Skiing is not the cheapest sport, but prices have been soaring even more in some Austrian resorts. What is happening?
According to an analysis by ORF Vorarlberg, the main issue is that some Austrian ski resorts no longer have one fixed price for a day ticket. In parts of the country, “dynamic pricing” means the cost can rise or fall depending on demand, and the highest prices tend to show up close to popular dates.
The broadcaster tracked adult day-ticket prices over several weeks in Vorarlberg ski areas using dynamic pricing. It found peaks close to €90.
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What is ‘dynamic pricing'?
With dynamic pricing, the day-ticket price changes by date and booking time. You may pay less on quieter days or by booking earlier, but you may also end up paying more when demand is high.
ORF Vorarlberg found the highst price in its analysis period at Silvretta Montafon: an adult day ticket for January 17th cost €89.50 when bought five days in advance. When buying tickets on the ski day itself, Silvretta Montafon exceeded Ski Arlberg’s fixed adult day-ticket price of €81.50 on many days, ORF reported.
How much you actually save by booking early?
Ski lift operators say the system rewards early bookers. ORF Vorarlberg’s analysis suggests the savings are often modest unless you book quite far ahead.
Booking one to three days before brought average savings of roughly €2 to €6 in Silvretta Montafon. The bigger average saving started at around five days in advance, at about €8 or more.
The main thing to watch out for is the weather, according to the report. Booking five days out means committing before conditions are clear. It’s a trade-off: save money by booking early, or pay more to decide closer to the day – which most people end up doing, raising prices.
Consumers and local associations have criticised the pricing, saying it lacked transparency. In response, industry spokesperson Andreas Gapp said dynamic pricing is common in other sectors such as aviation and is “not an invention of the cable car companies”.
He rejected the idea that it is opaque, saying he can see exactly what a ticket costs on a given day. If someone thinks it is too expensive, he said, they can choose another ski area.
READ ALSO: The best Austrian ski resorts within easy reach of Vienna
Key vocabulary
die Tageskarte – day ticket (day pass)
die Skikarte – ski pass or lift ticket
die Ersparnis – saving
die Preisspitze – price peak
das Firmenbuch – Austrian companies register
die Seilbahn – cable car or lift operator (context-dependent)
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