With us: yes, always. Every stay we arrange includes the lift pass in the price, and you arrange the journey down yourself. Elsewhere in the industry this is not a given. Where accommodation is sold at a low base price, the ski pass is often an extra you must add yourself. Since a weekly pass costs in the region of 300 to 400 euros per adult, this is the item that decides which option is actually cheaper.
Accommodation with the lift pass included at 108 ski resorts in the Alps. You arrange your own travel there by car, train or plane.
This is the most common single reason why two ski holidays that appear to differ in price actually cost roughly the same. The headline price does not describe the same thing in both cases.
Two ways of calculating
Stays where the lift pass is included
Accommodation and lift pass are in the same price, and you arrange the journey to the resort yourself by car, train or your own tickets. The advantage is that the biggest expense is already paid and you know the total straight away. The disadvantage is that you are responsible for getting there yourself.
Stays where the lift pass is an extra
Here the price you first see covers only the accommodation, while the lift pass and ski hire are added during booking. The advantage is that you can leave out the lift pass if someone in the party is not skiing. The disadvantage is that the price you see first is not the one you end up paying.
With us, it is the first version that applies. On all our resort pages, the lift pass is part of the price, so you avoid adding the largest single item afterwards. What you may still need to budget for yourself is the journey to and from the resort, ski hire if you do not have your own equipment, and food.
Work out the total, not the headline price
A weekly pass for an adult normally sits around 300 to 400 euros in most Austrian ski areas, and somewhat higher in the largest and best known resorts. For a family of four, this becomes an item of similar size to an extra week of accommodation.
Always compare like this: take the price of the stay, add lift passes for everyone in the party if not already included, and add ski hire for those without their own equipment. Only then are you comparing two things that are actually comparable.
Children are the exception worth checking. Many resorts let children under a certain age ski for free alongside a paying adult, and the age limit varies between ski areas. For a family with children, the choice of resort can make up a significant part of the total on lift passes alone.
Buy in advance or on site?
- Included or bought in advance gives a locked price and you avoid the queue at the ticket office on the first morning. Many resorts now price dynamically, so passes bought early are often cheaper.
- Bought on site gives flexibility. If the weather turns poor or someone falls ill, you can buy fewer days than planned.
- Half day passes and multi day discounts exist almost everywhere, but rarely show up in the package price. If you are only skiing for a few days, this can work out better than a weekly pass.
Want to see what is included? Compare ski resorts in the Alps and see the price with hotel and lift pass included before you book.
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Price levels are approximate and apply to an adult weekly pass in the Alps. What is included in your particular stay is set out in the terms and in the booking confirmation.