Is This the Year to Ski Europe?

Travel agents still giddy from the low airfares to Europe this summer may want to turn their attention to the upcoming winter season. Could this be the year to send your ski clients to Europe?

The industry is abuzz with a widely circulated report by Snow24, a research company based in Scotland, that compares the prices of lift tickets around the world.

According to the 2009 report, eight of the most expensive lift ticket prices in the world are in Colorado, giving the phrase “Rocky Mountain high” a new meaning.

Last year’s one-day, non-discounted prices for Vail and Beaver Creek inched above $95, for example, with Aspen and Telluride not far behind.

That said, few people actually buy their tickets this way. Most opt instead for less expensive multi-day tickets or discounted ski-and-stay packages that agents can book through resorts or tour operators.

By contrast, lift tickets in such top European ski areas as Zermatt, Switzerland, and Courchevel in the French Alps are priced at about $52 and $64, respectively.

First-timers should expect some differences in how ski areas operate on the other side of the Atlantic, however.

Fans of that early-morning “corduroy” snow, for example, will find that many resorts overseas take a more laissez faire approach to grooming.

European resorts also don’t typically excel at orderly lift lines, which can be especially important for parents trying to marshal children onto chairlifts. And while there are European ski resorts with good children’s clubs, the kids’ programs in the U.S. typically offer more in the way of small staff-to-child ratios and multiple age groupings.

On the plus side, scenery and ambience in Europe are tough to beat, especially for travelers who would rather sip a cappuccino in an on-mountain tavern than jostle for machine-brewed cocoa in a base lodge.

In addition, some European resorts straddle several countries, which means that skiers and snowboarders can have the fun of starting their day in one country and ending up in another. Skiers can also combine an on-slope vacation with a sightseeing trip to a nearby European city.

In the final analysis, a European ski vacation might be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure for many travelers, and for the right client, this might be that year.