Best value ski lift passes

We looked at the world's best ski areas and compared their prices for a six-day lift pass this season, to give you an insight into which pass is the best value for money! Scroll down to learn more:

1. The Three Valleys, France. EUR 0.53 per Skimile

The Three Valleys is the world’s largest and the world’s favourite ski area with nearly six million skier visits per season. In addition to this, it's also the best value lift pass if! Comprising the major resorts of Courchevel, Méribel and Val Thorens (as well as La Tania, Les Menuires, Saint Martin de Belleville and a host of other satellite resorts), the Three Valleys offers 600km of pistes spread over 105 sq km (an area the size of Paris) with 328 runs. It has the world’s best vertical transport capacity, beating the second placed ski area by almost 35%. With skiing up to 3230m, snow reliability is assured. However, the area also has 2200 snow cannons covering 49% of the pistes: you’ll be skiing come what may! The Three Valleys ranks number 1 with 609 Skimiles The cost of a six day adult lift pass for The Three Valleys is EUR 321 Browse our Méribel chalets here.

2. The Milky Way, Italy/France. EUR 0.59 per Skimile

The Milky Way (Via Lattea) in Italy comes a close second for value. The area combines the five resorts of Cesana, Claviere, Sestriere, Sansicario & Sauze d’Oulx to offer some 400km of skiing (and one of the best value ski passes in Western Europe...if not the world. More of that below!) The ski area also crosses the border to incorporate a sixth ski resort of Montgenevre in France. In spite of its size, its appeal – cobbled streets of Sansicario, the tree-lined slopes of Claviere and the vibrant nightlife of Sauze d’Oulx – and its inexpensive lift pass, it just sneaks into the top 20 resorts in terms of skier visits. Surely another reason to visit! The Milky Way ranks number 10 with 340 Skimiles The cost of a six day adult lift pass for the Milky Way is EUR 202

3. Sella Ronda, Italy. EUR 0.63 per Skimile

The Sella Ronda is part of Dolomiti Superski which offers an eye-watering 1200 km of skiing...but unfortunately many of the villages and areas are a little fragmented and so the whole area can not count as one connected ski area. That said, Sella Ronda is a huge circuit that goes round the Sella mountain range for approx. 30 kilometres. The area connects four main ski valleys - Alta Badia, Arabba, Val di Fassa and Val Gardena – giving you 500km of linked pistes. To service this massive ski area, and the approximately 4 million skiers per winter, is a very powerful lift network (second only to the Three Valleys in terms of hourly uphill capacity). Sella Ronda ranks number 2 with 513 Skimiles The cost of a six day adult lift pass for Sella Ronda is EUR 324

4. Paradiski, France. EUR 0.69 per Skimile

La Plagne and Les Arcs were ranked as two of the largest ski resorts in France in 2003. But the mechanical miracle known as the 'Vanoise Express cable car' opened and started transporting skiers high above the Tarentaise Valleys, between the two resorts. The interconnected ski area of Paradiski was thus born. With 425 km of pistes, and 160 lifts, it is now the world’s second most visited ski area after the Three Valleys. Paradiski ranks number 3 with 459 Skimiles The cost of a six day adult lift pass for Paradiski is EUR 315

5. Ski Arlberg, Austria.EUR 0.81 per Skimile

With 626 listings, Austria has more ski areas than any other country! This is the best value lift pass in Austria. The Arlberg Ski Area comprises the resorts of Lech, Schröcken, St. Anton, St. Christoph, Warth, Zürs. In 2017, the new Flexenbahn gondola opened to connect the resort of Stuben and expand the ski area to 305 km of piste. It is Austria’s second, and the world’s eighth, most visited ski area. Ski Arlberg has approximately 2.4M skier visits each winter – the same amount as Whistler Blackcomb. The area has some of Europe’s best off-piste terrain, particularly in St Anton above the tree line. The Arlberg Ski Area ranks number 5 with 387 Skimiles The cost of a six day adult lift pass for the Arlberg Ski Area is EUR 313

6. Portes du Soleil, France. EUR 0.81 per Skimile

With 12 resorts spanning from Mont Blanc in France to Lake Geneva in Switzerland, Portes du Soleil often punts itself as the world’s largest resort but, unfortunately, it is not all “connected” as the Morzine/ Les Gets area is outside the accepted walking distance of 400m thus creating a separate resort. Nevertheless, the Portes du Soleil offers a fair bit of skiing; the six-day pass still covers a whopping 650 km of piste! The main French resorts are high-altitude Avoriaz, the market town of Morzine, Les Gets which is popular with families and the more traditional Chatel with Champery over in Switzerland. The Portes du Soleil is the world’s fourth most visited ski area. The Portes du Soleil ranks number 6 with 364 Skimiles The cost of a six day adult lift pass for the Portes du Soleil is EUR 295

7. Skicircus Saalbach, Austria. EUR 0.84 per Skimile

The second Austrian ski area on the world’s 100 largest ski area is the one with our favourite name – Skicircus Saalbach! The performers making up the Circus, since connecting up for the 2015/ 16 season, are Fieberbrunn in Tyrol to Hinterglemm, Leogang and Saalbach which are all in Salzburg. In total, there are 270km of piste serviced by over 69 lifts and a top altitude of 2100m. The Skicircus finished 11^th in the list of Ski Area Comfort largely due to its state-of-the-art lifts that includes a whopping 29 gondolas! 50% of the terrain is also listed as “blue” for beginner skiers. Skicircus Saalbach ranks number 7 with 349 Skimiles The cost of a six day adult lift pass for Skicircus Saalbach is EUR 292

8. Val d’Isére and Tignes, France. EUR 0.92 per Skimile

Dispensing of its former name – Espace Killy – the ski area known as Val d’Isére-Tignes still touts itself as the most beautiful ski area on earth and boasts an impressive 300km of piste... not to mention a jaw-dropping 10 000 hectares of free-ride terrain. Tignes has various hamlets but the two most popular villages are both located at 2100m: Tignes le Lac and Tignes Val Claret. With the vast majority of skiing in Tignes above 2000m, it is one of Europe’s most snow-sure resorts. Val d’Isére is one of the most revered resorts in Europe with a beautiful town, modern lift system and some of the best ski terrain in the world. Val d’Isére and Tignes ranks number 9 with 342 Skimiles The cost of a six day adult lift pass for Val d’Isére and Tignes is EUR 315

9. Matterhorn Ski Paradise, Switzerland/Italy.EUR 0.99 per Skimile

Straddling the slopes of Europe’s most famous peak is the Matterhorn Ski Paradise which is the collective name given to the resorts of Zermatt in Switzerland and Cervinia/Valtourneche in Italy’s Aosta Valley. One of the elder statesmen of the European alpine scene, Zermatt has 200km of piste with skiing up to 3890 metres (12760 feet) on the Matterhorn glacier. Below that lofty altitude are an astonishing 48 mountain restaurants! Over on the other side, Cervinia boasts a further 160km of piste. All around this huge mountain playground are some of Europe’s highest peaks including Monte Rosa at 4,634 meters and the Weisshorn at 4,506 meters. Interestingly, the Matterhorn Ski Paradise is one of only two European ski areas to rank in the top ten for “Ski Area Comfort” a gauge that considers skier comfort on the way up (fast lifts, heated seat, conveyor belt access etc) and on the way down (space on the piste, lifts per piste and ratio of groomed: non-groomed pistes). Matterhorn Ski Paradise ranks number 4 with 459 Skimiles The cost of a six day adult lift pass for Matterhorn Ski Paradise is EUR 456

10. Whistler Blackcomb, Canada. EUR 1.35 per Skimile

The only entrant in the top ten of the world’s largest ski area from outside of Europe is the inestimable Whistler-Blackcomb located 120km from Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It doesn't have the good value lift pass of it's European counterparts, however, North American resorts tend to focus on their overall area making it difficult to compare to the European snow fields. Whistler boasts 8170 acres of skiable terrain – approximately 254 km of piste. As well as its size, Whistler boasts an enviable snow record averaging 10m of the white stuff per season, great vert and some of the best backcountry terrain in the world. It has an extremely efficient lift system by Canadian standards – indeed it is the only Canadian resort in the top 100 by this gauge – but it also tallies a lot of skier visits (2.4M per winter) so can seem very busy at times! Whistler Blackcomb ranks number 8 with 345 Skimiles The cost of a six day adult lift pass for Whistler Blackcomb is EUR 465 (CA $722)