Chalet Sonne, Maria Alm, Austria
The Hochking ski circuit is 150km of trails linking five villages with generous helpings of green and blue runs, as well as some steeper stuff for those of stronger thigh. Chalet Sonne is in Maria Alm, 300 metres from the nursery slopes and a ski bus service taking you to the nearest high-speed gondola. The chalet is wood and a bit more wood, with a table tennis table, a sauna, plus two double rooms, a triple and a quad.
• Seven nights half-board from £339pp (two sharing), 01444 848680, chaletsonne.at
Chalet Vallon Blanc, La Tania, France
Part of the mammoth Trois Vallées ski area, La Tania can easily be overlooked as you swing from the expensive heights of Courchevel to the boutique luxe of Meribel. But it is possible to enjoy the terrain without selling your soul. Chalet Vallon Blanc is cute, cosy and has a sauna. Its interior design won’t blow your mind but it is situated among the trees and benefits from a lot of light, giving a sense of airiness. There’s also a games room and a wood-burning stove for all your “I’m in a Wham video on a budget” fantasies.
• Seven nights half-board from £499pp (two sharing), 0151 625 1921, mountainheaven.co.uk
Rude Lodge, Morzine, France
Morzine already has a reputation as a resort that embraces snowboarding and snowboarding culture, so it was only a matter of time before a boarders’ lodge opened above a newly revamped nightclub. Both are owned by Rude Chalets, purveyor of funky and stylish snowboarding accommodation and holidays since 2002. Accommodation is in dorms or twins, there’s a cafe for breakfast and dinner, a communal lounge area, a movie and media centre and free access to the club, Le Paradis, for all guests. Which will either go horribly right or horribly wrong – probably depending on your age.
• Dorm beds from £28, 0870 068 7030, rudechalets.com
Le Petit Hotel, Zermatt, Switzerland
Finding budget accommodation in Switzerland isn’t easy at the best of times and recent changes to the national minimum wage look set to make it harder. However, Le Petit Hotel (and some of the rooms are indeed petite) is good value and minutes from the centre of Zermatt, a town not known for being light on the wallet. It’s a no-frills establishment but prices include breakfast and views of the Matterhorn. Zermatt is car-free so it helps on the luggage front that Le Petit Hotel is a very short hop from the station.
• Dorm beds from £40, +41 27 967 5900, lepetit-hotel.ch
Chalet Bianca, Bardonecchia, Italy
Chalet holidays aren’t the norm in Italy, where accommodation tends to be in hotels or self-catering apartments. Sempre Ski, however, offers a great- value half-board chalet stay in the mellow resort of Bardonecchia, which has 140km of pistes itself and is close to a number of other resorts. The chalet is brightly, some would say uniquely, decorated, sleeping up to 18 guests – and staff are full of Italian lust for life.
• Seven nights half-board from £325pp (two sharing), +39 122 999 889, sempreski.com
Home exchange
It does take something of a leap of faith to let a stranger stay in your house, but then you’ll be staying in theirs at the same time and when you knock out the cost of accommodation, suddenly a ski trip can becomes more affordable. Homeexchange.com is one of a few websites where you can swap your home with someone who, presumably, has much better mountain views. Sign up, list your house, search for your preferred ski town and arrange a swap. It’s a great way to not only save money but really get a feel for what life is like as a local.
• homeexchange.com
Hucksters Lodge, Vallandry, France
By dispensing with things such as towels and complimentary toiletries (bring your own) and guaranteed en suite bathrooms, Hucksters has managed to create accommodation that is definitely communal and cheap but in that no-frills way that makes you feel pretty smug at the money you are saving. It has lodges in four resorts, and itsw Mont Blanc lodge in Vallandry, close to Les Arcs, sits right next to the piste. With a large lounge area where groups can mix, the atmosphere is friendly and laid-back without being manic.
• Seven nights half-board from £319pp, 01208 77022, hucksterslodge.com
Rossland Motel, Rossland, BC, Canada
Possibly the best motel in the ski world? The Rossland Motel gives you access to Red Mountain, a place where the terrain is spectacular for powder and off-piste but where the temperatures can fall so low your face feels like it’s on fire. Luckily, the Rossland Motel has boot warmers in every room as well locally roasted organic coffee (Rossland takes its coffee very seriously), an outdoor hot tub and an external living space with firepit so you can always warm up and dry off on your return. The on-site ski wax room and storage means you’ll always be prepared for round two. Or three. Or four … For the 2014/15 season there are also free shuttles to the ski area, which is 4km away.
• Doubles from $79, room-only, +1 250 412 3570, stayandplayrossland.com
Owashi Lodge, Niseko, Japan
Offering the prices of a youth hostel without the dorm-room accommodation that means you spend your nights listening to 11 other people snore, Owashi Lodge is a great place to conserve your pennies in pricey Japan. You’re within whispering distance of the lift, allowing quick access to Niseko’s legendary powder, and the lodge will help arrange guidin. A large communal kitchen, games room, spacious lounges and laundry cover everything for those who are happy with function and affordability over beauty.
• Dorm beds from £20 a night, +81 136 55 511, owashilodge.com
Chalet Martina, Westendorf, Austria
It’s a big chalet (sleeping 26) in a small Austrian skiing village, but Chalet Martina has great access to the 279km of piste of the Brixental-Kitzbüheler Alpen region – which includes the resorts of Söll and Elmau. The chalet itself isn’t going to win any design awards – there is a lot of pine – and there aren’t any frills to speak of but you’re close to some happy après-ski and its proximity to Innsbruck makes it easy to get to.
• Seven nights’half-board from £313pp, no phone, independentmountain.com
