The world of skiing and snowboarding has seen an uptick in popularity in recent years, with more people than ever turning to the sport in Europe. And while there are headlines about how expensive it is to go on a ski trip in North America, Europe remains relatively affordable.

Yes, this is not a cheap holiday, and you are going to spend more than if you choose to do a city break or backpacking. But… As this is a fun and technical sport, often in some of the more premium locations in the world, it is worth trying skiing or snowboarding.

And, you can actually still find some very affordable ski deals in Europe.

How much does it cost to go skiing or snowboarding?

The perception of winter sports as an exclusive and expensive pursuit is very much out dated. Yes, there is a wide price range and the sky is the limit. You can actually go skiing or snowboarding for the same price as a fairly standard beach holiday, or you can of course pay big bucks for a private catered chalet in one of the top resorts.

To put a price on that, we think you can enjoy a week on the snowy slopes for under £500 per person. This includes everything such as flight, equipment and even food.

This will be in one of the lesser known resorts, or a cheaper country, and may also mean self catering and budget flights.

A more reasonable budget would be in the region of £700-800 per person for a week. This will be a popular resort such as Grandvalira in Andorra, Mayrhofen in Austria or Chamonix or Morzine in France. These three are all popular but still relatively affordable.

Where is cheap to go on a winter holiday?

If you’re looking to go on a winter sports holiday on a budget, check out these countries and resorts:

• Bulgaria: Bankso, Borovets and Pamporovo
• Poland: Zakopane, Scyzyrk and Zielniek
• Slovenia: Krvavec, Krjanska Gora and Bohinj
• Romania: Poiana Brasov, Sinaia and Straja

To head to one of these Eastern European ski resorts, you’ll find that lift passes, lessons and accomodation are all a fraction of the cost of a trip to the Alps.

We can vouch for the fact that although these resorts aren’t on the scale of a French ski resort, the snow coverage can be just as good and you can have a more complete cultural experience.

As an example, I headed to Slovenia a few years back and explored two different ski resorts over three days and got to do some sightseeing too. Something that you’d be hard pressed to do in the French Alps. Plus the whole trip cost me a fraction of a trip to Morzine.

But, if you’re looking for a really cheap ski deal in europe, these are all fun budget options. You’ll definitely have lots of fun!

Where can I find an affordable break to a premium ski resort?

If you really want to enjoy one of the better known ski resorts, there are ways to find cheap deals. The best way to do that is to use the ski holiday providers and to keep an eye out for deals such as advance booking, last minute deals and discounts.

Our favourite places to find deals on premium ski packages are:

Sunweb: Offers lift passes included as standard and provides great packages to resorts across France, Austria, Andorra and Switzerland. Our tip is to keep an eye out for their last minute or advance booking deals.

SnowTrex: Another great option, also with lift passes as standard. It’s 50/50 between these guys and Sunweb for the best winter sports packages in Europe, so check them both out if you’re shopping around.

Inghams: Another great provider of affordable ski deals in Europe, keep an eye on Inghams deals. They also offer some nice family packages, although so far I haven’t actually used them.

Esquiades: Spanish based company Esquiades offer grea packages in Andorra, the French and Spanish pyrenees and some Alpine resorts too. Lift passes included as standard, and their deals are often competitive too. Very worth checking out.

Shop around between these sites and we reckon you’ll easily find a ski holiday to suit your budget.

It’s all in the timing

The best way to find a cheap ski or snowboard trip in Europe is actually to choose your dates wisely.

Early December is often cheap, and March and the late season also sees a lot of bargains. In short, early season and late season, and avoiding popular holidays such as Christmas, New Year and School vacations.

That said, you can sometimes find a great deal last minute if you keep and eye on sites listed above.

What do I need to include for a winter sports holiday?

If you’ve been before, or you’ve not been ever (or for a while) there are things you need to factor in to every winter sports trip.

These are:

• Flights (unless you’re luck enough to live close enough to drive/bus)
• Transfer from the airport (and back again)
• Hold luggage for your equipment – or
• Renting equipment
• Lessons for you or family
• Childcare and other considerations for kids
• Travel insurance which covers snowsports
• Warm weather gear
• Safety gear such as helmet, goggles, gloves etc

Transfers

A transfer to your resort can usually be included with packages, or you can find your own.

There are several sites where you can post your requirements (pickup location, time, number of people, return date etc) and local transfer companies will send their best price. You can then pick your preferred option.

Check out FindTransfers for this.

Equipment rental

All of the ski package companies will offer an option to rent ski or snowboarding equipment, including helmets and goggles. Expect to pay at least £70 for a week, sometimes over £100 for the premium gear.

We recommend buying goggles and a helmet. We reccommend Anon/Burton goggles for their quality. And check out Smith for their excellent range of helmets for skiing and snowboarding.

Insurance

Do not go on a winter sports holiday without suitable insurance. This is absolutely essential and something you should never go on a winter holiday without, whatever you experience level.

Looking for some inspiration?

We’ve done a few winter sports trips in Europe in our time. Most recently to Andorra’s Grandvalira (which was excellent).

We also recommend checking out:

• St Anton, Austria – For excellent ski in/ski out, a huge network of pistes and apres ski
• Avoriaz/Morzine, France – Again, an excellent and huge network and great apres ski (our review)
• Alpes d’Huez, France – Often touted as the best ski resort in Europe. Best way to find out is to check it out yourself
• Les Deux Alpes – Just across from Huez with glacier skiing! Read our report here.
• Livignio, Italy – Huge ski area, great apres ski and duty free too!
• Baqueria Beret, Spain – Underrated Spanish ski resort in the Pyrenees.

We hope you get to make the most of your winter sports trip in Europe this year. Who knows, maybe we’ll see you on the slopes?