Affordable sports holidays: 9 affordable Swiss ski resorts that fit the family budget

In some cantons they have already started, in others the time has come: the sports holidays. The best time to go skiing and snowboarding with the whole family.

But winter sports are expensive: this year prices have increased in many places. For example, a day pass costs up to 83 francs at the most expensive addresses in Valais, in the canton of Graubünden around 78 francs.

Affordable options remain rare. Watson has therefore inquired where you can pay the cheapest day ticket and therefore have the cheapest ski holiday – price in descending order.

The Chäserrugg ski area in the canton of St. Gallen is not really an insider tip for winter sports enthusiasts, but it is relatively cheap to ski.

Between Unterwaser and Alt St. Johann, ski enthusiasts can look forward to about 50 kilometers of slopes. The longest descent is 8.5 kilometers long and there is a height difference of about 1400 meters.

A day ticket costs between 51 and 55 francs, depending on the time of booking.

On the other hand, the smaller Braunwald ski area, which is located in the corners of the Glarnerland, at the end of the “Grossstal”, is less well known.

The ski area in the car-free Braunwald has 30 kilometers of slopes, divided over two gondolas and three chair lifts, a ski lift and two children’s areas.

A day ticket costs 54 francs from Linthal (including a ride with the cable car), from Braunwald it costs 50 francs.

Anyone who automatically associates skiing with Elm probably thinks of Vreni Schneider. The skiing legend grew up in the small mountain village in the far corners of the Glarnerland, at the end of the “little valley”.

Schneider also learned to ski on the 40 kilometers of slopes, which is why a separate slope was even dedicated to her. An hour’s drive from Zurich takes advantage of five ski lifts, overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage site of Martinsloch.

A day ticket costs 53 francs.

“Uf um Stoos ob Schwyz, isch äs Paradiis”, a catchy tune that can be heard over and over in Switzerland. The Stoos ski area, which has three chair lifts and three T-bar lifts and thus opens up 35 kilometers of slopes, also wants to score points with this.

A highlight for many will already be the cable car at the base station: it is considered the steepest in the world. The view of Lake Lucerne from the Fronalpstock is also impressive.

All this is available from a price of CHF 52 per day.

Anyone who is at home in Central Switzerland is in good hands in the Mhytenregion ski area. Because around Schwyz’s local mountain, the Mythen, around 50 kilometers of slopes also attract ski enthusiasts.

The region between Schwyz and Einsiedeln is the largest ski area in the canton – with a connection to the Hoch-Ybrig. With 12 ski lifts and four cable cars, the Mythenregion ski area can boast.

A day pass costs 49 francs.

Bivio is only half an hour’s drive from the famous Savognin ski area in Graubünden. The “Pearl of the Julier” is the small ski area spread over 30 kilometers of slopes.

In Bivio you can ski about 800 vertical meters from the ski slopes. But there are three lifts and a children’s funland in the middle of the village.

A day ticket in Bivio is available from 45 francs, multi-day tickets cost 35 francs.

The Tschschiertschen ski area in the canton of Graubünden is “small but nice”, as the website says. In the heart of the Schanfiggtal, ski fans will get their money’s worth on 32 kilometers of slopes.

Four lifts, located on a north slope, provide winter fun between 1300 and 2400 meters above sea level. There is also a toboggan run in Tschiertschen.

Depending on the time of booking, a day pass costs 43 to 61 francs.

A region that few winter sports enthusiasts have on their radar is the three-lake area around Lake Murten, Lake Biel and Lake Neuchâtel.

There are 21 different ski lifts and winter sports areas in the region. The best known is probably Bugnenets – Savagnières, the place where ex-ski racer Didier Cuche started his successful career. 30 kilometers of slopes and a snow park lure visitors to the northern slope of the Chasseral.

A day pass costs 40 francs.

Also popular in the area is the La Robella ski area. 20 kilometers of slopes divided over four ski lifts attract winter sports enthusiasts to the canton of Neuchâtel. A highlight of the place is also a 4.5 km long toboggan run. E

A day ticket costs only 29 francs.

Many German-speaking Swiss probably did not expect that, but you can go on a skiing holiday in Ticino. “The best snow on the south side of the Alps” is what Airolo has, the ski resort exults on its website.

A total of 30 kilometers of slopes await you in Airolo, of which 14 kilometers are difficult slopes, 15 kilometers are intermediate and 1 kilometer are easy slopes. The fun in the snow is spread over two cable cars, three ski lifts, a chair lift and a pony lift for children. If you go to Ticino for your winter holidays, you can enjoy snow sports at an altitude of 1745 to 2250 meters above sea level.

A day ticket costs between 36 and 46 francs on the website, depending on the time of booking.

The cheapest prices for a day pass are in March. So if you can wait a while before skiing or snowboarding, you will benefit from lower prices.