Snow other place than Italy for cheap skiing

Above Kranjska Gora in third place was another Italian resort, Sestriere, which moves up because of a cheaper child’s lift pass (about £46). Fifth-place Canillo meant Andorra retained its budget tag due to free child lift pass deals and a 7% drop in prices overall.

Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money said: “Ski school costs are definitely something to bear in mind because they can add hundreds of pounds to the family ski trip budget. In today’s cash-conscious environment, it is worth comparing tuition fees and swapping to a resort such as Kranjska Gora where you can shave £200-£300 off the price.”

One surprise new entry in sixth place was Vemdalen, one of Sweden’s largest resorts, where a package came in at £1,769.

Further down the list, all the resorts below 10th place had total costs in excess of £2,000, with the most expensive, Switzerland’s Saas Fee, almost reaching £3,000 – double the cost of a week in Bardonecchia.

The survey also found steep price rises in France. Although Morzine remained the best value French resort at £2,173, an increase of almost 16% meant it fell to 12th in the table from 7th place a year ago. The cost of skiing has also risen 10% in Serre Chevalier (£2,274, 16th) and 12% in Les Deux Alpes (£2,387, 17th).

A big factor in resort costs was food and drink and, despite its crown slipping this year, Bansko still provided the cheapest dining and beverage options, with six lunches for four on the slopes costing £136.86, six glasses of wine £29.16 and six small glasses of Coca Cola £20.40.

In contrast, six glasses of soft drinks were £49.08 in Saas Fee and the most expensive wine option was found in Vemdalen, where the £110.40 price tag was at odds with its otherwise reasonably priced total cost for a week’s stay.

The highest overall lunch bill was in the Finnish resort of Ruka, where it was £502.20, just ahead of Trysil in Norway at £498.30 and Morzine at £436.74.