Feeling Fleeced, Skiers Resort To Far-off Slopes Not So Steep

The Sunday Age

Sunday July 6, 2008

Liz Porter

VICTORIAN ski-buffs are abandoning local slopes and heading overseas, with international snow deals often proving cheaper than a holiday at one of Australia's winter resorts.

With Australian ski-field prices now the highest in the world, some are calling for an official inquiry into the exorbitant costs of skiing locally.

Ian Farrow, president of the Australian Alpine Club, which runs five ski lodges in Australia and one in Japan, has called for the Productivity Commission or the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to institute an inquiry.

He says this year's ski-lift cost at Mount Buller and Falls Creek of $94-a-day was the third most expensive in the world, behind Perisher Blue ($98) and Thredbo ($97) in NSW.

Mr Farrow says lack of competition and the strong dollar contributed to the high cost. But charges such as vehicle access fees, imposed by state governments in NSW and Victoria, also forced prices up.

"They appear to regard snow sports as activities for the wealthy," he says. "The New Zealand Government actively supports snow sports tourism."

As a result, overseas alpine resorts were becoming increasingly attractive.

Australians accounted for three out of every four international visitors to New Zealand, with Tourism NZ spokeswoman Cara Mygind confirming that 2007's winter holiday arrivals from Australia were up 16% on the previous year.

Australians were also finding that an overseas flight and a ski holiday in Japan or the US cost the same as an extended stay in a local resort, Mr Farrow says.

Malvern mother of two Linda Wilson has just planned a two-week holiday for next January in the US resort of Beaver Creek, Ohio. "It is a better deal," she says. "Even with the cost of the air fare, it is the same as staying in a commercial resort here."

Her family have had ski holidays in Canada and New Zealand, for the same reason.

Membership of a lodge, she says, is the only way for skiers to find a local bargain.

Box Hill couple Simon and Christine Gaunt and their two children will leave Mount Buller tonight having spent less than $1000 on a four-day ski break - and that includes the $100 petrol cost for the six-hour return drive.

In the snow world economy of $94 ski lift tickets and $600-a-night hotel rooms, that's a great deal. As members of a ski club with a lodge, the Gaunts' accommodation, including breakfast and dinner, costs the family $200 a night. They own their own skis and gear. But they know they're lucky.

"We budget for this all year," says Mr Gaunt, a 37-year-old insurance broker. But he winces at the thought of what non-lodge members have to pay: "A beginner day tripper could spend around $250 just for the day."

The Gaunts know that packages to New Zealand offer cheaper deals, but are not tempted. "Somewhere like Queenstown is great value," says Mr Gaunt. "But you're not sleeping on the mountain and having to drive up every day is a hassle."

He says the high cost of skiing in Australia is caused by the short snow season: "All of those businesses need to make most of their return in a short time." Andrew Ramsey, of the Australian Ski Areas' Association, which represents the ski-lift companies, says the higher costs reflect Australia's shorter season, higher labour costs, and more stringent environmental requirements.

According to Victoria's Alpine Resorts Co-ordinating Council, 900,000 people visit Victorian ski resorts every winter.The slippery slope to mounting costs

? Ski hire and lift pass (per day)

ADULTS

Mt Hotham: $35-$50 and $94

Mt Buller: $35-$50 and $94

Falls Creek: $36-$55 and $94

CHILDREN

Mount Hotham, Mount Buller and Falls Creek: $30-$45 and $50

? Accommodation (per night: 2 adults, 2 Children u/15)

Mt Hotham: $200-$300

Mt Buller: $320-$600

Falls Creek: $370-$765

? Total family daily price (2 adults, 2 children u/15)

Includes ski rentals per day, lift passes per day, and overnight accommodation

Mt Hotham: $618-$758

Mt Buller: $738-$1078

Falls Creek: $790-$1253

? Overseas package deals

New Zealand packages: $606-$759 per person for seven days at resorts including Mt Hutt and Queenstown, with car rental and three day ski passes included. Air fares to Queenstown are $811.65 per adult return.

? Overseas ski-lift prices

St Moritz, Switzerland: $77

Hakuba 47, Japan: $48

© 2008 The Sunday Age

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