Grandvalira El Tarter Sneeuwverwachting

Grandvalira has undergone extensive investment over the last decade or so. Not a year has gone by without some form of infrastructure civil engineering work being completed to improve the visitor experience. The Pisteurs (ski patrol) do an excellent job and decent well equipped medical facilities are located at the base of the slopes. Andorra is no longer the destination it was say 15 - 20 years ago - it will very likely be barely recognisable to anyone that visited that long ago. The lift system is modern, efficient and impressive. There are just over 200km of piste - enough to keep most recreational skiers busy for the typical week ski holiday. There are a lot of options for Beginners and Intermediate / Advanced Intermediate skiers and things are family friendly. There are two World Cup ski runs - Avet (Soldeu) and Aliga (El Tarter). There is also the Riberal (Grau Roig) that is used for World Cup Speed Skiing. Grandvalira has set aside inbound Freeride areas and in recent years Arcalis has been added to the Grandvalira ski pass - Arcalis is a stop on the Freeride World Tour. There is a dedicated Freeride Centre as part of the ski school. There are three snowparks (El Tarter / Peretol / Grau Roig) for freestyle skiers. Accommodation across the Grandvalira resorts is high standard (often 4*+ rated) and is relatively reasonably priced - there are also activities and day out options for non-skiers including duty free shopping and the large Caldera Spa in Andorra La Vella. El Tarter is generally quieter and laid back - typically bed by 10 pm / 11pm - entertainment is usually centered around the hotels for the evening. That said L'Aberset (El Tarter) in the early evening on a Saturday is the Apres place to be, with Ibiza DJs playing to packed outside audiences. Soldeu is generally somewhat busier with a later bedtime and a wider choice of bars etc. Pas De La Casa is much more of a party town with partying into the early hours. Something for everyone? Expect to pay about 3 / 3.5 Euros for a large beer - that's good value when skiing? The ski school has an excellent reputation and employs British & Irish ski instructors to cater for British & Irish (and other English speaking) visitors. It can get extremely busy on a Saturday - so that's the day to take a break from the slopes if you are going to take a break from skiing /boarding. We visit Grandvalira every year and meet up with others (British, Irish, French & Spanish) that do exactly the same.