Money slope: how much it costs to vacation at ski resorts
Themajority of ski vacationers in early 2025 chose domestic destinations, travel services told Izvestia. The most popular regions for skiing and snowboarding were the resorts of the North Caucasus, as well as the Murmansk and Kemerovo regions. The palm of superiority in terms of demand, as well as the cost of accommodation is held by ski resorts near Sochi, as follows from the booking data. How much it will cost to vacation on the Russian slopes and how to avoid injuries during skiing - in the material "Izvestia".
Where to go skiing
Russians are planning to spend the New Year vacations actively: tours and accommodation at ski resorts began to book already in the fall. Domestic destinations proved to be especially popular. Thus, according to Yandex Travel, the share of hotel and apartment bookings at Russian ski resorts has almost doubled by October 2024 compared to the same period a year earlier.
According to the service, the majority of New Year trips Russians planned to ski resorts in the North Caucasus, as well as the Murmansk region. On average, users in Russia plan active vacations lasting four days.
The trend was also confirmed in the service for buying cheap airline tickets "Aviasails". According to their data, 80% of ski vacationers this year choose domestic destinations. The most popular resorts there were named "Sheregesh" in the Kemerovo region, "Rosa Khutor" and "Krasnaya Polyana" in Sochi, as well as "Arkhyz" in Karachay-Cherkessia.
At the same time, 17% of domestic bookings fall on Sochi, where three popular resorts are located at once: Rosa Khutor, Krasnaya Polyana and Gazprom.
"It is most convenient to go to the ski resort "Arkhyz" via Mineralnye Vody, where 8% of all air tickets across the country were bought during the holidays. The closest airports to Sheregesh are in Novosibirsk and Novokuznetsk, and the share of bookings there is 4 and 1%," - indicated in the service.
Russian ski resorts are perfect for skiers and snowboarders looking for excellent value for money, according to Andrey Maslak, product director of the Kupibilet service.
"Thanks to the developing network of affordable hotels and guest houses, ski vacations in Russia are becoming more and more attractive and accessible to a wide range of winter sports enthusiasts," he emphasized.
How much is spent on ski vacations
In the second half of December to book a tour to Krasnaya Polyana for two people for seven nights with departure in early January from Moscow and accommodation in a four-star hotel on a full board basis could be from 177.6 thousand rubles, reported in the service "Fly.ru".
A tour to the Elbrus region for two people for seven nights with departure in the first half of January from Moscow and accommodation in a three-star hotel with breakfasts cost from Br62.6 thousand. Tour to Kemerovo region for two people for a week with departure in the first half of January from Moscow and accommodation in a three-star hotel with breakfasts could be purchased from Br93.9 thousand.
For independent travelers, a ticket to Sochi for one in January will cost an average of Br10.9 thousand (one way for one tourist), from St. Petersburg - Br13.7 thousand, from Kazan - Br10.7 thousand, calculated in the service "Kupibilet.
Most often accommodation at ski resorts is booked by couples without children - two adults account for more than half of the total volume of bookings. About a third - for families, noted in the service "Ostrovok".
"It is noteworthy that the demand for ski holidays from travelers with children this year has increased significantly - they made 11% more reservations in accommodation facilities compared to last year," - stressed there.
The most popular accommodation options in Russian ski destinations are apartments, guest houses, camping, cottages, glamping and villas. Then come hotels without stars, four- and five-star hotels.
In Krasnodar region the village of Estosadok is the leader in accommodation bookings, as calculated in the hotel search and reservation service from GIS "Othello". It is there that the average cost of one night is the highest - in January 2025 it is 18.3 thousand rubles.
Krasnaya Polyana resort has a single ski pass, which gives the opportunity to visit all three resorts, recalled in "Yandex Travel". On weekdays, its cost per day for an adult is Br3.3 thousand. On holidays - 3.9 thousand rubles.
Where ski vacation is the cheapest
The most budget options in terms of accommodation costs were Altai Belokurikha and Polana Cheget in Elbrus, where in December-January a night costs an average of 7 thousand rubles, calculated in "Ostrovka".
Other options in the Elbrus region - Azau Glade and Terskol offer accommodation from Br7-9 thousand per night. A little more expensive is accommodation in Dombai - an average of Br9.3 thousand. In Arkhyz you will have to pay an average of Br12.1 thousand per night, and in Sheregesh - Br11.7 thousand.
The cheapest place to stay is in the hotels of Krasnoyarsk, near which there are several ski resorts, where the average price per night is only 4.6 thousand rubles, calculated in "Othello".
It is possible to get to the resorts from the nearest large cities. For example, there is a bus from Novokuznetsk, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo to Sheregesh. The cost of tickets starts from 515 rubles, calculated in "Tutu". From Novosibirsk and Barnaul you can go by bus to the resort "Manzherok". The average ticket price for a flight from Barnaul - Br1.5 thousand, from Novosibirsk - Br2.9 thousand.
A day ski pass for one adult in "Sheregesh" will cost Br1.2-3.7 thousand, in "Dombai" in Karachay-Cherkessia - Br2-2.9 thousand, in "Elbrus" - Br3.1 thousand. In Murmansk region, a ski pass for a day in the peak season will cost Br3.2 thousand, for five days - Br11.6 thousand.
How to avoid injuries
Skiing and snowboarding can be quite traumatic, reminded "Izvestia" expert of the laboratory "Hemotest", doctor Roman Ivanov. With the arrival of cold weather, the number of patients in trauma departments increases dramatically, he emphasized.
According to the doctor, trips to the slope often end up with sprains, fractures, and sometimes even brain injuries. It is important not to overestimate yourself and choose a slope for skiing in accordance with your skill level, said Roman Ivanov. It is necessary to think about equipment and use protection - knee and elbow guards, helmet.
- Most often injury occurs when two skiers collide, so before descending you should take into account the load of slopes, and stop only at the edge of the piste in a clearly visible place, - he said.
Popular snow tubing, or skiing on "watyrushki", where parents on the slopes often send their children, can also be dangerous, the doctor reminded. When going down the mountain, a "water ski" develops high speed, spins in different directions, and any obstacle in its path, be it a hole, a root or a jump, can change its route.
"Before rolling down the slide, it is important to assess the descent, to see how many people are on the slope, whether there are dangerous obstacles along the slide - trees, large rocks, snow plowing equipment, which can hit the "trampoline", - said the doctor.
He emphasized that it is categorically not recommended to overload the tubing, to ride it in two or in a hitch.
