Budget Ski Resorts

Andorra

Originally a handful of unconnected small resorts, Andorra now has a linked ski circuit that runs from Pas de la Casa, through Soldeu and El Tartar with 210km of linked slopes. It’s high enough to be snow-sure and has been around long enough to have some lovely mountain refuelling stops. Lift pass costs depend on the time of the season but reckon on around €50 per day for the whole area. Après ski costs are very reasonable as Andorra is duty-free. As the country sits between France and Spain, the food is an interesting melange of the two. The only downside is that it’s a bit of a schlep from either Toulouse or Barcelona airports. Lots of ski package operators go there so shop around for good value, especially as the transfers will be included. Pas de la Casa has the best nightlife – Soldeu is more tranquillo.  

Borovets

If you’re looking for a party-on-piste Borovets, in Bulgaria, ticks all the boxes. The skiing here is on Mount Musala which, at 2560m, is high enough to give good snow through the season. To be honest it’s more cheap and cheerful than chic and cheerful and with only 58km of piste it’s more about fun than serious skiing. Then again that reflects in the price of the lift pass which you can expect to come in under €200 for six days. It’s a good place to learn with instructors who speak good English. You’ll find a range of accommodation at varying prices and if you’re planning to explore the cheap beers and the nightlife you might not care too much about the creature comforts of your room. Once again lots of ski operators come here, flying into the capital Sofia, which is a transfer of around 90 minutes.  

The Milky Way

Offering 400km of pisted skiing, the Milky Way is a seriously under-rated ski circuit in the mountains not far from Turin airport. The circuit embraces six ski stations in all and we have two candidates for good value skiing within this enormous system of lifts and pistes. 

Sauze d'Oulx

Once a raucous cheap-and-cheerful party town (once known as Benidorm-on-snow) Sauze has matured, chilled, and left it’s rather gaudy reputation behind. However it still doesn’t attract the chic and the fashionable – the ‘big money’ wouldn’t be seen within miles of the place and that keeps prices down. The mountains range from 1,350m up to 2,823m and the diversity of the skiing means there is something for everyone. Given the amount of skiing on offer, the Milky Way lift pass is incredible value – 6 days low season for as little as €157 rising to €217 in high season. In terms of après ski, whilst it’s quietened down from its heyday, there is still plenty on offer at reasonable prices. Transfer time from Turin is around one hour. 

Montgenevre

A further 30 minutes up the road from Sauze, literally on the Franco-Italian border, is the charming resort of Montgenevre. Smaller and quieter than the Italian resorts on the Milky Way circuit it has a cosmopolitan ambience. The resort has it’s own very affordable lift pass (that’s the French for you) or you can buy into the entire Milky Way system. Good early après ski here, but not so much nightlife. It’s a hidden gem. 

La Clusaz

Sitting in the mountains above Lake Annecy, La Clusaz is a really genuine and authentic old French village, a million miles from so many of the modern concrete jungles that have become popular in the Alps. It’s also only around an hour or so from Geneva airport so easily and quickly accessible. You’ll find around 125km of pisted runs around 49 lifts. There is a lot of good value accommodation, with an especially good choice of chalets, as it’s also a very popular summer resort. Prices in the bars and restaurants are reasonable in comparison with bigger resorts. A six-day lift pass comes in at just over €200. The one drawback is that it’s quite low, so you need to check the snow forecasts.  

Going off-piste resort wise

We’re not talking about thigh deep powder here, rather we wanted to mention a few destinations in countries that wouldn’t necessarily spring to mind for a ski holiday. The first of these is Vogel in Slovenia – it only has 22km of pisted runs but if you’re a novice it’s a great place to get in the miles you need on easy-going blues and reds to find your ski legs. It’s also dead cheap – you need to fly to Ljubljana and the resort is a 90-minute drive away. 

Biatka Tatrzanska

Finally in this section, if you have a really tight budget and are prepared to be adventurous, have a look at Poland’s biggest ski resort, the almost impossible to pronounce Biatka Tatrzanska. Again, it’s ideal for beginners but with a 6-day lift pass costing only €128 you can’t expect too much. There is more challenging skiing in neighbouring resorts. Accommodation and food and drink are really good value. Fly to Krakow and you can get a bus from the local train station for only €8. 

SHORT BREAKS FOR SERIOUS SKIERS

We’re only going to put up one candidate here and that is Chamonix as the skiing is simply to die for. Easy Jet run up to 6 flights per day each way from Gatwick to Geneva. It only takes 1 hour 15 minutes to get to the resort so you can either take the first flight and be there for lunch or leave in the evening and get there for a late dinner. In January you could go out from Tuesday until Friday and pick up a return flight for under £65 (with no baggage). Then you’ll need to sort out a transfer which is about €40 pp on the bus. Hiring a car can be a good option if there are a few of you. 

Of course, the rest of the package doesn’t come this cheap. A 3-day lift pass will set you back €215. Decent ski and boot hire for 4 days will set you back €100. You’ll probably need to think about allowing at least €180 a day on accommodation and ‘budget meals’ – more if you dial-up the quality and want to enjoy the legendary Chamonix nightlife. The good life ain’t cheap! 

Then again you could always do the math and think about a few days in Sauze d’Oulx – flights to Turin are even cheaper and you might even squeeze in two short breaks! 

Spice Escapes - ski holidays for singles groups

Group Ski Holidays with Spice Escapes

Looking for ski holidays for singles or groups, but no one to go with? We have an range of group ski holidays to suit all levels of skier, so you can be sure of a great group of people to ski with.

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Singles ski holidays and ski holidays for groups are so much fun with Spice Escapes! We offer you the chance to travel on a ski holiday with a fun group of like-minded skiing enthusiasts and if you are travelling on your own there's no need to pay an expensive single supplement! Spice Escapes can offer a guaranteed same sex room mate assurance, and if we can't - we will pay the supplement! Or if you prefer to be in a single room and not share, you can opt to pay the single supplement in advance.