Every year ski tourism becomes more and more popular. We will tell you about the best resorts in Europe, where you can relax inexpensively and go skiing and snowboarding.
Austria
Austria is a ski paradise in the center of the Alps. Prices here are much lower than in neighboring Switzerland, and the number of ski resorts is twice as large (about 500). Most of them are located in Tyrol (on the map) and Vorarlberg (on the map). The cheapest ski resorts in Austria are Mayrhofen, Söll and Schladming. Mayrhofen attracts young people with partying and families with top-quality children’s ski schools. Soel is the largest ski area in the country, with the most interesting slopes. Schladming has the lowest prices for food and drinks.
Weekly prices:
Ski pass: adults – 282 euros, teenagers – 226 euros, children – 127 euros.
Ski/snowboard rental (+ poles, boots, helmet): 140 euros for adults and 70 euros for children.
Hotel (6 nights): from 29,900 rubles
Season: October to April
Ski resort websites: mayrhofen.at, skiwelt.at, schladming-dachstein.at
Spain
Most ski resorts in Spain are located in the Pyrenees and in the southern Sierra Nevada (on the map). The best of them are considered to be resorts in the north of Catalonia with peaks 2700 meters high. This is where the largest resort on the Iberian Peninsula is located: Baqueira Beret (on the map),
with 86 trails of all types, including extreme Encornacrabes, snowboard, halfpipe, cross-country skiing and dog sled trails. The largest and cheapest resort in the Pyrenees is Formigal (on the map),
with 137 kilometers of slopes and a maximum altitude of 2250 meters. Formigal positions itself as a family-friendly resort with wide pistes and children’s schools.
Weekly prices:
Ski pass: 243 euros for adults and 194 euros for children.
Ski/snowboard rental (+helmet, poles, boots): 126 euros for adults and 84 euros for children.
Hotel (6 nights): from 22,310 rubles
Season: from late November to early April
Ski resort website: formigal-panticosa.com
Slovakia
Most of the territory of Slovakia is mountains: High Tatras, Low Tatras, Carpathian Arc. Ski resorts in Slovakia are some of the best and cheapest in Eastern Europe. The best ski resort is Jasna in the Low Tatras (on the map),
with 14 routes, of which 3 are of high difficulty, 8 are of medium difficulty and 3 are easy. There are also tracks for children, tracks for freeride, snowboards and snowmobiles. Jasna is an international tourist center of the first category, where international slalom competitions are held.
Prices for 6 days (the maximum ski pass is sold for the same number of days):
Ski pass: 139 euros for adults, 111 euros for teenagers and 97 euros for children.
Skis/snowboard (+helmet, boots, poles): adults – 110 euros, teenagers – 85 euros, children – 60 euros.
Hotel (6 nights): from 8,000 rubles
Season: December to April
Website of the ski resort: jasna.sk
Germany
Most of the German ski resorts are concentrated in the south of the country, in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The largest and most popular resort is Garmisch-Pertenkirchen (on the map) on the Zugspitze slope (2964 m),
the highest mountain in Germany. The length of the trails is 62 kilometers, half of which are difficult-level trails. There are trails for snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and 110 kilometers of hiking trails, for which a network of cable cars has been created.
Weekly prices:
Ski pass: 268 euros for an adult, 246 euros for a teenager and 134 euros for a child.
Skis/snowboard (+helmet, poles, boots): adult – 100-120 euros, child – 60 euros.
Hotel (6 nights): 11,150 rubles
Season: December to April
Ski resort website: zugspitze.de
Czech Republic
Most of the Czech Republic is surrounded by mountains, the highest of which is Snezka (1600 m). The country’s most popular mountain resorts are located in the regions of Jeseniky, Krkonose, Šumava and the Jezerské Mountains. In the Krkonoše National Nature Reserve there is located Špindlerův Mlýn (on the map) – the most famous resort in the Czech Republic. It consists of two large slopes – St. Peter and Medvedin. St. Peter has 12 tracks, one of which is for snowboarders, and next to the slope there are cross-country ski tracks. The second descent is Medvedin, with 7 tracks with a length of 11 kilometers. The resort hosts the Slalom World Cup and the European Freestyle Ski Cup every year.
Prices for 6 days (the maximum ski pass is sold for the same number of days):
Ski pass: €178 for adults, €143 for teenagers and €125 for children.
Skis/snowboard (+helmet, boots, poles): adults – 80 euros, children and teenagers – 60 euros.
Hotel (6 nights): from 13,200 rubles
Season: December to April
Ski resort website: skiareal.cz
* Prices are indicated at the time of writing. The cost indicated in the material and the final price may differ.
Convenient hotel selection site – OneTwoTrip.
