Grandvalira is once again one of the leading snow destinations to spend the Christmas holidays. The more than 16,000 daily skiers who visited the snow domain between December 23 and January 8 are proof of this, representing an increase of about 13% over the previous season. The busiest days fell during the week of New Year’s (December 28, 29 and 30) and the days leading up to Three Kings’ Day (January 3 and 4), which is a popular holiday in Andorra and Spain. Skiers visiting Grandvalira during the holidays were mainly from nearby areas, such as Catalonia, Madrid, Valencia and the south of France, but the resort also saw an increase in the number of visitors from other more distant destinations, such as Portugal, the United Kingdom, Russia and Israel. Due to a lack of snow throughout French resorts, skiers from France increased during this year's holidays.
The domain’s field teams have worked hard to ensure the best snow conditions in spite of the anticyclonic conditions seen over the first part of the season. Low temperatures meant the network of snowmakers could be activated, and the resort worked meticulously to ensure coverage. Thanks to the efforts and dedication shown by Grandvalira’s staff, the domain now offers the largest area of skiable slopes in the Iberian Peninsula, and some of the best snow conditions in Southern Europe. During the Christmas season, skiers have been able to enjoy more than 150 km of skiable terrain, spread over the six sectors of the domain with more than 85% of ski lifts operating, guaranteeing smooth transport across the various points of the resort.
Christmas: a time for family and food
This Christmas season, Grandvalira has offered a full program of activities aimed at all audiences, especially families and more foody skiers. The youngest members of the family are once again the stars of the show over the holidays with children’s circuits such as the Mon(t) Magic in Canillo, the Imaginarium in Grau Roig and the Bababoom Circus in El Tarter. The most magical moments over the holiday period, though, came with the arrival of Santa Claus and the Three Kings, who visited the domain again this year.
This Christmas also saw a range of culinary highlights for the foodies among us, expanding on the resort’s already quality offerings. The resort has joined one of the gastronomic trends of the moment, adapting it to the world of snow with the addition of two food ratracks. The two ratrack machines are set up as catering points running routes across the six sectors of the resort, one offering a gourmet food (Nomad Gourmet Food Ratrack) and the other the finest American cuisine (Hard Rock Food Ratrack).
The après-ski at Grandvalira has also become one of the main attractions for skiers choosing the largest domain in Southern Europe to spend their Christmas holidays. This year, Pas de la Casa sector offers the Diamond CBbC Grandvalira, a new center for leisure activities managed by the team from Cala Bassa Beach Club in Ibiza, whose goal is to diversify the range of après-ski at the resort and energize evenings in the area. L'Abarset in El Tarter sector is once again one of the focal points of the Pyrenees with performances by renowned DJs, such as Miqui Puig, DJ Bias, Wally López or Viktor Ollé.
Finally, Grandvalira can once again claim the title of the resort with the biggest range of freestyle activities in the Pyrenees thanks to the work carried out by the snowmaking teams, the machines and the shapers. More adventurous skiers have enjoyed the three snowparks in the domain for a total of 12 hours a day, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
