Midway through my week-long ski trip to Andorra, I was lucky enough to meet up with Balkis de Seguin, International Sales for Grandvalira. On the cards was a guided tour of the wide variety of ski areas Grandvalria has to offer, taking in Encamp, El Tarter, Soldeu and Pas de la Casa. Here’s the low-down!
Encamp
Boasting one of the longest cable cars in Europe (it takes a good 15 minutes to get to the top), Encamp is also the closest ski area to the town of Andorra la Vella. This was probably my favourite area out of them all, with some breathtaking views at the top of the mountain. The learner slope was really wide, giving lots of room for beginners to hone their skills.
El Tarter
We took the gondola up from the free car park in the small village to be greeted by stunning scenery, with the sun beaming down onto the slopes. Forming part of the Grandvalira ski area, from here you can access all 210km of pistes the resort has to offer. I was impressed by how modern everything looked in El Tarter – from the new gondolas and speedy chair lifts to the catering options and bar. El Tarter is also massive, so despite it being February half term and absolute buzzing, the slopes didn’t feel crowded at all.
Soldeu
Set on a steep hillside, Soldeu is a slightly more upmarket village, with modern hotels, apartments and bars. There is, however, a slight lack of shops and things to do in the evening. Nevertheless, this wooded valley boasts wide mountain views and some excellent non-skiing snow activities, including snow tubing, dog sledding and more.
Pasa de la Casa
At 2,100m, Pasa da la Casa is Grandvalira’s highest resort with some of the most impressive snow around. Bordering France, it was the furthest area we visited from Andorra la Vella, but it’s worth the journey for a selfie at least (not to mention some superb skiing).
It’s also worth noting that it’s possible to ski all the areas listed above (and more!) with a Ski Andorra pass. We’d also like to say a big thank you to Balkis for a great day spent covering the areas!