Why Skiing in Europe is WAY Cheaper than the USA
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 มิ.ย. 2024
- European Skiing is far cheaper than skiing in North America, and especially in the United States. The answer actually isn't so complicated..
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I had a tough time recording this voiceover as my voice was gone from being sick lately. By the next video I should have it back!
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Actually the ski passes in Europe that was picked as examples are considered expensive here.. prices are outpacing inflation.
they are much larger than the Vail resort though. Vail distort their piste km by counting all terrain, just looking at number of lifts gives a better indication. In Europe a resort that size would cost 50-60/day.
You don’t go to Vail to stay on the piste… America is not like Europe in that way. Piste distance isn’t a metric favored in the US because many here don’t use the piste anyways
Off piste terrain is where you can find a much better variety of terrain and a much higher quality of snow in the States
@@Swimmer326yeah, off piste terrain is also usually where the local authorities have to go out time and time again to dig dead people out of avalances..
It's hard to determine what the average ticket costs, especially with all the singular lifts in villages, so I understand why he took the most exclusive resorts as reference. Maybe it could have been clearer that this is the upper end.
Best deal in Europe is the 4 hours scan plastic card. Lift lines with modern lifts are near non existent so a 4 hour pass gets you more skiing that a full day ticket in the 70's or 80's.
@@Swimmer326 you been testing every cm of snow all around the world eh?😂😂😂
Most resorts in Europe are owned by the local council, which is basically communism to most Americans I believe.
In Austria are own by the community, basically every guest house or hotel owner is owning a piece from the ski infrastructure and generally the revenue from ski pass it is used mainly for maintenance of the infrastructure and also to cover the ski buses cost.
I'm a lifelong skier, and I find it downright depressing that these US corporations have ruined skiing in the US for all future generations by making it completely unaffordable for an average family to go skiing regularly.
It sucks, I live in Europe and the total cost of a New Year week trip to Ischgl (Austria) for 2 is 2k USD including everything. And it’s one of the most expensive resorts in Europe! It seems I won’t go to the US any time soon 😢
Season passes.
The big corporations are demonic.
If you want to ski regularly you buy a roughly $1000 season pass. For youth it's even less than half of that. Simple. It's the same in Europe....a season pass costs €1100 just for a part of Austria. Difference is, with the day-ticket prices.....in USA you are better off buying a season pass when you ski 4-5+ days a season. In Europe it's roughly 18-19+ days.
The only people that are off worse in USA are the people that ski a maximum of 3-4 days. That is not regularly in my book. Just buy the season pass and ski happy.
I skied at Vail in 1979 for $16/day. Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own. Do not ski corporate "destination resorts". Take the name resort out of skiing and boarding.
A year ago today I was skiing in Zermatt after a week in Chamonix.
Two weeks of skiing in Europe was equal to two days of lift tickets in Colorado
Zermatt and Chamomix are the most expensive resorts in Europe. Close to Italian/French Alps you can find resorts for 40/50 per day.
Boycott North American resort skiing and head to Europe.
@@BennyGeseritplease don’t :)
Trentino - South Tirol (Italy)best Alps in Europe: the Dolomites mountains, the price for skipass is 50/60 euros.
you have to realize that americans don't have two weeks of vacation anyways so it's a non issue for them!
You gave the example of Chamonix, at 71euros/day, but it still very expensive for France. You can find dozen ski resorts in France, at 45$/day or less, that are twice bigger than Aspen or Jackson hole. It's insane how big is the gap between US and Europe. Resorts in Europe are much more bigger and modern on average, lots are connected, offering unlimited off-piste possibilities. You can also find a charming authentic alpine village with a small resort for nothing if you like it more quiet.
Oh and the food in European ski resorts is 10 times better and cheaper. Good video by the way.
Faut vrmt pas faire du ski au state
Don't let that corporate greed from Vail and Alterra to creep up into Alps! If you do, you'll be very sorry soon.
That's good to know. In the US and Canada (I live on the border), people have this perception that skiing is only for the rich and many don't aspire to go.
I'm glad it's much more reasonably priced in Europe.
@@Eric-xh9eeYet skiing is still a luxury for most of the people here. I was lucky when I was a kid, my grandparents had a flat in the alps but now I can’t afford to go 😅
It’s a luxury resort. Imagine paying 200 bucks just for regular slope with snow, I don’t know what Americans love getting ripped off so much. If you tried that in france you may have one dude checking it out on opening day then not a soul.
Literally just got back from skiing 4 days in Italy and it was quite refreshing as someone who grew up skiing in North America. Literally everything was cheaper and it was quite noticeable how local everything was from the restaurants, lodging to stores. I hope it never changes.
It’s usually when you travel that you realise you country sucks in a lot of departments 😂 doesn’t even matter which country you from.
Do you remember which town/area you stayed at?
I got to ski Kitzbuhel last year. A 6 day pass was 360 Euro, or just under $400. For six days. You can't ski at any of the northeast "resorts" in the US for that. And the food is SO much better (and also less expensive) at the European resorts. I know it will never happen in this country, cuz there is something wrong with us, but we simply have to stop giving our business to these giant companies that are ruining our experiences. I outright refuse to buy Epic or Ikon anymore.
glad you had a great time! very funny though, because here in tyrol kitzbühel is considered to be the poshest skiing area in the region!
In Switzerland is the most expensive country in World, but still you get affordable ski pass compare to salary
Less expensive? 😭😭 it is already very expensive here, cant imagine the prices they charge you in North America
For that money I can buy a Tahoe local season pass and sky way more than 6 days... Epic season pass is great value.
Having said that, food is much better in European ski resorts - cheaper and much better then most USA restaurants in major cities.
@@mirceskiandrejFor that money you would be spending hours standing in waiting lines to get into the parking lot and then in the lift lines. You'd get your money's worth if you are able to ski weekdays, but most of us are working and kids go to school. 🤦
Most of ski areas in the alps were built by the local communities, putting money together, in order to promote tourism n the existing villages. People have been living in the alps for thousands of years and so there are very well rooted local communities. Most of the resort were not built starting from green fields, but by building slopes next to the villages. And then expanding. So very rarely there’s one single private owner or corporation that can decide to sell the lifts. Moreover the rest of the station, and I mean hotels, restaurants, ski schools, rentals, are owned and operated independently by the locals. Which they also own the shares of the lifts. They are local public companies where the directors are chosen not necessarily to make directly a profit from the ski operations, but to make sure that the operations work well to attract tourists in the area. Which will spend money in the hotels, restaurants of the village, which owns the ski operations.
Moreover for families the incentive to bring the children is very high. In most cases children until age 8 or 10 ski for free, as long as their parents ski as well. And after they still get substantial discounts.
Ski classes are also quite affordable, and the quality of the is instructors is top. In North America the teachers are usually young people that know how to ski, but no formal exam. In Europe ski teacher is a controlled profession that requires a lot of experience and training. Even for a very good skier are required years of fine tuning before being able to pass the very demanding tests on the slopes. And the ski schools are NOT owned by the lift operator. They are usually a coop of teachers.
The only place where is different is in France, where instead the role of the typical American corporation was done by the central government. The main ski resort are all owned and operated by the “Compagnie des Alpes” which is a majority government owned company that owns lifts, hotels and restaurants. They do have ski stations built from green field. I find them quite ugly when compared to the typical local villages that instead you can find in Switzerland, Austria or the Italian Dolomites.
Well said and very good review of the European situation. One addition about the French system: although on the surface it appears simular to the American way, in practise it's very far from. It used to be really cheap to go skiing there for a week*. Back in the day, before the introduction of the euro, the cheapest price I've seen was fl 99,- (E 45,- or $50) for 7 days of skiing, inclusive appartment, including liftpass and including transport to France (busride from the Netherlands, ~1250 km). Those days are gone, but you can still find very good offers for the above package around E 500-600 for a week.
I've read somewhere that the goal was to offer every Parisian an affordable holiday. The incredibly small appartments are a testimony to that idea (for those who've ever been in a hotel in Paris, you know what I mean).
* lowest prices were in quiet weeks ofcourse, not in the peak holidays.
PPS those prices are still a thing to this day. Check www sunweb nl for winter packages and you will find a 8 day trip (6-7 days of skiing) including liftpass and appartment for 4 persons for E 85,- per person. In Devoluy, France, on the 17th of march. That's without transportation to your location
It's gonna change soon with migrants and influx of refugees, the sense of deep rooted community for the past hundreds of years is gonna be gone in a generation or two just like America
French station like Les Menuire are really good looking, they have a 1970s futuristic feel and the governement make sure that it's not too expensive.
Of course some people prefer having a wooden house built in the station but in france we want as much people to go skying as we can so we built lots of quality and futuristic building during the 1970-1980s on top of the great lift.
@@puebespuebes8589 I agree. I've spent quite a lot of weeks in the typical French 'station de ski', and I also like the vibe there. It's different from your typical Alp village, but it's nice all the same.
And that includes the cramped accomodations, where you are sort of camping in the living room (converting the couch to a bed every night, and back to a couch every morning).
All at the right price ofcourse.
If you going the Pyrénées you get that little local village feel, don’t remember which I went to it’s been a while since I left. From what I remember it’s mostly just the rentals and accommodation that’s relatively expensive because during high season there’s high demand but no where near 200 bucks just to access slops. Might cost you that a day if you include all expenses like food, accommodation, rental and lifts. Maybe a bit more if you not watching your wallet.
Been living in France for 8 years. You can ski in the Pyrénées mountains for between 30 and 40 euros. I was shocked when i recently looked at prices at Lake Tahoe area resorts in California😮
Upper-Middle class Americans make way more money than Upper-Middle class Europeans. Here in Canada prices are between the US and Europe.
@@ME-hm3tcTo burst your bubble - Switzerland / Luxembourg upper middle class (90th percentile) has more money then US. Belgium / Netherlands is on par while FR and DE have around 20% less. There are industries where there are prominent differences (e.g. healthcare) but in general thats not the case.
So "Americans make way more money then Europeans" is a bit of an overstatement. Maybe on average 10% which usually gets "lost in translation" anyways. Its safe to say you can easily compare EU and US upper middle class on equal terms.
But the Pyrenees Ar melting, even resorts at 1800m that a few years ago you could go skiing in March have absolutely no snow now, went Pyrenees 4 years ago and most slopes had gone
@@ME-hm3tc Quote: _Upper-Middle class Americans make way more money than Upper-Middle class Europeans. Here in Canada prices are between the US and Europe._
Funny that you said that, as the average salary in the country featued in this in video (Switzerland) is actually higher than in the USA.
epic colorado season pass USD$390/adult right now. Even less through a travel agent. Covers 3 major vail run resorts
it‘s not true that most european resorts are built on glaciers. there are a few but still 95% of the resorts are just normal resorts without a glacier.
This was indeed a very bad argument
Some have long seasons by just being really far north, like near the arctic circle. But they're quite small resorts with short mountains for the most part.
Climate change is affecting the glaciers. Tignes offered all year round skiing in the 1980's but out of the normal season it's just a few weeks in the summer now.
2:19 Gudauri, Georgia (country), $27/day, $250/season for all the 4 resorts in the country (all state owned btw).
epic colorado season pass USD$390/adult right now. Even less through a travel agent. Covers 3 major vail run resorts
One of my favorite things about skiing in the Alps is checking out the restaurants. Mostly small huts scattered across the mountain and each with their distinct flair and family run. And the food is always local favorites and really good.
It is similar with accommodation, I have mostly stayed at little family run apartment hotels and I always make sure they have a sauna because sauna after skiing is the best.
I guess one big factor behind all this is that all the land where ski resorts are now in Europe was essentially privately owned alpine farmland thats by default open to the public, so when skiing took off it was like a bunch of local farmers that got together and bought skilifts and eventually you had a resort, and during summer they all send their cows back up to graze.
It is much harder for companies to buy all that up, because for a single resort you'd have to buy out several dozen land owners who have actually been living and working there for generations. They have no intentions of giving that up. In fact, at least in Austria they are well organized and form one of the most powerful lobby groups in Austrian politics. They obviously want to make money, but at least they are also the people who live and work there. The people who run the slops also ski them whenever they can.
Not just corporate suits far away making numbers go up in spreadsheets.
Vail .. " what can we get from you ". Europe .. " what can we give you ". Ski'd 3 weeks in Austria last month ( January '24 ). 12 different resorts , but all with the same attitude to their skiers. How good can we make things for you ?
Best resorts in Austria with hundreds of km piste cost now about 70€ a day, and this is already expensive. Many europeans quit skiing altogether because of rising costs.
St. Anton ist 80,-
Was 39-45€ 10 years ago.
epic colorado season pass USD$390/adult right now. Even less through a travel agent. Covers 3 major vail run resorts
I grew up in Sacramento California in the 1990's/2000's and skiing was cheap enough that my parents could afford to put me on a ski bus up to Lake Tahoe several times a winter. I was even briefly on the high school ski team. I wasn't a great skiier but I was good enough to get down almost any run at the resort and had so much fun. These days I can only afford to downhill ski once or twice a winter and I mostly cross country ski/snowshoe. Its sad that I couldn't teach my kid to ski. Its not that young American's don't want to ski but it takes several ski outings to good enough to have fun with the sport and few families can afford that. You can still ski alot with a season pass but a season pass is a huge chunk of change 1-2k per person.
For me on the other side of the atlantic, I just find it really gut wrenching. This should be a freedom to experience, not a luxury only a few can have, or need to plan months of salaries for. to actually being able to ski freely. How can people be so selfish, they hinder others of experiencing the nature? The sensation of floating on snow, and getting exercise while having the biggest grin doing it.
I despise the way the world has turned into. Where is humanity, and where is selflessness and good intentions?
Sure you might earn money, but can you really see your self in the mirror, denying a perhaps life saving experience, or less harsh:
A fun activity, only for the sake of bigger numbers on a screen?
I wish all well, and that we as a society become more humane towards eachother.
I skiied in Mayrhofen this year. About €350 for 6 days if i remember correctly and a good meal is about €20 on the top of the mountain. An alcoholic drink is €5. No tipping. Everyone is nice and european. Not snooty rich types.
Especially the Austrians love you, if you do'n't give a tip.🤭
epic colorado season pass USD$390/adult right now. Even less through a travel agent. Covers 3 major vail run resorts
I just got back from skiing in Zermatt yesterday. Way cheaper and much better time. I’m from the US btw.
I just got back from Colorado (normally ski in Europe). Everything was at least 2 times more expensive (I have Epic already). Definitely prefer the overall experience in Europe, what are good about skiing in the US are the fun ungroomed terrain and the lovely chats on the chairlifts. Will I pay 2-3x the price to go again? Unlikely
Zermatt is probably the most expensive place you can go to in Europe due to expensive accommodation and meals. Switzerland is in general very expensive. Skiing in Austria, France or Italy is much cheaper, and often better.
It depends how and where you book and how much demand there is.
When I was searching, a few Swiss places were coming up a lot cheaper than the equivalent in France.
The Swiss lift pass prices are expensive and I'm assuming that food on the hill will be as well.
It's strange. Back in 2010, it was cheaper to fly from the UK to Big White, Canada for 11 days, than to fly to France for a week.
Austria has been my first choice for years. I'm starting to look at other places.
@@listigtnothing beats Zermatt
And now imagine that Zermatt and usually the whole of Switzerland are under the most expensive ski resorts in Europe
I’ve watched all your previous videos without knowing you only had about 1000 subs, EXTREMELY underrated
100%
Just went to Davos in Switzerland for one day (2 hours drive for me): 75 $ ski pass; 40$ food; 6$ parking. I would never have thought I would say Switzerland is cheap :))
I didn’t think Davos of all places would be cheap! 😂
Yeah they're really doing sth wrong when Switzerland seems cheap in comparison.
Even more so when their average and minimum wage (using Geneva here) is considerably lower
epic colorado season pass USD$390/adult right now. Even less through a travel agent. Covers 3 major vail run resorts
1 week in Europe ski trip is like 1 day in the US . Mightvas well fly to Europe and ski people 😂
Then that would mean 2 weeks in Japan where your always guaranteed amazing powder even in a really so called bad season
@powderskier5547 much bigger mountains in Europe and also great snow. Personally I love Austria the most
epic colorado season pass USD$390/adult right now. Even less through a travel agent. Covers 3 major vail run resorts
I bought an Edge card this winter for 5 day’s skiing in Whistler, BC, Canada where I live 3 hours drive away. In the past Saturday, which was a family day long weekend in BC, I went to ski in Whistler because of good weather of that day. I was rejected at the gate because it’s a black out date, which includes all Christmas new years week and major weekends in January and February. I totally forgot about that! I was told by the friendly staff at the gate that I could get an upgrade in order to ski that day, well, later I was told the upgrade was no longer available at the customer service. So I would have to pay another CAD $250 for a day pass of skiing, which was actually already discounted from regular day pass of $300. 😢 so I gave up.
This is truly sad and pathetic. I'm sorry to hear that.
Yes Whistler became insane after it was bought by Vail, but Lake Louise and even Marmot in Jasper in Alberta are near $200 as well at the gate. My daughter in Vancouver is getting rid of her skiis.
We used to ski at Heavenly Lake Tahoe and it was great! You could buy a book of 10 lift tickets that could be used over a 14 day period and allowed you to ski other resorts around the lake so it was quite amazing! Since Heavenly was taken over the pricing changed and is so expensive we wouldn’t even think about going back! The tickets have to be used on consecutive days and you have to pay individual day tickets to ski other resorts around the lake! It’s a complete rip off especially to UK citizens as there are no longer any real benefits for us! We’ve skied Europe for the last few years and will continue to do so in the future! The US prices are for the rich only!!
epic colorado season pass USD$390/adult right now. Even less through a travel agent. Covers 3 major vail run resorts
your channel is so underrated, can't wait too see you reach 100K. keep up the great work
Appreciate it! Just have to keep posting
@@UncoveringSkiing You completely missed the part of the US ski that differentiates it from it's European counterpart: liability coverage. Liability coverage in US lift tickets accounts for 1/3+ of the price, European legal systems don't put this this burden on ski resorts.
Never thought the prices were that high in the US! Hard to imagine that after paying that much I would also have to be worried to not harm myself because of medical interventions in the US, on a rather risky sport, y'know.
Glad I've grown up right in the french alps, just next to serre-chevalier.
As someone who travels for snowboarding 3-4 times a year, between lift tickets, food and lodging, it can be cheaper to get on a plane to France and ride there, than go to Whistler (a Vail-owned resort), for example. I have friends in California who find it more affordable taking time off work and get on a plane to Japan to ride there, than go to Mammoth or Tahoe.
Wow, it feels so predatory in america.
I went sking literally yesterday and a day pass was 38€
That is insane. In the ski resort in Austria I go since 20 years, today a day pass ist around 60€, with cheaper prices if you buy it after 11/12am/1pm/2pm.
Especially for families it is insane as you can save a minimum of 55% of the price of an adult as a parent.
From what I see from videos of American resorts, you have more space/wider runs and more freeride(double/triple diamond runs), but at the same time the normal runs don't look as well prepared as over here and the most lifts, besides gondolas are in a dire need of an upgrade with at least Detachable chairlifts.
Bro like wtf!? My entire season pass for over 50 Ski Resorts here in Austria, Tyrol costs about 600€.... FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON. Thats like 2 days in USA, thats so messed up. America has lost its proportionality to money. Like, how much more do you want to increase the gap between poor and rich. This is insane
Its a shame that skiing went to a rich persons sport that cant even ride properly and aren't doing it to send it....
epic colorado season pass USD$390/adult right now. Even less through a travel agent. Covers 3 major vail run resorts
I am happy to live in Austria. The day pass prices are between 40-60€ at ski resorts with 15-60km of slope (Hinterstoder, Loser, Turracher Höhe, Katschberg, ......). In the huge ski resorts you pay 65-75€ a day like kitzbühel, kitzsteinhorn, wagrein, arlberg and much more!
Thanks for this. I was an avid skier from childhood, but haven’t been since moving to Florida 10+ years ago. I had no idea how expensive it’s gotten. I guess I’ll just stick with surfing and skimboarding.
Not only are the prices of lift tickets a multiple in the US compared to Europe, but the lifts are also often obsolete, the on-piste restaurants mediocre and way overpriced!
Dear US skiers, I believe you can ski a week in Zermatt, Cortina, Courchevel, or Lech, and it will come out cheaper than a week in most Western resorts, INCLUDING airline tickets for the whole family!
Awesome sharing and analysis, the world need to see more comparisons. Welcome to do an episode on new ski scene in Asia/China
In some cases you can only buy a share of a lift company if you are local to the town that they are based in. Also the lift company only does lifts,slope maintenance ski patrol and maybe the on mountain restaurants.
Rental shops, ski schools, hotels, bars and everything else is not part of the lift company.
Incredibly insightful. Thanks!
As a European, it's really crazy to see the prices in the US. I have been skiing in the Alps for over 25 years and I am happy to be able to ski in the Alps much cheaper than in the USA. In pretty much every ski resort in Europe there are season tickets for about 500-600 € (excluding Switzerland) with which you can ski every day for the complete seasons, that's the price for 2-3 days in the USA, crazy.
My parents were not rich, far from it, but when I was a child we were skiing *at least* 3 weeks every year. Another big saving is that it just takes 2 hours of driving from our place (Lyon, second largest city in France) to most huge ski resorts. Just last weekend, my 20 years son went skiing for the day, for under 100 € for the bus, the "day pass", the rent of all he needed (ski, sticks, shoes, helmet), insurances, etc. The bus leaves Lyon at 5h30 in the morning and leaves the resort when the night is falling. And of course it can be even cheaper if you have our own equipment.
There you go, 3 times as many skiers in European resorts than in US resorts, thats probably the reason if not pure greed of the owners.
It is strange that the connection between individual resorts could skyrocket the prices that high, but when you have a monopol, enything works as you want.
Most European ski resorts are very close to the population centres.
You can actually go by S-Bahn from Zürich to Flumserberg.
Even Lenzerheide is reachable for a one day trip.
When you are outside of the real chic resorts like Zermat St. Moritz and Gstaad
you find much cheaper hotel and food options.
And if you like to party Ischgl in Austria is the place.
Some people go there just to party. They don't even bring there skis.
In Switzerland skiing is not seen as luxury is more like a "human right".
Many have good memories on there school ski camps in huts with bunk beds.
Not few first kisses happens there.
It's worth it to fly 11 hours to Zurich and jump on a train and go skiing as opposed to sitting in traffic and lift lines in Tahoe.
Mmhh daily ticket prices seem crazy but 1000/1300$ for season passes are actually very good (unless I missed something). Here in Italy I pay 1000€ for a seasonal pass (Monterosa) which is an average resort
the seasonal skipass in my region cost 500€ full price, but there are a lot of discounts for young or old people, and a daily skipass is 45€ per day in all of my region, friuli in italy, not the best resorts, but they are still valid and beautiful
Here in Austria school classes are used to go 1 week a year snow skiing with the children 10-18 years old.
So almost everyone has learnd to ski well.
And here I thought that 50€ a day means entering the low end of expensive day passes. I live in Europe and pre-covid, for 5 days we spent 250€ per person. This included: accommodation (including spa everyday in the hotel), ski passes, food, rental (full snowboard gears) and even the car rent + fuel. We were in Slovakia Tatras mountains, Jasna ski resort.
Yes, no offence, but that resort is not up to par with the ones discussed here. I love the Tatras (went to Chopok/Zakopane several times), but Austria/Italy is on a different level.
@@NVIK5 You are right, just wanted to give some big contrast with a cheaper option. Nothing justifies a 300$ day pass imo, it does not matter if it's an ultra luxury resort with snow made of gold dust.
@@amidaobscura agreed!
keep up the work! :)
Only very few resorts in Europe are actually on a glacier and you named most of them. Summer skiing is a rare occurrence and even late season skiing is rare as resorts close after the easter holidays. Most resorts are below 2000m and are struggling to get the 100 days of snow considered as the cutoff for running a resort. Unfortunately, this winter is no exception. After a good start with lots of snow in the beginning of December, almost all precipitation so far has been as rain until like 1600-1700m, making it impossible to run a resort on natural snow at those altitudes. Many resorts are running a deficit every year and with smaller, low-altitude resorts dying, the larger and high-altitude resorts will be able to raise prices.
As always the difference is ownership...in Europe usually the cablecar-lift company is owned by the local comune. There are many hotels run and owned by their host families...
In America it is monoplized big corp...maximizing shareholder value. Cert. Not to the benefit of local comunities nor the skiing spirit in itself.
Norway, known for veing expensive, has even cheaper skipasses. You can get a season pass for $400, and day passes are $35-50
But ski experience might not be stellar tho...😉
I heard also that US ski resorts are often overcrowded with long queues at lifts, is that true?
Yes, I have seen that. Whistler had particularly long lines, the longest I have seen in my life.
How can you argue that it is cheaper to ski buying day passes compared to a season pass? I only have to go 20 or 30 times a year for the price of a season pass to be far lower than a day pass.
Alternate title: Monopolies suck the life out of everything
Hello someone from Minnesota its 100 dollars for a season pass at wild mountain so it's like November-March
Nice banana tree at 7:23! This footing appears a little bit off topic. Greenhouse effect kicking in already? Any OSINT people around who can point out where this footing comes from? I have already identified (sub)tropical trees/vegetation, a railroad, a diesel locomotive (eastern european type?) on a single non electrified track, a brown and a black cow, tropical trees, a house (houses?) with black roofs, white colored sandy roads.
Ok the locomotive is definitely the Alstom AD24C, which has been sold to Thailand. So the footage should be from there. Any known ski resorts over there? Waterskiiing I guess.
I am a lifelong skier and skiing in America has been ruined. This complete duopoly has inflated prices beyond reasonable proportions. How is it that a week of skiing at the largest and most luxurious ski resorts in the Alps is cheaper than a weekend trip to a small resort in the state of Vermont. The resorts in Europe are more luxurious, massive and much larger than any in the Americas rockies including Aspen and Vail. European resorts have an authentic mountain feel that most American resorts wish they had. We do have some of the most untouched pristine mountains in America, yet the price gouging has made it impossible for the vast majority to experience the beauty of the sport.
Another factor that applies to Switzerland is that during the summer months the mountains are offten used for cattle grazing. This is a very old tradition that is very important in the alps as it acts as a form of field rotation.
The family resorts are at 25 30 per day in france and 500 a season
269 dollars for a day pass? I'd never pay that^^
Best thing, in switzerland we have snow and rail, which gives you a discount if you get to the ski resort by train, and you can even load your ticket on your swisspass, which means you don't have to queue for the ticket :D
Their goal is to scare everyone out of paying that and making all people buy the seasonal pass. It is like now it is a subscription model rather than pay per use model. It is economical to ski more than 10 days rather than going there for just a day or two, but the ramification is that this price model is friendly to middle/upper classes who can go there this much, and prevented the lower income people trying it out altogether, potentially ruining the future of the ski sport and athlete. But i don’t know.
Thank you for this video, i really did not understood, why it is so much more expensive in the US to Ski than in Europe. Now it makes sense to me and i would still love to send it in the US and Canada one time 😀
Dude, love your videos you’re awesome😊
Thanks man!!
It's really a dillema, as a lifelong skier, I'm not able to afford skiing without buying their passes. By buying their passes, I felt guilty about becoming a complicit.
This is what I thought at one time. But as the video explains, Vail and Alterra are really trying to rip you off with everything BUT the season pass. If you can avoid renting their gear, eating their food and staying in their lodging, I don’t think getting the season pass is really playing into their hands. Get the pass, then do whatever it takes to avoid giving them another dime. Go to independent resorts when you can. It’s not perfect, but it’s the world we live in.
I got an ad for the epic pass while watching this.
Deer Valley is for rich people and you should always disregard those prices. Combination of Solitude, Brighton, Alta is a better indicator of prices in Utah.
I washed this video thinking you had millions of subs well done
I don't know if the footage in this video shows the current situation in Vail.
But those slow 2- or 4-seaters certainly look VERY dated to my European eyes. (Not to mention that they all seem to miss foot rests). I even spotted some cross bar lifts which have long been phased out in the top European ressorts such as Zermatt.
And this is crucial: faster lifts mean you can get _much_ more action out of a day pass.
In the US they wont allow you to put the bar down, so they took it off... Yeah, in a country, where you could get sued for nothing 😂
We spent 3 nights in Mammoth that cost about 7-10 days in Europe. I known where I'm spending my money next winter!
Been to both Chamonix and Zermatt. Simple reason, North America has snow! And lots of it.
I can get a 6 day pass at ski resorts in Lapland for the price of a single day at Vail.
Haha, jokes on you USA! I even went skiing a full week for only €355 in France :)
Another reason is probably that a lot of the skiers that go to Austria are there for a week on holiday and if the prices increase too much they simply wouldn’t go. Whereas in North America there are a lot more locals that can actually use a season long pass
In just a few weeks I'm going skiing for a month in France. I will be skiing Val d'Isere/Tignes, Les Arcs/La Plagne, Les Trois Vallées and La Rosiere/La Thuile. Some of the absolute best and largest ski resorts in the world. I will be paying a max of 75 Euros for a day pass! That's around 75 dollars...
Hope they've got some new snow for you...I've just come back, it's not great. La Plagne had the most snow but it was melting fast. Serre Chevalier had the best snow but very icy lower down. Sybelles was icy, Orcieres was nice but again a bit icy...Val Thorens - icy, Avoriaz great in the morning, ice under the snow later in the day...Val Cenis - icy...Le Grand Bornand - slushy but pretty enjoyable. Everywhere was mostly like spring...I saw a guy skiing in shorts in Avoriaz! 😆
Looks great on the webcams. And dumps are coming. I picked France just because of the altitude...@@davesbar7359
That would be more like 80 dollars
Oh nice, you're visiting the big 3 mega resorts of the Tarentaise Valley (aka Olympic Valley).
Will it be your first time there?
My favorite spots for accommodations in each mega resort:
In Tignes - Val d'Isère. If in Tignes, closest to the Funicular and chairlifts stations and slopes front in Tignes Val Claret. The building above the Intersport Val Claret gear shop and Taverne des Neiges restaurant usually has basic but cheap and perfectly fine accommodations, with a fantastic view of the pistes.
If in Val d'Isère, either La Daille with a great view of the village, mountain and resort.
Or in the core of Val d'Isère but it quickly gets expensive.
Residing in Tignes Val Claret offers a fairly central position in the resort, with easy access AND return to-from the furthest corners of the skiing area.
Especially when the slopes and lifts are closing, the Tommeuses 8-seater chairlift brings you back from the Val d'Isère side to the peak over Val Claret in a jiffy, with a huge capacity.
In Paradiski Les Arcs & La Plagne: if residing in Les Arcs I choose Arc 1800 and reside in one of the buildings designed by the great Charlotte Perriand. Namely "Les Belles Challes" (above the pedestrian commercial street), or La Nova (the building forming an arch)...
Or if in La Plagne, I choose the Belle Plagne village.
Arc 1800 is pretty central to the Les Arcs massif, with a fairly quick access to the Vanoise Exoress gigantic cable car linking to La Plagne.
And Belle Plagne is also between the center of La Plagne and the access to Les Arcs.
You don't want to be at the far end of one of the "main constituent resorts", as it could take a bit too long to quickly access the rest of the ski area.
In 3 Vallées, I usually stay in Val Thorens, which is the highest and furthest part of the 3V skiing area. Though access to the rest of the resort is quite easy and not too long. It also has the best skiing conditions. Plus, it has some of the craziest lifts I've seen. Something like 4 different double loading 6-seater chairlifts. The nerd that I am is always fascinated and mesmerized by the machinery of double loading chairlifts.
Enjoy your stay!
@@KyrilPG Thanks for your extensive answer! I'll be staying in Bourg Saint Maurice just so that I can go to any resort that I feel like on that specific day. I have been to these resorts many times but this is the first time I don't stay IN one of the resorts. Therefore my biggest concern now is knowing the best places to park the car in order to get a smooth way up into the ski area. If you have any thoughts on that, It would be appreciated. I'm also looking forward to trying out La Rosiere/La Thuile and Sainte Foy!
The ikon pass is just so convenient tho
I went skiing every year between 1986 and 2000. In the mid 90’s went 5 times to US/Canada due to a few poor snow years in Austria/France. At the time there was not a huge difference in the overall price between Europe and North America despite having to fly to the US - even to Alaska! It seems things have now changed substantially.
Just got back from Mammoth. They charge kids group lesson at $350/day for 10-3pm... Lift ticket is $240 a day. I paid $165 with family's Ikon pass discount. was in Northstar and Palisades in Feb. Lift ticket is $260/day and $170 with ikon pass discount. Kids lesson is $260/day with ikon discount. this has become unaffordable for a family to enjoy. I have only 1 kid. Don't know how other families do it with more than one kid. It is sad that this has become a rip off in the US. Back in 2014, it was $70/day for lift ticket. Glad i found this post and people are sharing similar experience. Seriously considering to go to Japan/EU for next ski trip (some are covered by ikon) for a better experience including food/lodging. Lodging is $300+ a night for a 2-3 star hotel and Airbnb. Now the 24/25 ikon pass is on sale for $1200+ for premier pass and $870 for base pass.
I like the other comment saying #boycott the US resorts. Don't know how to do that but that sounds like good idea like antitrust class action or something?
Skiing is just a traditional "middle class" activity in Europe. It just isn't considered anything special. Why that is, is probably a culture thing first and foremost. Most Europeans get somewhere around at least 5 weeks of payed leave. And spending that time on holiday is generally regarded as a good thing and very much encouraged. The idea is that having a couple of "resets" during the year is beneficial both mentally and physically. So that helps you to perform better the rest of the time, which does makes a lot of sense to be honest. Therefore wintersports holidays come in all shapes and sizes, from cheap organized bus trips, to all out luxury 5 star resort type vacations to make sure there is something available for any budget.
I don't get it, how can you convince someone to try skiing out if it's so expensive, in the US? Is anyone actually paying for those 250$ tickets or it's only on season passes?
I’ve gone skiing twice with friends who are very into it / have been skiing since they were kids. I learn a little more every time, but the cost is just way too insane for me. I would really like to learn and actually have fun on the slopes, but after lift tickets, flights, room and board, and gear, it’s over $2000 for a weekend. So, guess I just won’t learn to ski in this life.
There are 3592 ski areas in Europe vs 480 in the US. The US has not seen a major ski area opened since the 70s. All our ski areas are overcrowded and overpriced. We like to blame it on the US corporations, but it is the enviromentalists that stop new ski areas from being opened. This is just simple supply and demand. We have too few ski areas.
Not quite. The last major resorts started from scratch were beaver creek and deer valley in the early 1980s. Still a long time ago. But there have been many resort expansions since then so the total lift served acreage is much bigger today than it was back in the 70s. Another factor is the size of the market. Europe has about five times as many skiers as North America. Ski runs in the alps can be very busy especially at the major resorts. North American ski runs are much quieter on average
But a huge number of those European resorts are just small hills with one or two lifts.
Which I personally prefer because its less crowded and more relaxed but most people run to the same few big resorts
Im from slovenia, we are not some deep shit country and day passes for our ski restorts are max 40$, so everyone can afford skiing.(its crazy who would pay 300$ for a day pass)😂
Great video. I'm going Zermatt/Cervinia next week. Passes 4 people 5 days 1400€
It’s a great ski area too. Driven there from England a few times. Love it
Because in italy we have 1/4 of usa revenue monthly?
It’s not only Ski Resorts, also amusement and theme parks. A one day pass in Europa Park, Europe’s largest theme park, is 75 USD in peak season.
I was skiing in Valberg France last month and the ski pass was 20 euros per day
‘Europe’ isn’t a country. It’s about 140$ for a day pass in st Mortiz for example. Dwarfed by the $500 on piste lunch. Also if you care about skiing regularly you would have a season pass. 1000$ or so in the case of st Mortiz so hardly a cost consideration at all
Thats true. In many places in Europe the local community profits, not big corporations. We always stay ar a private flat in Austria, owned by a very charming old lady that lives in the flat above. This is a million times better than any hotel i can think of.
this is why i ski and smaller mountains like cypress that are near me. they're a lot cheaper and work fine
A lot forget about the salarys, here in italy the average is maybe 1500-1700? If a day pass costs 70€, maybe rent some ski, 30€, and you want to eat something its avg. 120€ per day, if you are a family you can say its 400€ per day. Thats a lot if your income is on average.
well yeah, but that's Italy. The other countries in the Alps earn way more, Austria for instance 3000 I believe and Switzerland 5000, and in those countries the price is also 50-75. Also for me as a skiing tourist from the Netherlands, where the average is like 3500 it is fairly affordable.
@@MaartenvanderVeekein the NL avg. 3500 gross or net?
@@ClemensSanta really depends on which statistics are used. But between 3000 and 3500 net
@@MaartenvanderVeekenot bad :D salarys in italy are way to low, specially in the north.
@@ClemensSanta huh, but the north is richer then the south right?
Just came back from the alps in France and paid 190€ for the skipass for whole week. was cheap resort though
Well, i'm a little shocked about prices in US. Here in Russia the most expensive resort Rosa Khutor costs smth like 50$ per day in high season (February). I spent 600$ week ago for 4 days of skiing + fly tickets + apartments (6 days in total). It's really scary if europeans and americans will travel to our resorts. It will make them unaffordable for russians. Thanks for sanctions :D
Before the war when we were allowed to travel to Russia we were actually looking into going towards Rosa Khutor as a cheaper option. It would however be cheaper to still ski in the alps, since there were no direct flights to Sotsji from Amsterdam making the price higher, transporting all the ski's on a plane, getting a rental car etc. It was just a bit to much, so untill they start promoting the ski resort and build more infrastructure for European tourists, I would not worry to much about the European tourists coming to ski in Russia. Also 50 dollars isn't that much cheaper then the ski pass prices in the alps, which are 50-75 even though the salary in mainland Europe (especially the Germanic countries) is much higher then in Russia.
Someone is going to build another resort near Rosa Khutor in 2029. Also right now near my town there is building a ski lifts factory. I hope this means extensive development of ski resorts in a near future. Anyway, it is sad that in such huge country there are quite few places for good skiing. We have a lot of small mountains like Ural or Altai, but there is not enough someting taller like Alps.
I agree with your math about costs/salaries, but it doesn't stop russians to fill to the neck this resort %)
So what you can say about prices for living, rental, daily meal in Europe? How much will it cost to travel for a week in total?
@@MaartenvanderVeeke
The reason it cost more is all the Nanny piste patrols and legal insurance
Lift tickets in Japan cost AUD$50 to 60 .00 per day. Skiing in Kazakhstan and Turkey is even cheaper.The world ski championships were held in Kazakhstan this week .
Cascades is where its at. Blue-collar skiing, lift tickets all under 150, some under 100, and the season passes pay for themselves in one week of skiing. Not too much luxury though; For those who want to ski, not “Apres”.
Alpine skiing is called Alpine for a reason
Do you think it's worth it to just fly to Europe to go skiing in the alps instead of flying to Colorado? Assuming I can fly any time in the year
Probably yes, there are many reviews out there in the internet of americans, doing exactly that
Yes, and you also will see some Europe. Colorado is boring
If you're from the East Coast absolutely, the higher priced plane tickets would be balanced out by cheap lift tickers and better food.
@@patricke825 Yup east coast
That's a big yes. And you don't have to pick in the top 10 European ski resorts. To lower the price, there's tons of others lesser known amazing and connected ski resorts.
But of course, if you want the full package, go to Les 3 vallées with Courchevel, or try Val d'Isere, you'll be blown away. These are the biggest and highest ski resorts in world (you ski above 10 000 feet, and there's like 150 connected chairlifts across several mountains in Courchevel, it's insane)
it's funny you could probably go to Europe first class, stay in a luxury lodge at a luxury ski resort in the Swiss Alps for a week and still come out cheaper then the same trip to a typical mid tier corporate owned "Epic" or "Icon" ski resort in the US flying Frontier to Denver and bussing it to Co Springs.
Everything is expensive in Switzerland except the lift ticket. I know, just got back from there.
Skimo and cross country is the way to go ;) keeping me fit as well
It's a bit more complex than "in Europe"
Yeah right - so American!
And I thought that a 74€ day pass in my area was rather expensive 😂
Nobody buys day tickets anymore in the US, ikon and epic passes are the norm. Thats how the system works now.
The problem is that cuts the population which skies only three weekends per season. Which are most of families which are casual skiers
I tried to explain this already, but no one listens around here.
just came back from a ski trip with friends and paid 280€ for 2 days ski pass, 3 nights in a four stars hotel with breakfast and spa.
I guess in the US that would cost ten times as much.
Vail ski resort company just bought the lifts in my own town of Crans-Montana Switzerland. I surely hope that the pricing will remain as is 😳
Vail Corp. are like a cancer IMHO.
@@MisterTMHI don’t think it can be worst than the former management. We had some people who acted like maffia bosses.
Prices in the alps are much higher than they were 10 years ago.
From 40-50€ to 80-90€.
That’s much more than inflation.
Less snowfall is going to be a big part of that if what you say is true I imagine.
@@Londronableno, we had record snow pack in the Alps just a few years ago and the last years in general were fine.
Just this winter it's too warm below 1500m.
In the higher mountains there's lots of snow.
One of the reason for the price increase is the expansion of the skiing areas.
The big ski resorts all want to outdo each other when it comes to luxury. They all want the latest lifts and the best hotels, the best pistes so that tourists will come to them and not go to other countries.
This is reflected in the ticket prices.
Switzerland has tried to get ahead of the game by having its own "Magic Pass". The goal of that pass has been to bundle together the weaker resorts so they could support each other. However, the larger resorts remain on their own but some are struggling and the impending demise due to climate change isn't helping. So recently Crans-Montana passed into the hands of the Vail group. It's a pretty sad story as the locals had very little to say. The resort had been saved by a local immigrant billionaire. Once it was no longer community owned it was no longer possible to recuperate it. We'll probably see similar price gouging there soon.
you got some sources? who was the billionaire, and what do you mean with saved? did he pay their bills until something came up and vaile came with the money suitcases? Also, i dont think one singular ski resort cannot start price gouging, as the others will just keep their prices and be happy with increased influx of people. the dangerous thing are those fking monopolies where the customer has no choice because one greedy corporation controls everything
@@ozr2222
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radovan_V%C3%ADtek