Posted on March 4, 2010 - by Rob

Save Money Drinking on the Mountain in Morzine

There is no doubt about it, eating and drinking on the mountain when you are skiing and snowboarding can turn out to be quite expensive no matter which ski resort you are holidaying in. Especially if you are a family of four or five, the cost of the ‘quick stop for a drink’ can soon become alarmingly expensive.

Bottle water, teas/coffees and fizzy drinks are expensive in mountain restaurants in and around Morzine – €3.00 or more for can of coke for example.

Don’t try and avoid buying drinks on the mountain at all costs as it is worth splashing out once or twice if you want a warming cup of frothy hot chocolate or simply need to escape icy cold winds by going inside a nice warm restaurant for a local vin chaud.

Here are some quick and easy top tips to save some money :

1. Take some drinks on the mountain with you in one or two small rucksacks shared between the group.   Bottled water is fairly inexpensive if you buy in a local Morzine supermarket and you can buy a pack of 6 of small bottles and just refill them each day to take on the mountain.
2. A longer term investment is to buy a rucksack with integrated water reservoir so you can drink whilst on the go.
3. Replace a café au lait with an expresso!  Smaller but typically less than half the price of ‘English’ café au lait.
4. Order une carafe d’eau – a jug of water  (loosely pronounced oon caraffe doh) if you are sitting down for a meal in a mountain restaurant.  This will be free water from the tap that is perfectly safe to drink.
5. Fancy something a bit stronger? Bring a hip-flask on holiday with you and fill it up with your preferred tipple at the start of each day.
6. Find a restaurant that is a little further away from the side of the pistes as these restaurants sometimes have cheaper prices to encourage you to take a short walk to their door.

If you have any more tips on saving money on drinks, please let us know by posting a comment below.