Sant'Ambrogio, Bardonecchia cheapest destination for a skiing weekend

The snow season has started and families are beginning to make the first calculations on what budget to budget for to ensure at least a weekend in the snow. Compared to a few years ago, costs have risen sharply, thanks to the cost of ski passes, which has literally skied upwards in the last three years (according to an analysis by Assoutenti, the price has risen by an average of 38% compared to the 2021/2022 season, with resorts where the increase is close to 40%). In this season, a day pass can go up to 86 euros in the Dolomiti Superski resorts and a season pass easily exceeds 1,700 euros. But the increase does not only concern the ski lifts: hotels, restaurants and tourist services have seen significant increases.

But what figures are we talking about? For @Viaggi24, Snowit, an online platform aggregating services for winter sports, which is now close to blowing out its tenth candle ( it was founded in 2016), has carried out a bespoke analysis. "We have worked to digitise the mountain world, with the aim of making the purchase of ski passes and other services simpler, more accessible and transparent for everyone. - underlines Riccardo Maggioni, co-founder with Pasquale Scopelliti, of Sportit.- We then launched SnowitPass, the most flexible pay-per-use ski pass ever, because it offers the freedom to ski by paying only for the time actually spent on the slopes, with a seasonal threshold in some resorts and a regional threshold in Lombardy beyond which you can ski for free until the end of the season". With its app, Snowit aggregates winter sports services, making it possible to buy ski passes, rent equipment, book ski lessons and experiences, and plan complete holidays. But above all, it makes it possible to avoid queues, save money and access preferential rates, make comparisons between pieces with the possibility of using one card (the Snowitcard) for several resorts.

How much should a couple budget for three days in the mountains over the St Ambrose weekend (5-7 December, from Friday to Sunday), taking into account two nights in a hotel with breakfast, a three-day ski pass and equipment hire? From a minimum of EUR 549 that can be spent in Bardonecchia in Piedmont to a maximum of EUR 1365 in the Siusi Alps in South Tyrol. If, on the other hand, the trip is planned by a family with a child, the range to consider is higher and goes from the cheapest Bardonecchia to the most expensive resorts in South Tyrol, namely Alpi di Siusi (1,950 euro) and Ortisei (1,940 euro). Compared to the 2024/25 season, Snowit notes an average increase in overall cost of 6%, while the ski pass has risen on average by 4%.

This is the price range that emerges from an analysis by Snowit (see published table), which estimated the main costs to be incurred for a short ski holiday on the weekend that traditionally kicks off the white circus season. Twenty Italian mountain resorts, equipped with ski facilities, were selected in order to ensure a balanced geographical coverage between the Western, Central and Eastern Alps and the Apennines. In particular, they are La Thuile, Pila (Aosta), Bardonecchia, Domobianca, Monterosa, Madesimo, Aprica, Bormio, Chiesa Valmalenco, Ponte di Legno, Madonna di Campiglio, Andalo, Folgaria, Ortisei, Alpe di Siusi, Brunico - Kronplatz, Sappada, Cimone, Corno alle Scale, Ovindoli, Roccaraso.

The analysis considers two typical visitor profiles, representative of some of the main winter tourism user groups: 1. Pair of adults (2 people), interested in 3-day ski pass (including Snowcare insurance) for both adults; two nights' accommodation in a 3 or 4-star hotel and equipment hire. 2. Adult couple with one child (2 people + child), interested in: 3-day ski pass (including Snowcare insurance) for all; overnight stay for two nights in a 3 or 4-star hotel and equipment hire for all plus three hours of lessons with an instructor. Not all resorts have four-star hotels. But even making a comparison with the same number of stars (3-star hotels), going to South Tyrol costs exactly twice as much as in Piedmont. The cost is also affected by the cost of ski passes and rentals, which are also much more expensive (almost double for both categories). Of course, the range of lifts available is decidedly different, and perhaps also that of other services. Everyone is free to choose according to their availability and of course their destination preferences. But if you are a beginner skier, it may not make sense to spend a lot on a ski pass that allows you to ride 1,200 km of pistes when you can't even do a third of them. The same goes for a family with a child on their first try. Of course, it is the beauty of the landscape and of certain places that makes the difference, but sometimes you can find less emblazoned, cheaper side valleys that are equally worth a trip.