I went to winter mountain skiing where European celebrities gather. Naturally, a hotel costs 1,000,000 per night…Japanese resorts are “super cheap”

In early February 2024, I was at a ski resort in the south of France.

I’m currently studying abroad in Belgium, and my Belgian friends and I decided to go skiing, a popular winter sport in Europe.

Having been familiar with skiing in Japan since he was a child, he is somewhat confident in his skiing skills. However, the experience of skiing at the local ski resort was completely different from that of Japan.

What is even more noteworthy is its high cost. Although this may be due to the weak yen, the amount of money Europeans spend on skiing and the level of attachment they place in it are orders of magnitude higher than those in Japan.

While Japan’s skiing population is decreasing, the number of foreign visitors to Japan is increasing. In fact, there are some domestic ski resorts where hotels catering to wealthy foreigners are being built one after another.

However, as I witnessed the reality on the ground, I started to worry that if these people, who spend an extraordinary amount of money, flock to Japan’s ski resorts, the day will come when Japanese people will no longer be able to enjoy skiing… It even crossed my mind.

This time, I would like to introduce the actual situation at ski resorts in France, where celebrities gather, and think about the “Japanese crisis” that I felt there.

Spectacular views from 2000 meters above sea level

After a 13-hour drive from Belgium, I visited Arc 2000, a ski resort in southern France near the Swiss-Italian border. It’s just a little further up the mountain from the city I visited on vacation last summer. On the first day, it was a little difficult to breathe as we were at an altitude of 2000 meters.

This ski resort is vast and connected to other slopes by lifts. From an altitude of 3,226 meters to 1,200 meters, you can freely move back and forth over multiple mountains. From the slopes, we could see the pure white Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the European Alps.

There is no end to slipping and slipping. The time spent skiing is overwhelmingly longer than the number of times you ride the lift. I’ve never skied such a long distance in Japan, and I kept asking, “Are there any lifts yet?”

Even if you climb over the fence, it’s your own responsibility

What was even more surprising was that everyone was doing well and had a lot of speed. I was the only one not wearing a helmet. “The top speed was 139km/h!” I stared blankly at my Belgian friend, who was smiling and boasting to the person who was riding the lift.

When I got off the lift, the people I was riding with said “bye-bye” and quickly disappeared outside the course (outside the fence). In Japan, it would be like a place with a sign saying “danger”.

Since the altitude is high and there are no trees, it is just a rocky surface covered with snow. It slides effortlessly over what looks like a cliff. It seemed like a very dangerous act, but my friend laughed and said, “It’s at your own risk.” I was surprised because the feeling was so different from Japan.

Some people wear cow or bear headgear on top of their helmets, while others wear ski wear that resembles costumes. The atmosphere is friendly, just like Disneyland. Skiing for the first time in 15 years, I was so desperate that my legs were shaking that I couldn’t even look around, so I was envious of how relaxed they were.

Lift ticket more expensive than accommodation fee

Money was flying out of skiing in Europe like hot water.

For example, a single room in a hotel next to the ski slopes costs over 678 euros (109,000 yen) per night. Although it is for two people, it costs over 750,000 yen for one week. Many people seem to think that it is expensive, so many people rent rooms in apartments.

Naturally, I rented a room in an apartment. The room cost just under 700 euros for a week. It’s not cheap at about 112,000 yen, but if you include a sofa bed, it can accommodate up to 6 people. It’s about the same size as a room for a single person (approximately 25 square meters), but it’s more cost-effective than a hotel. The room price can be divided by the number of people, so it’s cheap.

Supermarkets near the slopes are expensive, so all food and toilet paper was brought in from Belgium.

Skiing also costs money for equipment. A friend of mine, who is an expert, says he has been using the same equipment since he was a teenager, and that the total cost of the full body equipment, including the board, exceeds 3,000 euros (480,000 yen). I asked my girlfriend’s friend’s mother to lend me a ski set.

A one-day lift ticket costs 65 euros (10,400 yen). Skiing for 6 days alone costs 360 euros (58,000 yen). It cost more than the room charge, which made me laugh.

What is the ultra-luxury ski resort “Courchevel”?

“That’s expensive,” I mumbled, and my friend laughed and said, “You don’t know what Couchevel is.” It is said to be a French ski resort where the real rich come from all over the world, especially Russia and France. There is also an airport within the ski resort to accommodate celebrities who fly in from various countries on their private planes.

At ski resorts in France, reservations could not be made for one or two days. Basically, you check in on a Saturday and check out on the following Saturday, a week at a time. At the long-established hotel Le Lana, a suite for two people costs 44,800 euros (7.21 million yen) for seven days. Even one night can cost over 1 million yen.

A video of Couchevel was shown, and one owner ordered 30 euros (4,800 yen) of meat for his dog. He also pops champagne worth 20,000 euros (3.22 million yen).

It may be a different world for Japanese people, but it seems to be nothing to rich people around the world. She was shocked to hear from a woman working as a cleaner at a hotel in Switzerland that “I once brought water to a wealthy Arab family and received a 5,000 euro (800,000 yen) check as a tip.” This seems to be the way celebrities around the world feel about money.

“Powder snow” is very popular all over the world.

At a ski resort in France, some foreigners were seen wearing sweatshirts with the words “Myoko Kogen” written on them. I looked it up and found out that it was a ski resort in Niigata. Japan’s ski resorts are also popular among foreigners around me.

The reason is “powder snow.” It refers to smooth powder snow. In the middle of winter, snow continues to fall almost every day, and just when you think it’s a little sunny, it starts to fall again… In fact, this is extremely valuable.

When I actually skied in France, it was sunny for five days and snowed only one day. The sun in southern France was strong, and some of the snow was frozen. Instead of the “fluffy” snow we’re used to in Japan, the sound of the ice slicing through the ice and the sensation of sliding down were very different from the Japanese skiing experience.

Taking advantage of the quality of its snow, Niseko in Hokkaido is already attracting foreign tourists to its luxury hotels. According to an article in Money Gendai (January 22, 2024), there is a charter flight connecting New Chitose Airport and Niseko (720,000 yen for a one-day round trip + 30,000 yen parking fee), and that Hokkaido Niseko SIX will continue to operate from 2025 onwards. The city is becoming even more of a celebrity, with development plans centering on foreign-owned top-class hotels such as SENSES and Aman Niseko underway.

However, not all ski resorts are becoming “celebrities” like Niseko.

For example, at Japan’s Takamine Mountain Park (Komoro City, Nagano Prefecture), a one-day ticket costs about 4,500 yen, or only 28 euros, even in high season. The hotel next door costs 18,000 yen (112 euros) per person per night, and includes an open-air bath and breakfast and dinner. Unlike in Europe, the prices are per person rather than per room, but overall it can be said to be a good value.

“Is it possible to enjoy powder snow in Japan for this price?” my friend asked, his eyes shining with anticipation.

It is relatively easy to access from urban areas, and there is no way Japan’s skiing will not become popular. If you stay in Europe for a week, it will easily cost you over 120,000 yen, so to me it’s not cheap, but to them it’s the best value for money. Even in Japan, the weak yen is frustrating.