Andorra ski holiday facts
The informal atmosphere and excellent food of a ski chalet holiday in Andorra
is a popular choice now with many skiers. The concept is ideal for groups, but
also great for couples and singles looking to meet new friends. It is also a
great holiday for families who would rather be less formal and it's a great
place for their children to meet up with others in the chalet. Why not get
together with another family and have rent an exclusive chalet all to
yourselves?
Arcalis is located in northwest Andorra, 17 km from Ordino and 24 km from the
capital city of Andorra la Vella. Toulouse in France and Barcelona in Spain are
the nearest international airports.Pal-Arinsal is a beautiful and lively ski resort. It is located in La Massana, Andorra (a small country between France and Spain), and has a modern and up-to-date infrastructure, with first class services and installations, offering more than 63km of pistes.
Pal-Arinsal is an excellent choice in which to spend a few days skiing, ideal for skiers of all levels as well as for families. It has two distinct areas, Pal and Arinsal, which complement each other perfectly to meet all the needs of its clients.
Pal Sector - this is located in the heart of a natural park, intermediate skiers will find some challenging and very enjoyable skiing in the Pal sector, as its pistes offer a great variety of levels and difficulty.
Arinsal Sector - this also gives access to Pal-Arinsal, is the closest ski village to Andorra la Vella and the Spanish border. Arinsal is also famous for its young atmosphere and lively nightlife thanks to all of the different bars, discos and pubs.
The Arinsal sector offers a great variety of pistes and some unbeatable conditions for those who are just beginning to ski. As it has a piste that allows beginners to reach the top of the resort on their second day and descend right down to the base of the resort, this is one of the best pistes for beginners in all of the Andorran resorts.
Andorra is one of the more recent success stories of world skiing. Most of the five major ski areas have expanded rapidly over the past thirty years, helped by the combined reputation for good snow, southerly latitude sunshine and the country’s duty-free status, which ensures low-cost partying through the night.
Ultra modern Pas de la Casa, lift-linked to Grau Roig, some 9km (6 miles) away by road, is the highest and sunniest ski resort in the Pyrenees, with the best snow record. It gained its first drag lift in 1957 and has added a lift virtually every year since. Grau Roig's hi-tech lift system, including three detachable quad chairs, was recently enhanced further with a new six-seater chair. Because of it's north facing position, snow quality and quantity are virtually guaranteed from early December to mid-May. Computer controlled state-of-the-art snow-making from more than 275 cannons provides back-up when required.
The resort is part of the Ski Andorra lift pass scheme which includes all of Andorra’s major ski areas - Arinsal, Ordino (Arcalis), Pal, Pas de la Casa/Grau Roig and Soldeu - El Tarter.
Soldeu El Tarter resort is 220 km (137 miles) from Barcelona, Spain, the nearest international airport. A typically lively, high value, friendly Andorran resort with a larger than average ski area. Soldeu is a modern, dynamic resort with picturesque scenery surrounding. A skiing link with Pas de la Casa and Grau Roig was completed in 1997/98.
Although the skiing is predominantly suited to beginners and intermediates, there are some great red and black descents through the powder fields below Pic d'Encampadana. These are accessed by a snowcat which operates in normal conditions. In addition, many competitions are organised each season and there are some first rate mogul slopes.
The second base at El Tarter is more traditional and there's the option of staying 5 km (3 miles) away at Canillo down the valley. Apres ski is the order of the day wherever you stay, and in Soldeu the hot bars with cheap duty-free drinks include The Aspen Bar, Iceberg, Pussycat and Piccadilly.
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