Book Your Next Ski Trip To One Of These Budget-Friendly Resorts
By DANIEL FEININGER
Surrounded by Pirin National Park, skiing and snowboarding take over this town in winter. It is also home to several luxurious and community hot springs.
Bansko, Bulgaria
Lift tickets are currently just 515 Bulgarian Lev ($282) for six days on the mountain at Bansko Ski Resort, with 47 miles of skiing landscapes and a peak altitude of 8,202 feet.
The mountain runs sprawl across 18 individual ski slopes with two black pistes, 11 red slopes for experienced skiers, and six blue and two orange runs for beginners.
A Super Ski Pass here unlocks 95 ski slopes across ski resorts in Podhale, Spisz, and Pieniny, and the lift pass currently costs just $137 for six days.
Białka Tatrzańska, Poland
Two hours from Krakow, the Tatra Mountains have 37 miles of slopes and 12.5 miles of cross-country trails. Zakopane, the budget-friendly resort village, is only 14 miles away.
This town sits near some of Europe's most iconic peaks, offering sights of the Matterhorn's pyramid top and the Mont Blanc expanse.
La Thuile, Italy
La Thuile is an hour and a half from Geneva by car and three hours from Milan. You can enjoy a similar skiing experience in Switzerland without the lofty price tag.
An inexpensive destination for winter activities, a six-day pass in the high season goes for €285 ($305). The community's Espace San Bernardo ski park covers 95 miles of slopes.
In Ruka, a lift ticket currently costs $217 in the low season and $242 during the high season (December to May). Excellent viewing of the Northern Lights is free.
Ruka, Finland
There are 200 days of open skiing, 39 slopes of varying difficulty, and 22 lifts. Near the Oulanka National Park, visitors can kayak, mountain bike, and hike in magical scenery.
This resort on the side of Mt. Chopok is in the heart of Slovakia. It's four hours from Vienna or Budapest and a half hour quicker from Bratislava.
Jasná Nízke Tatry, Slovakia
It has night skiing and 20 quick lifts facilitating 30 miles of ski slopes. Over half the resort has snow-making machines, so it's always fully coated in perfect, powdery snow.
Lift passes cost around $145 for six days. Jasná is one location among ten resorts across Central Europe where 125 miles of pistes can be skied with the Smart Season Pass.