• Prices have fallen in two-thirds of the ski resorts surveyed for the Ski Resort Report ( www.postoffice.co.uk/skireport2022 ) but costs vary by hundreds of pounds
• Bulgarian resorts are again cheapest, while Swiss ones remain the priciest
• Italy’s Bardonecchia is the best value in the Eurozone

Families planning trips during the school half-term in February or in the Easter Holidays will find that prices have dropped year-on-year in 19 of 28 ski resorts rated most suitable for skiers with children 2 , although they vary by hundreds of pounds across Europe. Bansko in Bulgaria offers the lowest prices for bargain hunters. At a total of £1,358 for the ski barometer basket for two adults and two children 2 , prices have fallen by 12 per cent in Bansko, making it the best value resort for the fourth year running.

Bardonecchia in the Italian Alps has again emerged as cheapest in the Eurozone for families. Runner-up in the survey to Bansko, Bardonecchia has seen its prices fall back to £1,592 – over 20 per cent lower than a year ago when the resort registered a big increase in ski costs. Comparing this season’s prices with those in 2019, the last full ski season, families can expect to pay around 2.3 per cent more.

Among seven countries surveyed, Italy is once again offering bargain hunters the widest range of well-priced ski resorts. In addition to Bardonecchia, four more resorts feature in the best value top 10. Sestriere (£1,761) is in third place after its prices fell 5.9 per cent year-on-year, while Passo Tonale is fourth cheapest at £1,782, a 10.2 per cent drop. La Thuile (£1,887) takes sixth place with a price fall of 9.2 per cent. Cervinia (£2,106) is in 10 th position and registered one of the biggest falls of 14.4 per cent.

Andorra is another good value choice for the cost-conscious. Arinsal (£1,883) is fifth cheapest, although prices are 6.3 per cent higher than last year. Soldeu also features in the top 10 but prices there are 9.3 per cent lower than a year ago so it has risen to seventh place with a total barometer cost of £1,941.

The remaining two places in the best value top ten are taken by Austrian resorts – Rauris (£1,974) and Ellmau (£2,045). However, none of the nine French ski resorts surveyed made the top ten, with Morzine (£2,134) best-placed in 11 th position. Elsewhere in France, there have been big price rises for Tigne (£2,868) of 8.1 per cent and Alpe d’Huez (£2,481), where prices are up by 11.1 per cent.

High prices in Saas Fee (£3,120) and Grindelwald (£3,119) have again made Switzerland the most expensive destination for families, although prices in Saas Fee have fallen 2.6 per cent year-on-year.

Crystal Ski Holidays has seen demand return to pre-pandemic levels with families keen to get back to the slopes after being denied time on the mountains for so long.

Echoing the pricing trends seen in the family ski survey, costs for ski school, lift passes, equipment, meals and drinks are down in two-thirds of the 32 ski resorts surveyed for adult skiing.

Following the pattern of recent years, Bulgaria leads the table of best value ski resorts – with Borovets beating Bansko to the top spot for the third year running. Although prices have fallen in both resorts, the higher fall of 7.3 per cent in Borovets (£435) means that it has widened the gap with Bansko, where the overall barometer cost has dropped 5.1 per cent to £488.

The six Italian resorts surveyed represent the best value for UK skiers among the ‘big four’ ski destinations of Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland. With price falls in all six, the Italian resorts feature among the 12 best value resorts. The survey’s biggest price fall of 10.6 per cent has been in Bardonecchia (£495), which is rated the third cheapest overall.

Prices in sixth-placed Morzine (£618) have fallen by 3.1 per cent, enabling the French resort to overtake Ellmau (£648) in the Austrian Tyrol, where costs have risen by 2.1 per cent. These are the only resorts in France and Austria to make the best value top 10 because these countries account for most of the price rises this season. Post Office Travel Money found year-on-year increases in five of nine French resorts and in five of the nine Austrian resorts surveyed.

Although prices have also risen by 1.5 per cent in Soldeu (£638), the Andorran resort is eighth cheapest in the survey and remains one of the best value choices. Similarly, Finland’s Ruka (£648) offers a good value alternative to more expensive Austrian and French resorts, taking 10 th place after recording a price fall of 7.6 per cent year-on-year.

In common with the family report, Swiss resorts rate as the priciest of all with Wengen, Saas Fee and Zermatt each registering totals exceeding £1,000, albeit with small price falls in all three resorts. By comparison, prices have risen by 5.2 per cent in Kitzbühel (£881) and around one per cent in Val d’Isère (£980), making the French resort the most expensive in the eurozone.

Emma Hancock Post Office Press Office 07922 844352

Notes to Editors:

1. Ski lift pass for one week (6 days)
2. Ski equipment for one week (6 days)
3. Ski school tuition (5-6 days half-day lesson)
4. Cup of coffee
5. Bottle of Coca Cola
6. Glass of house wine
7. Bottle of beer
8. Six lunches on the slopes

2 Prices for families are based on two adults and two children aged 6 and 8.