If this is your first time arriving at a ski resort, the offer to purchase a ski pass can be bewildering. Therefore, today we will tell you why it is needed, how to use it and how much it costs. So, ski pass - what is it? Nothing but an electronic pass, to which we are already accustomed today. Each in the purse has a number of plastic cards that allow you to visit various institutions and use ATMs. So here, a chip is built into it, on which information is written about the owner, the validity period, about the amount that the tourist has.
How to use it?
We figured out the concept of a ski pass, that this is a small plastic card is now understandable. To get on the lift, you need to attach it to the turnstile, so the data will be read from it. This not only ensures the convenience of payment, but also the safety of tourists. For example, the turnstile will not miss a child on a dangerous track for experienced skiers.
Suits for skiers have long included pockets on their sleeves. It is enough to put your hand to the validator, and your photo, age and gender will appear on the screen. Therefore, you won’t be able to ride yourself by buying a children's ski pass. What does it give? There is less chance of losing the card, because now you do not need to get it out of your pocket, and more control. For intentional violation of the rules (using someone else's card) it can be picked up and canceled. Therefore, before traveling, be sure to check that everyone takes their own.
Keep in mind that the validator times out every time you use the ski pass. What does it mean? If you have passed the turnstile and had to return for some reason, then again you can only go through a certain period of time. It can be 10 or 20 minutes, so it is done so that several people do not ride at one ski pass at the same time.
How much does a ski pass cost?
Differently at each resort. Depends on the season, zone and its duration. Ski passes for individual age groups also vary. Most often, the discount applies to children's, student cards, as well as for those who are over 60 years old. If the ski region is large enough (as is the case with Krasnaya Polyana), and unites several regions, then you can accordingly buy different ski passes. What does it give? If the card is designed for a specific area, then you can only ride on its territory.
However, if you are a good skier, then it can be boring to spend every weekend riding from the same slides. Then you can take a pass for the entire region. Duration may also be different. Minimum is half a day, and maximum is the whole season. Calculate depending on your needs and love for skiing.
In the resorts of Krasnaya Polyana in connection with the holidays prices have risen significantly, so skiers go to the trick. Having paid 2600 rubles for a subscription and dashed off, they resell it to those who wish to ride "for inexpensive". This is usually 1300 rubles.
Krasnaya Polyana
Today it is one of the fastest growing ski resorts. Everything attracts tourists here: an abundance of snow, a peculiar relief, a picturesque forest, a special climate. Such a combination is difficult to find elsewhere in the world. Krasnaya Polyana includes several ski resorts, so tourists have a great choice. In addition, each resort includes a number of tracks of varying degrees of complexity and length. There are different ski passes. Krasnaya Polyana is just the name of the village and the slope where the ski resorts are located. Naturally, they compete with each other, including in pricing policy. But in the near future it is planned that universal ski passes will appear. To do this, Krasnaya Polyana should unite all resorts under its wing, create a single information center and information site. There are all prerequisites for this; today the union of Rosa Khutor and Alpiki is planned.
Gazprom (Laura)
This is the most family-friendly complex in the whole Krasnaya Polyana. Here, every member of the family will find what he likes. Lifts of all types: tow, gondola, chair. Good conditions for beginners, there is the possibility of learning to ride. There is a special tariff (day + evening) for ski passes. What does it give? You can ride from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM. The cost is 1700 per adult, and 1200 per student. For comparison, the daily rate is 1300 per adult, and it is valid from 9:00 to 16:30.
"Mountain Carousel"
This resort for lovers of skiing at all levels consists of 3 stages of a gondola lift. There are calm, training and extreme tracks. It is very interesting to watch experienced riders here: they go down very narrow tracks with sharp turns. In addition, there is dangerous skiing off the track, with rocks, huge departures and rides into the forest. A ski pass for the whole day (until 23:00) for an adult will cost 1800 rubles, and for a child - 1000.
Lift pass "Rosa Khutor"
This is the youngest and most modern resort in Krasnaya Polyana. After the closure of Alpiki (upon completion of the reconstruction, it will become part of the Rosa Khutor), it became the most interesting place for skiing. Modern lifts, 72 existing slopes for skiers of any training. You can choose a variety of ski passes. Rosa Khutor offers a standard rate for one day for an adult - 1850, and 1000 rubles for a child. Group rates look much more interesting, for example, a ski pass for 2 consecutive days (5 people) costs 3,400 rubles. There are family, sightseeing and the most favorable, seasonal rates. A ski pass for the whole year costs 42,000 rubles for an adult and 22,000 for a child.
It should be noted that on New Year's holidays all resorts raised prices significantly. Upon their completion (by January 15, 2015), the cost of skiing on the slopes decreased by a third. So until March 31 they will be unchanged. But in the spring it will be possible to visit Sochi with an even greater discount. Ski pass promises to reduce the cost by another 20%. Thus, the tariff will remain until the end of the season, namely until mid-May.
Bukovel for beginners and professionals
This is the largest ski resort in Ukraine, it is recognized as a successfully developing and very promising. This is not surprising, because here you can have a great rest both in winter and in summer. In total, 57,000 meters of prepared tracks and 16 lifts were laid here. In order to use the ski lift on the territory of this huge resort, it is necessary to use ski passes. Bukovel is a real city of winter entertainment, where the season lasts from November to May, and the air temperature keeps about -3. A definite plus is the low cost of rest. Ski passes can be purchased for a period of 3 hours to 10 days. The standard daily rate is 600 UAH, and there is no additional markup on holidays and weekends. There is no way to transfer your card from hand to hand, it is the property of the buyer. Especially for “larks” there are special discounts, from 7 to 9 in the morning you can buy a ski pass with a discount of 20 to 40%, depending on the season. It is advisable to arrive early, because the queue can be quite impressive, and until 8.59 you just do not have time.
Additional services include equipment rental, as well as dog sledding and snowboarding. For children and adults, there are various spa centers, games rooms, cafeterias, saunas and much more.
Ski Dombay
This is a famous resort in the North Caucasus. In 2014, a fashionable novelty came to Dombai. The ski pass replaced the previously valid subscription, the convenience of which tourists did not disregard. If you have been here once, then for a long time you will dream of this paradise, located in a beautiful valley, at the very foot of the Caucasus Range. The magnificent climate, low humidity and enchanting nature - snowy peaks and coniferous forests - make this resort a favorite of many tourists. It’s not too expensive to buy a ski pass, the daily rate for an adult is 1400 rubles, for a child 800. The total length of the tracks is 25 km, there are blue, green, red and black. There are three chairlifts and 3 tow ropes. They work from 8 am to 5:30 pm.
Such a variety of ski passes, as here, can not be found, probably nowhere. This is a one-time drive on the most diverse types of lifts: "eggs", "doppele". Subscription for "doppel", "five", "Yugoslav". Yoke and trailers - this is a separate conversation, price and prices. The cost of one trip starts from 100 rubles, so if you are not going to ride all day long, this is a very affordable option.
Holidays in Bulgaria, the resort of Bansko
This is the newest, modern and developing winter resort in Bulgaria. It is located near the fortress of the Pirin Mountains, one of the most beautiful mountain ranges. This is a climatic winter resort, it has a very short summer and mild, but long winter. Here you will find excellent service and modern infrastructure. In total, tourists are offered 6 tracks with a total length of 14 km. They are equipped with lifts and funiculars that can carry 3,000 passengers per hour. In order to use them, you will need ski passes. Bansko is an expensive resort, all prices are in euros. A ski pass per day, including ski lift services and ski rental, will cost about 8,000 rubles for an adult and 5,000 for a child (up to 12 years old).
If you visit the site in advance and reserve services at least 48 hours before arrival, discounts are offered. The resort also offers preferential prices for children from 7 to 12 years. A ski school works for them, so that parents can rest calmly while the instructor is engaged with the group. Children under seven are not allowed to attend classes and take the lift; for them there are only special slides.
To summarize
All major ski resorts today use ski passes. It is convenient both for the company providing the service and for the tourist. Choose a subscription suitable for you, pay, and you are in a fairy-tale world of snow, wind, stunning speed and amazing impressions. Nothing else distracts you from your favorite sport. Who remembers the paper subscriptions on which holes were punched for each climb - he understands what is at stake.