The cheapest weeks to ski in 2026/27

Operators price a ski week by demand, not by snow, which is why the cheapest weeks come at both ends of the season and the best-value ones sit in the middle. The table below is computed by the finder for two intermediate adults flying from Gatwick with the package, a 6-day lift pass and hire. The package line is each resort's January price multiplied by the week's band; passes and hire cost the same in every week. The snow column counts how many of the 33 resorts score 75 or more on the finder's snow confidence that week.

Two intermediate adults from Gatwick: package, 6-day lift pass and hire, no lessons or food. The package band for each resort is multiplied by the week's factor; passes and hire don't change by week. Snow counts are from the finder's snow confidence score for that week.

What the table says

• Eleven weeks share the lowest price. Early December, all five January weeks after New Year, two in mid-March and two in April all sit at the base rate. The 2 January week joined them on 6 November 2026: the operators' own prices showed it as the cheapest date for more of their hotels and chalets than the week after. What separates them is snow and daylight, not money.
• The best-value weeks are 9 to 30 January. Base price, 19 of 33 resorts with "very likely" snow, cold, quiet slopes and no school holidays anywhere in the UK. The days are short and the temperatures at 2,000 m are the lowest of the season, which is the only argument against.
• Mid-March is the sunny bargain. 13 and 20 March are base price with 16 to 18 resorts still scoring well, long days and warm afternoons. Choose a high resort and ski the mornings.
• Early December is cheap for a reason. 5 and 12 December cost the same as January with only 7 or 8 of the 33 resorts reliable. Only the high and glacier resorts (Val Thorens, Tignes, Val d'Isère, Cervinia, Passo Tonale, Sölden, Zermatt) earn the discount; everywhere else you are buying a gamble.
• Mid-April is for the high resorts only. 10 and 17 April are base price and 7 or 8 resorts score well; many of the others have closed. In the right resort it is the best sun of the year.
• The week after half term (20 February) costs 1.2× rather than 1.9×, with identical snow: about £700 a head less than the week before in a mid-table resort. The Dutch, Belgian and French holidays keep it busy, which is why it is not base price.
• New Year is the second-dearest week at 1.7× and half term the dearest at 1.9×. Christmas (1.5×) and Easter (1.4×) are the cheaper school holidays.

The cheapest resorts, week in, week out

Bardonecchia, Bansko and Sauze d'Oulx are the three cheapest in every week of the season, because the ranking is driven by the package band and nothing reorders it. Passo Tonale is fourth throughout, and is the cheapest resort with a top snow score in every week. For what the cheap resorts are like, and why one of them has a queue problem in peak weeks, see the half term guide; for where the money goes in a week, see what a ski week costs.

Cheap weeks, honestly

1. A cheap week in a closed resort is not a bargain. Before booking either April week, check the lift company's closing date; many low resorts stop around 11 April.
2. January needs warm kit. The savings go on thermal layers, mittens and a face covering for the children, which still leaves most of the saving.
3. Early December needs a glacier or 2,000 m skiing, and a flexible attitude to which lifts are open. Ski schools are quiet, which is a real advantage for a first week.
4. Watch the French holidays. The four weeks from 6 February to 6 March are busy with French, Belgian and Dutch school holidays even when no British school is off, which is why they are priced as high season.
5. Lift passes and hire are the same in every week, so the cheaper the package, the bigger the share they take. In a £1,025 Bardonecchia week they are almost a third of the total.

Common questions