International ski body Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) have found that French and Austrian ski resorts offer the best value for money for families looking for a holiday spent on the slopes.
A report carried out by the ski body delved into what different countries are doing to encourage children onto the slopes.
French resorts are where most families tend to head for a skiing or snowboarding holiday. With the Alps being just on our doorstep, it’s a shorter and less painful journey when travelling with younger children than visiting Austria, despite the bargains to be had.
French resorts led the field on the family discount front, with over 85% of resorts in the region offering families savings and discounts for their winter holidays. However, this could arguably be bettered by their rivals in Austria, where the average child discount amounted to 52% of the cost of an adult pass, compared to a mere 17% in France.
Families visiting any of the resorts in either of the countries usually also benefit from free lift passes, although the age limit for these does tend to vary widely.
Surprisingly, Switzerland and Italy were way behind their Alpine neighbours with average savings of only 46% and 26% respectively, despite Swiss resorts being more likely to give out free passes to kids under the age of 9, and Italian resorts being commended for the huge off-peak season discounts they made available. In some resorts, children under the age of 12 years old even receive free accommodation and food as well as lift passes.
German resorts seem to be the least popular ski resorts within Europe, despite offering tourists some of the highest discounts on the continent (up to 55%), the same amount offered by resorts across the pond. Outdoing German discounts though is Japan (unexpectedly) with resorts renowned for their dependable snow year-round and 65% discounts for skiiers and snowboarders alike.
The FIS secretary general Sarah Lewis commented saying, “The report’s aim is to make children’s lift ticket prices more transparent to assist and encourage parents and families to enjoy snow sports.”
Insurancewith offer family and single parent discounts with their winter sports travel insurance policies. We believe that a love of winter sports shouldn’t be restricted by medical conditions either, which is why we offer cover for hundreds of medical conditions on our policies. Our winter sports policies can cover you and your medical condition for both on and off piste skiing, with optional activity pack extensions for those looking to try some different activities whilst away.
