Snow Hunter Ltd: Fifth Annual Study of World Lift Ticket Prices Published

- World average six day high season lift ticket price is 170.21
Euros ($202 US/£116.50 UK)

- Andorra now highest average lift ticket price in Europe.

- Switzerland offers world's best prices for kids.

- Cheapest skiing in Iran 20 times less than most expensive in the US


Ski resort research company Snow Hunter Ltd has published its annual study
and comparison of lift ticket prices around the world.  For the fifth year
in a row the Scottish based organisation compared high season six day adult
and child lift pass prices for more than 300 of the world's leading ski
resorts in 30 countries.


Key findings for 2005-6 are:


- The US has the world's most expensive six day lift pass in the world,
priced at over $500 (£280/?360).


- Iran is believed to have the cheapest lift ticket in the world, with a
six day pass for the resort of Dizin (which has a good selection of chair
and gondola lifts) falling 7% this year thanks to a weakening Iranian
currency.  The ticket costs ?26 ($32 US/£17.80).


- Norway is marginally the most expensive destination in Europe for
children, although kids don't pay until age seven and pay child rates until
age 15 - the oldest child price ticket age in the world.  Andorra is the
second most expensive for children and asks children to pay from age six,
then charges  adult prices from age 12, the youngest 'adult age' pricing in
Europe.


- By comparison Canada AND Switzerland have the best value children's
lift ticket pricing in the world, typically a third to a half of the adult
price.  In Switzerland the low prices continue through to age 14 and a half,
the second oldest average child price age in the world.  In Canada there's a
teen price bracket.  Finland is also cheap for children, not because the
discounts are big, but because adult prices are cheap in the first place.


- The US offers both the cheapest and most expensive tickets for
children in the world, depending on which resort you choose (and how old
your kids are).


- The most expensive lift pass in the world for a four year old is for
the Mont Blanc region around Chamonix, coming in at ?168 (£115/$200 US) for
adventurous toddlers.


The gap between the French Three Valleys and the Swiss Four Valleys lift
passes has continued to grow since the French pass overtook the Swiss one
several season ago, the Three Valleys now costs eight Euros more for six
days.



- Switzerland was the only major skiing nation in the Alps where prices
dropped (on average by 2.5%) in comparison to average Euro prices.  Prices
to North America were up around ten per-cent for travellers from Europe as
last year's spectacular savings due to currency fluctuations begin to be
lost as the dollar gains strength.


- The average age at which children have to pay for lift tickets is six
years, one month.  French resorts had the lowest average price at which
children have to start paying, age four years, seven months.


- Average price for a child's six-day high season lift ticket is ?107.90
($128.50 US, £73.80).  Switzerland has the lowest average prices in the
world (?76.63,
$90.00, £61.60).  The five most expensive nations, on average, for child
tickets are France, Italy, Andorra, Norway and the USA, all averaging within
10 Euros of each other.  However children don't normally pay until aged over
seven in Italy and Norway.



- The world average age at which children have to pay adult prices is
13.  In North America there is commonly a teen ticket price band before the
full adult price is payable but this is rare in Europe.


The 2005-6 World Lift Ticket Price Survey is divided in to three main
sections - lift ticket pricing for children, lift-ticket pricing for
individual resorts (including a five page table of prices) and lift-ticket
pricing for multi-resort area passes.

In each case pricing characteristics and trends are identified.



The report costs 75 euros / $90 US / £50 UK for immediate delivery by email
(Microsoft Word format).  Order via snowhunter@tiscali.co.uk.  Website:
www.snow24.com