Lift passes: six-day adult prices
Prices are for one adult, bought at the standard rate, in local currency.
| Ski area (resorts) | Season | 6-day adult | Does 24–31 Dec cost more? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ski Arlberg (St Anton, Lech) | 2026/27 | €468 | No. Peak season runs 19 Dec 2026–2 Apr 2027. Early December is €395 |
| Les 3 Vallées (Courchevel, Méribel, Val Thorens) | 2026/27 | €421 | No. €421 from 19 Dec; €378.50 only 5–18 Dec and 10–18 Apr |
| Tignes–Val d'Isère (Val d'Isère, Tignes) | 2026/27 | €468 | No. One price from 12 Dec 2026 to 23 Apr 2027 |
| Portes du Soleil (Morzine, Avoriaz) | 2026/27 | €373 (€352 online) | No. Same price until 19 Mar 2027 |
| Silvretta Arena (Ischgl) | 2026/27 | €451 | No, one band for the season, though the lift company reserves the right to change prices daily |
| Obergurgl-Hochgurgl (Obergurgl) | 2026/27 | €478.50 peak | Yes. Peak 19 Dec–6 Jan; €469 from 7 to 29 Jan |
| Verbier 4 Vallées (Verbier) | 2026/27 | CHF 409 | No Christmas band published; 10% off if bought at least 10 days ahead |
| Matterhorn Ski Paradise (Zermatt) | 2026/27 | From CHF 384 (Zermatt only) | Priced by demand; the Christmas price is shown only at booking |
What dynamic pricing did at Christmas
Zermatt and Verbier price by demand. In December 2024, PlanetSKI priced a six-day Zermatt pass from 22 December at CHF 482. The same pass from 12 January was CHF 436. On the Verbier 4 Vallées pass it found CHF 359.10 for Christmas week and CHF 333.90 for the week of 12 January. Those are 2024/25 prices. Zermatt's lift company says early bookers get the best price and that prices can rise with demand, orders and the weather forecast.
Year on year
The Post Office Travel Money Ski Resort Report, reported in December 2025, found that a six-day lift pass cost an average of 10.7% more than a year earlier. That report uses mid-season prices, not Christmas prices.
Ski school
Group lessons are where a Christmas premium shows most often.
| Ski school | Season | Christmas-week price | Other weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scuola Sci Cortina, six 3-hour adult group lessons | 2025/26 | €470 (high season 21 Dec 2025–10 Jan 2026) | €400 |
| Skischule Arlberg, St Anton, adult group courses | 2026/27 | Peak season rate (13 Dec 2026–9 Jan 2027) | 10% less from 10 to 30 Jan 2027 |
| Scuola Sci Selva, Val Gardena, one-day learn to ski | 2026/27 | €166 (high season 20 Dec 2026–9 Jan 2027) | €141.50 |
| ESF Val d'Isère, 5 or 6 mornings, intermediate and above | Current tariff | From €427 | The school publishes high- and low-season calendars; the season this price covers is not stated |
At Christmas, ski schools fill up in the same week as the chalets, so book lessons when you book the holiday.
The Christmas premium on accommodation
Accommodation accounts for most of the difference. Powder Edition, a chalet agent, says Christmas, New Year and February half-term are the most expensive weeks of the season. It puts the Christmas price at "two to three times the January rate for the same property". For a catered chalet sleeping eight to ten in the top French resorts, it gives £8,000–£12,000 for Christmas week. It says premium chalets can exceed £40,000. These are one agent's figures for the luxury end of the market. They are not an average.
Inghams offers discounts of 20–35% on longer non-peak stays. Its terms exclude 18 December 2026 to 3 January 2027.
What we measured: Christmas against January
Published claims about the Christmas premium tend to be round numbers with no source behind them. So on 21 September 2026 we read the week-by-week prices one UK chalet operator, Le Ski, shows for all 33 of its chalets in Courchevel, La Tania and Val d'Isère. The prices are per person and include flights, transfers and half-board catering.
| Comparison, same chalet | Chalets compared | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas week against the cheapest mid or late January week | 9 | Christmas was 21% to 39% dearer, with a median of 29% |
| New Year week against Christmas week | 6 | New Year was 38% to 43% dearer again |
| The week before Christmas against Christmas week | 4 | About a third cheaper |
Two examples: Chalet Mistral in Courchevel was £2,090 per person for Christmas week and £1,621 for its cheapest January week; Chalet du Berger in Val d'Isère was £1,841 against £1,323.
The limits matter. This is one operator, in three French resorts, and only weeks still unsold on 21 September could be compared. Treat it as a measured example rather than a rule — but it is a real one, and it suggests that the week before Christmas and January both offer the same chalet for noticeably less, and that New Year, not Christmas, is the dearest week of the season.
Why chalet prices vary too much to publish
We do not give an average chalet price for Christmas week. These are the things that move it most:
- The week itself. Christmas and New Year weeks sell at the top of the price range. In 2026, Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, which OVO Network notes is changeover day for most properties.
- Catered or self-catered. A catered price includes breakfast, afternoon tea and most evening meals, usually with wine. A self-catered price does not.
- Resort and altitude. High, well-known resorts charge more.
- Size and sole occupancy. A whole chalet for your own group costs more per person than rooms in a shared chalet.
- What is bundled. Flights, transfers, lift passes and childcare may or may not be included, so compare like with like.
Putting the costs together
For a family, lift passes and lessons are the parts you can price from published tariffs, and in most areas they cost about the same at Christmas as in January. The accommodation is where the Christmas premium falls. The ranges an operator quotes you will be more reliable than any average.
Sources
- skiarlberg.at — Ski Arlberg 2026/27 6-day adult €468 peak (19 Dec 2026–2 Apr 2027), €395 Wedel & Sun weeks
- les3vallees.com — Les 3 Vallées 2026/27 6-day adult €421 from 19 Dec; €378.50 5–18 Dec and 10–18 Apr
- public.tignes.net — Tignes–Val d'Isère 2026/27 6-day adult €468, 12 Dec 2026–23 Apr 2027
- portesdusoleil.com — Portes du Soleil 2026/27 6-day adult €373 desk / €352 online to 19 Mar 2027
- ischgl.com — Silvretta Arena 2026/27 6-day adult €451; right to change prices daily
- gurgl.com — Obergurgl-Hochgurgl 2026/27 peak €478.50 (19 Dec–6 Jan), high €469 (incl. 7–29 Jan)
- scimarche.it — Dolomiti Superski 2026/27 6-day adult €453 high (20 Dec 2026–9 Jan 2027) / €407 low; secondary source citing official list, dated 20 Sep 2026
- verbier4vallees.ch — Verbier 4 Vallées 2026/27 6-day adult CHF 409; 10% off 10+ days ahead
- matterhornparadise.ch — Zermatt 2026/27 6-day from CHF 384 (Zermatt only), floor price periods
- matterhornparadise.ch — Zermatt dynamic pricing; early booking gets best price
- planetski.eu — Dec 2024: Zermatt 6-day CHF 482 from 22 Dec vs CHF 436 from 12 Jan; Verbier CHF 359.10 vs CHF 333.90
- planetski.eu — Post Office report: six-day lift pass averaged 10.7% more than a year earlier
- scuolascicortina.com — Scuola Sci Cortina 2025/26 six lessons €470 high season (21 Dec 2025–10 Jan 2026) / €400 regular
- skischule-arlberg.com — Skischule Arlberg 2026/27 peak season 13 Dec 2026–9 Jan 2027; Premium Winter Time 10–30 Jan 2027 at 10% less
- scuolasciselva.com — Scuola Sci Selva 2026/27 one-day learn to ski €141.50 season / €166 high season (20 Dec 2026–9 Jan 2027)
- esfvaldisere.com — ESF Val d'Isère 5 or 6 mornings from €427
- powderedition.com — Christmas two to three times January rate; £8,000–£12,000 per week for 8–10 guest catered chalet in top French resorts; premium over £40,000
- inghams.co.uk — Inghams long-stay discounts of 20–35% exclude 18 Dec 2026–3 Jan 2027
- inthesnow.com — OVO Network: Boxing Day 2026 falls on a Saturday, changeover day for most properties
- leski.com — Le Ski per-chalet weekly prices, 33 chalets compared, read 21 September 2026