Sledding and tobogganing is so much fun together. This is a photo of one of our contributors – Sam Lee
Winter – absolutely, positively the best thing about it is the opportunity to visit the snow. There is a catch though for Aussie families – our ski fields are the most expensive in the world! Not to be put off I have sought out the best ways to make a snow holiday affordable for Aussie families.
Have a good think about your priorities for your snow escape. Is it to expose your kids to snow for the first time? Would you love to go tobogganing with your kids. Do you want your kids to learn to ski? How important is it that you get to ski yourself? Do you want childcare? The most expensive Aussie snow holidays are at downhill skiing alpine resort with on-mountain accommodation. Rethinking exactly what you want your family to experience at the snow will assist you in cutting your costs.
Is a day trip an option?
For those living in Victoria and NSW it very may well be. Most mountains will charge for access even to toboggan runs and snow fields however there are free day trip options too. The best free snow plan near Melbourne is Mount Donna Buang. You can read more about Mount Donna Buang here.
Mount Donna Buang
Finding cheap snow gear
Keeping your kids safe in the snow involves dressing them appropriately for the cold. Unfortunatley children’s snow gear is particularly expensive in Australia. Discount grocery chain Aldis surprisingly stocks occasional cut price kids snow gear as do Woolworths and Coles (rarely). Other than hiring or borrowing gear the alternative is to buy snow gear during summer, when it is reduced, or head to the factory outlets of one of the outdoors suppliers such as Kathmandu.
On or off mountain?
Depending on how keen a skier you are, and the hours you want to spend on the slopes, staying off mountain will reduce your accommodation costs considerably. We recently stayed at the Sebel Pinnacle Valley Resort, off mountain accommodation adjacent to Mount Buller . This is a gorgeous resort, with more family friendly facilities than most on-mountain accommodations have and a good recommend.
Cross country skiing
One of the reason Australia’s snow holidays are so expensive is the cost of lift tickets. Cross country skiing removes this cost. Lake Mountain, near the alpine village of Marysville in Victoria is a cross-country skiing resort that ski school for kids. We hope to head there ourselves during the snow season.
Family bundle deals
Many alpine resorts have family bundle deals such as “kids ski free”. These tend to be at late in the season but are a good option if you are willing to wait.
Plan to visit the snow fields mid week.
Weekend prices for lift tickets and accommodation are much higher. If you do have the option to take some time off work mid week it will make a snow holiday more affordable. Similarly, avoiding school holidays when prices escalate is sensible.
Traveling overseas may be cheaper
Unfortunately, the reality is that traveling overseas, even with flights included may be a more affordable option, particularly for families living outside of Victoria and NSW. In 2013 we took the unusual step of traveling to China for a ski holiday from our then home in Cairns. This saved us considerably and was a great cultural experience for the family as well as being an amazing ski holiday. Do the maths before any snow trip – you may find that a trip to New Zealand, China or Japan brings a ski holiday within your own families budget
We visited China with our two kids in 2013
