cheaper to go to Europe for your ski vacation instead of North America.
Especially in Colorado, but also in Vermont and British Columbia, it has become normalized for ski day passes to be over $200. Meanwhile, many European resorts charge as little as 50 euros for a day pass. While flying to Europe incurs the additional cost of transatlantic flights, the cheaper food and lodgings may make up for the price difference. Additionally, car rentals are a hidden cost that are significantly more expensive in North America, and in many resorts there are parking fees. But what has caused this increase in prices?
At many resorts, they want to encourage customers to purchase season passes instead of going to multiple mountains for a couple of days each. Season passes are made to be much more cost-effective if the customer only skis at one mountain for the season. The increase in season passes that have been purchased also provides guaranteed revenue for the resorts that is not weather or condition-dependent. But the biggest component of the price increases is due to corporate consolidation. Companies such as Vail Resorts and Alterra have led to a duopoly in the industry that can maximize profits by raising prices of day passes to incentivize people to buy season passes.
The bottom line is that the profits now matter more than the customers, as there is a prioritization of shareholders over accessibility in the mountains.
Additionally, there are many season passes, such as Epic and Ikon, that allow the consumer to get more resorts open to them for a much lower cost. Both Epic and Ikon are a pre-purchased season pass providing access to ski resorts worldwide and also offer discounts on food, lessons, and rentals for holders.
While these season passes can provide some benefits, such as food discounts and buddy passes, it limits the customer’s ability to go to multiple resorts with day passes or have as much freedom over their skiing locations. It also limits new skiers or people who are unable to get to the mountain many times throughout the season. In conjunction, if you don’t purchase the top level of the passes, many have blackout dates for some resorts or a limited number of times you can ski on the same mountain. Vail Resorts have also been heavily criticized for their lack of organization, price gouging, and their inability to run resorts as effectively and efficiently as possible. Many customers have complained of long lines and too many passes being sold, while there is not enough space on the mountain to accommodate everyone.
Many skiers have also noticed that many luxury developments have been constructed around ski mountains, making it harder and harder to find affordable housing/lodging around the resorts. This increase in prices has also created a problem where workers are unable to afford to live close enough to the mountains. This creates a short-staffed problem, once again raising the prices. Skiing is no longer a fun recreational activity, but instead it is a luxury vacation with very little government regulation controlling it.
The difference in Europe is that many resorts are municipally or regionally supported, and the attitude around skiing is different. It is more of a recreational activity that is open to all. Europe also provides better public transportation to access the resorts. There are many trains from major cities to resorts, and the resort towns are very walkable, making having a car unnecessary. Due to low day pass prices, there is less pressure to buy season passes, making the customer able to buy a ticket only when they will go skiing. The food is also cheaper in many places in Europe and is of higher quality compared to North American resorts. On a normal trip to Europe, one can expect to pay $60 a day for a pass, $150 a night for a hotel, with flights adding $1000 cost, but with no car rental needed. But in North America, one can expect to pay $200 a day for a pass, $250 a night for a hotel, $100 on food a day, as well as $500 for domestic flights and car rentals.
For a 3-day trip this creates about a $500 difference in price.
Additionally, if one is willing to go off the beaten path in Europe, there are many resorts that are not in Italy, France, or Switzerland that are even cheaper. There are many in Bulgaria and Slovenia that may be smaller mountain passes, but lodgings are significantly cheaper as well as the food on the mountain and in the surrounding area.
For many avid skiers, the sport is definitely worth the hefty price tag no matter where they go. However, as prices continue to rise at North American resorts, skiing is becoming less accessible for those just beginning in the sport. Europe is ultimately a very viable alternative for skiers who may only want to go on one trip a year or who don’t live near a mountain.
