Hitting the slopes: More Czechs plan mountain visits this winter

More than one in four (28 percent) people in Czehia plan to visit the mountains this winter, according to a survey from the Czech branch of the European Insurance Company (ERV). This figure is notably higher than last year, and may be attributed to the relative stability of ski resort prices in Czechia compared to other European countries.

The survey found a 5-percentage-point increase in the number of people wanting to visit Czechia's mountains this winter – with over 10 percent of people who did not go last year now planning to do so.

Many mountain-goers will hit the slopes to ski or snowboard. Notably, the cost of ski passes in Czech mountain resorts is expected to remain relatively stable compared to the previous year. Approximately two-thirds of these resorts will maintain last year's prices, while the remainder will make minor adjustments, bumping up prices by up to 2 percent, according to the Association of Mountain Resorts of the Czech Republic.

In contrast, mountain resorts in the Alps plan to increase their ski pass prices by 5 to 10 percent, ERV says. "We expect that a large part of Czech clientele that are used to going skiing abroad will look closer at domestic resorts [this year]," says director of the Špindlerův Mlýn Ski Resort René Hroneš in Czech news site E15.cz.

For example, Austrian ski resort Arlberg will charge EUR 70 (over CZK 1,700) for a one-day ski pass. In contrast, a one-day ski pass at popular Czech ski area Ještěd will cost CZK 960.

Špindlerův Mlýn, perhaps one of the best-known ski resorts in the country, charges CZK 740 for a one-day ski pass, CZK 2,180 for three days, and sells five-day passes for CZK 3,400.

Prices of accommodation in Czech ski resorts – including hotels, bed and breakfasts, and hostels – will also stay constant from last year. Accommodation in Austria, Germany, Italy, or Switzerland is often up to 20 percent higher.

The majority of Czechs intending to go to the mountains will do so domestically, with just 4 percent saying they would go abroad. Half of the respondents aim to visit during the spring holidays, which are from Feb. 5 to March 1 in Czechia next year.