Family ski holidays can be a wonderful experience – allowing you to have fun in the mountains with your loved ones. But for some as they start growing their family they may find the cost can add up, therefore making these types of holidays unaffordable. However, if you’ve been a skier or snowboarder for any length of time then it’s inevitable that you’ll want to introduce your kids to this wonderful sport! With that in mind (and because we want to help!) here are some of the best ways to save money on your family ski holiday.
Visit a resort with discounted children’s options
A lesser-known way of saving money on your family ski holiday but one that should be on the top of your list is to look for resorts with discounts on children’s lift passes. These can be available in resorts all over the Alps if you know what to look for and where to find it. Have a look at our Family Ski Holiday pages to see if there are any lift pass offers available when you’re looking to go.
New for 2024/25 – Cheaper Teen Lift Passes
Several resorts have extended the age brackets for their children’s lift passes from 12 to 17, meaning some big savings for families. Val Thorens, Meribel & Courchevel have joined Tignes and Val d’Isere in this scheme to help make skiing more affordable for families with older children. As an example, a full-area 3 Valleys adult lift pass purchased in July 2024 was £307, whereas a children’s pass was £252. Now that ‘children’ are qualified as ages 5-17yrs following the policy change in 2024, that £52 saving will make a difference to a lot of families – in some cases for several years.
Stay in a catered chalet
Catered chalets can be great options for families, with a range of sizes sleeping from 6 to 21 people, suiting a variety of budgets, ALL located in top snow-sure resorts. Choose from a whole chalet just for your family, or opt to book into one of our shared chalets for a unique sociable ski holiday experience.
- Breakfast, afternoon tea and a delicious menu of evening meals are included and will keep everyone’s tastebuds busy – parents and children alike
- Our chalets offer a wonderful and cosy home-from-home feeling that you can’t get in an apartment or hotel
- Prices include flights (with 20kg or 23kg hold luggage allowance included) and door-to-door shared transfers between the airport and chalet
- Choose from a variety of locations – never too far from resort amenities and slopes – and strike a balance between accessibility and tranquillity.
- Maximize savings with early booking offers, loyalty discounts, and Ski All-In deals, guaranteeing a fixed price for your holiday, lift pass, ski hire, accommodation, and transfers.
Chalet Tavaillons, Tignes – Lots of family room options
Book a room with an extra bed
Keep your eye out for chalets with extra beds. Rooms like this often offer the extra bed for a discounted rate or even free. This can save you lots of money on your family ski holiday including only having to pay for a flight for children of a certain age, with the catering portion carrying no charge! These rooms work perfectly for odd-numbered groups of people as they can fit into these rooms more easily. Here are a few Skiworld catered chalets which have rooms with extra beds, ideal for families:
- Chalet Arsellaz, Val d’Isere (sleeps 9) – Top location in the pedestrianised area of Val d’Isere. Nicely styled dining and seating areas. All rooms offer en suite facilities. Great value for money chalet in iconic Val d’Isere.
- Chalet Capricorne, Val Thorens (sleeps 9) – Well-furnished chalet, all rooms with private bathrooms. A homely vibe with lovely dining and living areas and free use of saunas and steam rooms. Close to the pistes and stunning views.
- Chalet Tavaillons, Tignes (sleeps 16-20) – Traditional Savoyard ambience, spacious and comfortable. Welcoming, large dining and living areas, great sauna, and hot tub. Prime location offering great access to the renowned Tignes-Val d’Isere ski area.
Take advantage of group discounts
Make sure you take advantage of any available group discounts. These are often easier to get when booking your ski holiday early. They also help give you the first choice of ski accommodation and can help save hundreds of pounds on your holiday.
Consider self-drive as an option
Self-driving is a fantastic option for a family ski holiday as this means you save on the cost of flights. It also makes it easier (and cheaper) to take your ski equipment and you can even stop off at a supermarket on the way and pick up enough food for the entire week. The downside of course is the long drive from England, but why not stop off sightseeing at a few cool places en route!?
Chalet Arsellaz, Val d’Isere – Amazing access to the slopes and superb family value
Don’t blow your budget on equipment & clothing
Of course, an easily forgotten cost of a ski holiday is all the equipment you need. You can hire your skis/boots/snowboards etc but you’ll also need a ski jacket, snow pants, goggles, a hat (or helmet) and lots more. This can add up and more so for families as it’s likely you’re not just buying for yourself but for all of you. To try and save then consider buying equipment in sales and through promotions. You could even look at buying items in the end-of-season sales ready for the next winter. Or to save even more cash, why not ask if you could borrow friend’s ski clothing? Maybe you’ll even be lucky enough to know someone with their own ski boots/skis that you can borrow. Kids also grow out of ski clothes quickly so it’s amazing what you can find at car boot sales and charity shops too – ski pants and jackets with literally a week’s worth of wear for just a few pounds!
Example of a triple room at Chalet Capricorne, Val Thorens
Pack snacks & lunch
Especially when skiing with kids it’s important to pack lots of snacks for during the day. You can even make up your own and keep them in little boxes in your backpacks. A selection of nuts, raisins, dried fruit, chopped-up Snickers and jelly babies will keep your energy up and mean you can stretch yourself a bit longer on the slopes before needing a proper re-fuel. For lunch on the mountain, you can easily make your own delicious, huge baguette sandwiches using easy-to-find ingredients from the local supermarket. Another option is to visit a local bakery and splash out on a pre-made baguettes. These will often still be much cheaper than buying from a restaurant on the mountain (and probably more tasty too).
Re-usable water bottles
Buying drinks out for you and your family can be another avoidable cost. Instead, save money on your family ski holiday by packing a reusable water bottle for your backpack. Even better (if you have the space) make up a batch of hot chocolate in a couple of 500ml thermos flasks, carry a bag of marshmallows and have a private hot chocolate picnic on the mountain with your family along with an amazing view!
Find fun activities
Whether it’s on or off the slopes, there is fun for everyone on a family ski holiday. Whether it’s ice skating, snow karting, or even going to the resort cinema, every resort has a multitude and variety of different activities aimed at different age groups.
Over 10 years old:
Children in the under-18 bracket are usually much more into adrenaline-packed activities. Lucky for you, our resorts offer a multitude of these activities, such as parapenting, snow karting, and extensive snow parks filled with both small and large jumps, while also offering viewing platforms to watch the pros!
Under 10 years old:
There are many activity options that vary from resort to resort. Many resorts also have dedicated snow areas for children to play in, whether it’s a snowman making area with lots of tools or lots of snow to make the best snow angels and have plenty of snowball fights. There are also activities off the slopes such as swimming, ice skating, and sledging. Lastly, there are also many evening snow shows offered each week during the winter season, such as torch-lit descents, ice skating shows and firework displays.
Summary
There are loads of ways to save money on your family ski holiday, and these are just a few. Whilst these types of holidays may not always be the cheapest, there are lots of ways to make them more affordable, and even more unique and fun in the process. Of course travelling and having these holiday experiences together as a family is something you’ll cherish forever too.
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