According to the Association of Mountain Resorts (AHS), ski passes in domestic mountain resorts will become slightly more expensive yearly. However, resorts are more often working with multi-level prices. If they buy a ski pass online in advance, people will pay different amounts at the ski center during a working week or on the weekend.
Libor Knot, the association’s director, stated that the increases in ski pass prices are individual and will not be adopted by all ski resorts. However, prices became more expensive in some of them since operators often had to consider last year’s canceled season, rising energy prices, or higher wage costs.
A one-day ski pass for an adult costs CZK 630 in previous years, but now the average price will rise by ten to fifteen percent. “When we compared this price with similarly sized ski resorts in Austria, for example, the average price there is at CZK 1,160,” Knot commented.
By setting prices depending on the day, time, or purchase method, mountain resorts can better spread the load over different periods. “But it is also an opportunity for visitors to save quite significantly if they plan their stay well and in advance,” he added.
As for the rules of the upcoming season itself, specific measures are not yet known. The association is discussing this with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Health. However, it is expected, as with other services, that ski resorts will require proof of vaccination or infection-free status.
The spread of Covid-19 in the last winter and this spring has hit ski resorts hard financially. They were only able to open for skiers between Dec. 18 and Dec. 26 during the entire season. According to AHS, the loss in revenue was about CZK 3.5 billion, and including accommodation, catering, and other services provided in the mountain regions, it reached up to CZK 25 billion.