If you haven’t got time to take a full week skiing, then why not consider a ski weekend. You can often get nearly as much time skiing as you do in a week with only 2 or even 1 days holiday from work. The problem often is that ski weekends in France can cost nearly as much as a weeks skiing. But…… if you are happy to go with budget options a ski weekend in France needn’t cost a small fortune.

We’ve listed a few good options for ski weekends in the area around Moutiers / Aime La Plagne and Bourg St Maurice, so perfect for a rail ski weekend or with budget flights into Geneva. All these hotels / chalets are available to book for any number of nights.

Ski Weekend Val d’isere

Hotel Les Chardons - ski weekend in twin rooms from €62pp per night including half board. Centrally located in Val d’isere

Hotel La Toviere – ski weekend quadruple rooms from €62pp per night including half board. Prices get more expensive for 2 person rooms. Located on the piste in La Daille (5 mins bus from central Val d’isere, but straight on the La Daille lifts.)

Hotel Relais du Ski – ski weekend with two levels of comfort, ensuites with half board from Euros82pp per night including half board. Budget from €57pp per night with half board. 500 from Val d’isere centre, but 50m from the regular ski bus.

UCPA – the Val d’isere UCPA is great for ski weekends, when they are available. It’s a great weekend, the prices start from €300 but include full board, ski hire and lift passes for Espace Killy! Bargain! You are probably better off booking through Action Outdoors, the UK reseller. FOr some reason they don’t always list the weekends on their website but a phone call to them will find out what they have available.

Ski weekend TIgnes

Chalet Chardons – budget ski weekends, in fact any days available. Situated in Tignes Les Brevieres, the lowest point in Tignes but good links into central Tignes, and a shorter transfer!

Mountain Sun – ski weekend again based in Les Brevieres, but a higher standard of accommodation. Still relatively cheap though! Prices from £63 pp per night, including half board (with wine I think.) Watch out for supplements though

UCPA – ski weekend at the UCPA in Tignes Val Claret  is about 50m from the piste, and there’s a drag lift to the nearest lift so you don’t have to walk uphill. We’ve been on ski weekends early and late (late) season and can guarantee that it’s fab. Read same note about ski weekend deals and booking the UCPA on the Val d’isere entry above.

Ski Weekend Meribel - there’s not many options, but here’s two!

Ski Weekends – do what they say on the tin. Get a ski weekend based in Bride Les Bains from £219 including coach travel from London and half board hotel. Only a 20 minute lift ride from central Meribel.

Activ Experience – get the chalet experience for your ski weekend. Phone them for availability.

Hotel Croix Jean Claude – prices from €86pp per night including half board.

Ski weekend La Tania

Hotel Telemark – run by Ski Inns, it’s a budget hotel that can be booked for any dates. Prices start from £60pp per night including half board with wine.

Ski Weekend La Plagne

UCPA – on the piste in La Plagne 1800. Better comfort than most UCPA’s, rooms for 4 all ensuite. On the piste, literally. Great place to stay. Read same note about UCPA’s from the Val d’isere entry.

Ski Weekend La Rosiere

Auberge du Val Joli -Ski weekends from Euros46pp per night including half board. Week night stays from only €39pp per night including half board.

Whatever you do on your ski weekend in France, make sure that you have everything organised before you go and maximise your time on the slopes. Our top 3 tips for the perfect ski weekend :

1. Many resorts allow you to book ski passes online now like Val d’isere and the Three Valleys, you can get them sent them to your home.
2. Book your ski weekend ski hire online before you go and then you just have to pop in and pick it up – it’s up to 40% cheaper too! Visit SkiSet who have ski hire shops in most French resorts.
3. Go for half board deals, as cheap as apartments are for a ski weekend, with only a few days on the piste, you’ll be grateful for a cooked breakfast and ready made dinner, believe me!

The Ski Resort Report investigated the costs of lift passes and equipment hire together with meal and drinks prices in 14 ski destinations across Europe and North America – both for individuals and families.

Foreign currency for all the destinations covered in the Ski Resort Report is available at the Post Office – the UK’s largest bureau de change provider.

Total costs of ski passes and equipment hire together with meal and drinks for one, with 2008 position in brackets. 
 

Of course this is just an overview using only 14 resorts, so can’t be completely used as a guide to the cheapest resorts, however it gives a good overview of the cheapest areas to ski. There’s no major surprises here, although seeing Courchevel go down is a bit of a surprise.

• Take a pre-paid Currency card

Pre-paid plastic works like a pay as you go mobile phone. You top up with euros or dollars before you go away and then use it just like any other debit or credit card. Caxton FX guarantees the best exchange rates- which means they always beat bigger brands such as Marks and Spencer, Travelex and the Post Office, giving you the best deal. Purchases in shops and restaurants are also free of hidden charges and commission. Visit www.caxtonfxcard.com for more details.

• Avoid peak season

Christmas, Easter and half term (mid February) are the most popular dates to be on the slopes. January and March – April is the best time to go if you’re looking for a cheap deal.

• Book at the last minute

If you’re travelling in a smaller group, it is advisable to book your holiday right at the last minute as the later you leave it, the cheaper it becomes and most resorts usually have room. This is most advisable for smaller numbers – if you’re a party of 10+ there is obviously less chance of securing the desired resort and accommodation.

• Catered accommodation is cheaper

Staying in catered accommodation means you won’t spend a fortune in expensive restaurants and shops.

• Be forward thinking

Make sure you book your ski pass and ski hire online before going abroad as many websites offer great deals such as 2 for 1 ski hire and online discounts.

• Go somewhere different

Steer clear of the big locations in European skiing – Val D’Isere, Courchevel, Meribel, St Anton, Verbier, Courmayer.  Try a different location, Bulgaria for example, which is an up and coming hot destination.

• Buy a local SIM card

Using your English mobile can cost up to 10 times the price you would pay in the UK. Instead, buy a local SIM card before you leave for your holiday so local and international calls are more reasonable.

• Dynamic Currency Conversion

If you’re given the option to pay in local currency or sterling, always choose the local currency. This is a new process called Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). The retailer or ATM invites you to pay in sterling and then does the exchange rate at an unfavourable rate, which costs you money. During last year’s ski season, Caxton FX research shows that around £30,000 was wasted at just five of the most popular ski resorts in Europe through DCC.

Caxton FX was founded in 2001 as an FX (foreign exchange) broker, offering bank-beating rates for large transactions – they now exchange millions on a daily basis. The success of the company has been based on one simple principle: Value and Service. This principle has been carried through to the launch of the Caxton FX Euro and Dollar Card, bringing genuine savings to travellers.

Quest Bulgaria say “The British pound might be on the rise but those holidaying abroad are still facing mounting costs for their beach or ski holiday. According to the Post Office Travel Services barometer, almost half of UK tourists are looking to slash holiday costs by eating out less or cutting out sightseeing. Those taking a family overseas would pay more than twice as much for six beach items in Greece compared with Bulgaria.

For those looking for something to do at a cheap price, the Post Office highlights the chairlift ride up Bulgaria’s Blue Mountains on the edge of Sliven, which is less than 10 pounds for the whole family. Anyone wanting to take time out of the kitchen and eat out would do well to holiday in Bulgaria.

The Post Office found that a family meal costs about 57 pounds in Brighton – a family meal would be only 25 pounds here! For more information about the cost of living in Bulgaria, read the full and up to date article Cost of Living in Bulgaria 2009 from Quest Bulgaria Magazine.”

Ski Bulgaria is a good option for a budget deal, you can find more information here about skiing in Bulgaria.

A recent survey by American Express Travellers Cheques showed that although 79% of people still plan to take their holiday they are looking to cut costs in various ways. So how can these cost cutting suggestions be put into practice when booking yourski holiday.

• Travelling on an off-peak day of the week 53% (Amex survey respondents that are planning to do this)

With skiing, you’re unlikely to find a deal that makes it cheaper for you to travel on an off peak day of the week, just because most holiday companies are set up for Saturday or Sunday transfers. However it will be cheaper for you to sacrifice your six days skiing and do three or four, you’ve just got to find somewhere set up to do this.

Try a Thursday night budget flight into Turin, transferring to Montgenevre and staying with Flexible Breaks for four nights, leaving Monday evening. Giving you four days skiing for two days holiday (if you live close to an airport.) Flexible Breaks do what they say on the tin, you can book any number of nights you like! Go early or late season and get your ski break even cheaper.

• Going on a flight at an anti-social hour 39%
  Flying with a budget airline 38%

If you’re going independently then there are a range of budget airlines that you can use to get the cheapest price.

Snowjet
Ryanair
Easyjet
Thomsonfly
Air Southwest
Transavia
Bmibaby
Flybe
Jet2

• Going to a destination I have never heard of 15%

It is true that a lot of us skiers prefer to go to the big famous resorts, such as Val d’Isere, Courchevel, Meribel, Kitzbuhel etc etc. However some of the less known ski resorts have just as much good skiing and the beer costs less too.

Try Bansko in Bulgaria, Cervinia in Italy, Brides les Bains linked to Meribel or the Les Sybelles area in France, my personal favourite for good cheap skiing.

• Staying somewhere with communal bathrooms 4%
  Sharing a room with other people 3%

If you’re only on holiday for the skiing and not for the luxury then you could easily save a lot of money. My suggestion for this option is to stay at a UCPA. This is equivalent to our Youth Hostel Association, the UCPA has hostels all over the alps that are open throughout the winter. I’ve stayed in the Tignes UCPA twice now and I can firmly say that they are brilliant value but basic. If you are a solo traveller then they will put you in a dorm (6 beds) of the same sex.  You can get a week in a UCPA, including full board, lift pass and lessons from around 500 euros!

Don’t forget the team at Ski Concierge are here to help you book your ski holiday. Just follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/skiconcierge) and message us your question.