While not known as the most economical sport in the world, the prices paid to visit ski resorts in Switzerland can differ dramatically depending on where thrill-seekers choose to go, according to a new analysis by Watson. They found that the cost of a ski pass can vary by up to 39 francs per day in some areas of the mountains.
With the ski season already underway in Switzerland, the online newspaper decided to see which resorts offer skiers and snowboarders the best value for money. Using data from individual resort websites and the Swiss Cable Car Association, they analysed the cost of a day pass for an adult at resorts with over 30 kilometres of slopes to use. All prices were set at what it would cost on December 17, 2023, when booking in advance.
Smaller resorts were discounted as although they do charge less, their opening times are often highly dependent on the weather and they don’t tend to offer very good options for learners and advanced skiers - for those interested, the cheapest ski resort in all of Switzerland is the quite limited 0,8-kilometre resort of La Brévine, Canton Neuchâtel at just three francs a day.
Watson found that the average cost of a day pass in Switzerland stands at 60 francs per person. This is perhaps little surprise, with the Swiss Cable Car Association telling the newspaper that larger resorts cost an average of 250.000 francs a day to run and prepare.
Starting with the most expensive, the resort of Andermatt-Oberalp-Sedrun was found to charge the most, with day passes on December 17 costing 89 Swiss francs. The tourist favourite Zermatt took second place with 87 francs, followed by Saas-Fee, Les Diablerets and Villars-Gyron in joint third with 79 francs a day.
In all, here are the most expensive ski resorts in Switzerland (in Swiss francs per day):
It needs to be noted that most (but not all) of the most expensive ski resorts also happen to offer the most ski runs, high-quality ski lifts, restaurants and other services - Zermatt, for instance, was recently rated as the best ski resort in Europe. Being situated at high altitudes, they are also more likely to provide the best snowy conditions for longer.
In contrast, Watson found that the cheapest large ski resort in Switzerland was the Vallée de Joux in Canton Vaud at just 30 francs a day. The Valaisanne resort of Bellwald took second with 31,5 francs, with Crans-Montana and Klewenalp-Stockhütte rounding out the podium with 39 francs.
While highly weather dependent, Vallée de Joux on the border between Switzerland and France still offers a reasonable selection of ski runs to choose from, especially cross-country runs around the nearby lake. Most notable on the list has to be the resort of Crans-Montana, where thrill-seekers are afforded 140 kilometres of ski slopes for a relatively bargain basement price.
In all, here are the cheapest ski resorts in Switzerland:
It should be borne in mind that many of the cheaper ski resorts will not have the same quality and variety as slightly pricier locations. What’s more, resorts like Bellwald and Crans-Montana operate a dynamic pricing system, so be sure to look in advance in order to see on which days passes are cheapest.