The Snow Domain continues to focus on its “customer-centric” strategy, which places the visitor at the heart of everything
Among the main novelties there is a new chairlift, three ski lifts, three new slopes and improvements to beginners comfort, with chic new restaurant areas.
Barcelona, November 9, 2016. Grandvalira presented the novelties for 2016-2017 today at a press conference in Barcelona, signaling the start of the season on November 26, weather conditions permitting. Southern Europe's largest resort has invested 13 million euros in improving its customer experience, with the installation of new ski lifts, the preparation of new slopes, improvements to Ski and Snowboard School services and a wider range of cafés and restaurants, as well as announcing its commitment to technological innovation. Once again, the Snow Domain will be putting its “customer-centric” strategy into practice, placing visitors at the heart of everything and ensuring that the resort and its members of staff are always on hand to provide the best possible service during their stay at Grandvalira.
More ski slopes, more snow and better transport facilities
This season, Grandvalira has announced its commitment to improving transport, carrying 106,950 skiers an hour, 6,250 more than last year. This improvement to skier mobility is thanks to the installation of four new lifts.
One of the largest investments, totaling 2.4 million euros is the construction of the Planell de la Font chairlift in the Soldeu sector. At a length of 900 meters, this ski lift will free up the beginners area in the El Tarter sector, giving customers longer runs on which they can gain more skiing experience. The Grau Roig sector will feature the new Coma 3 two-seater ski lift, taking visitors to the Tobogan run and the Circuit Cross area which combines freeride and freestyle, especially aimed at a younger audience. Special mention should also be made of the new Pic Negre ski lift, providing access to one of the most spectacular landscapes in the Pas de la Casa sector. Finally, the Encamp sector will have a new Cortals 3 ski lift, a design that favors progress among intermediate level skiers.
Grandvalira is firmly committed to catering for families and beginners. To this end, the resort has prepared three new ski slopes. The first of these is the Escola or School Slope in the Pas de la Casa sector, a 500 m section of reduced speed green-level skiing. Also in the Pas de la Casa sector, there will be a new blue slope, the Port Slope, which runs from the top of the Costa Rodona chairlift to the foot of the resort. The Snow Domain has also introduced an area for young visitors, the Tobogan and Circuit Cross areas.
In order to continue to offer a product of the highest quality, Grandvalira is replacing and enlarging its fleet of snow groomers with 5 new purchases (3 trolls, 1 standard, 1 PistenBully Pro Park) as well as a snow production network, with a total of 20 high- and low-pressure snow cannons.
One of the most ambitious projects for the 2016-17 season is the remodeling of the Pla de Riba Escorxada. In recent years, this area of the El Tarter sector has undergone a significant transformation. This will conclude this year at the highest part of the cable car, with the installation of covered escalators which are more comfortable for beginners. Work on the resort has also seen the building of a 400 m2 center which will feature ski lockers, a picnic hall and a meeting room for ski clubs. The Ski and Snowboard School has also been completely renovated within a new location. The nursery area and snow garden have been extended to provide more space for the children.
A seal of quality for the resort's cafés and restaurants
Grandvalira continues to be committed to the very finest café and restaurant services. To this end, the resort has announced a new partnership with Veuve Clicquot, the exclusive French champagne. This season will see the opening of the Clicquot Snow Club Grandvalira, a chic area on the Gall de Bosc terrace in the Soldeu sector. Veuve Clicquot will also be present at Grandvalira's après-ski scene, with a new exclusive VIP Area at L’Abarset.
L´Abarset, one of the Snow Domain's iconic areas, will see a major extension to its terrace which now covers a total of 605 m2. This season, the après-ski area will also extend beyond its traditional site at the El Tarter sector, reaching Pas de la Casa in the form of the San Miguel Après-Ski Space which will be run by a team from Ibiza's Cala Bassa Beach Club.
Grandvalira is at the forefront of the gastronomic trends that are causing a sensation in the ski resort scene, with the acquisition of two food trucks. One of these is run by the popular American Hard Rock food chain while the other specializes in gourmet cuisine.
This year, the resort is taking gastronomy a step further, signing a partnership agreement with the Alicia Foundation (set up by Ferrán Adrià) to certify that all food prepared at the restaurants offering table service is balanced and made with fresh, healthy ingredients. As a result of this agreement, the Vodka Bar will become a “living lab”, creating gastronomic selections made with mountain and other local produce.
New services at the Ski School
The Ski and Snowboard School in the Grau Roig sector will be presenting a new version of Top Race, aimed at skiers who have an advanced technical level and who want to experience the adrenaline rush of competition. Led by Gerard Escoda (an ex Olympic skier), visitors will get a half-day's training on a slope that has been especially designed for slalom and giant slalom.
Meanwhile, alpine skiing has arrived at the Pas de la Casa sector, with the opening of the first such off-piste circuit which runs through the Isards area. The new “Corona tus cimas” (Reach your Summit) product is aimed at our most adventurous customers through the Grandvalira Mountain Guides School at the Grau Roig sector, offering a wide range of training sessions aimed at reaching Andorra's highest peaks.
Technology at the service of our customers
Grandvalira continues to be a destination characterized by the significant investment it makes in technological innovation. The latest features include our new website (http://www.grandvalira.com/), with its fresh, visually appealing design and a fully responsive screen for mobile devices. Visitors to the website will find original, interesting content, and can sign up to the customized MyGrandvalira intranet. Another innovative feature is the inclusion of a new webcam operated by a drone that flies over the highest parts of the resort at 2,500 m, offering a birds-eye view of the El Tarter sector which website visitors are free to access.
Technology is also playing an increasingly important role on the ski slopes, speeding up the flow of skiers and optimizing skiing time as much as possible. For example, 90% of the old access turnstiles at the Soldeu-El Tarter sector have been replaced by electronic flaps that are activated by the ski pass. Another important new introduction is the GMAO IT system that has been installed throughout the resort, ensuring control over any technical incident on the ski lifts and the option to pre-plan maintenance and replacement of the resort's installations. Grandvalira is also improving its free Wi-Fi network across the resort, as well as increasing the number of express ticket offices and improving its app.
A meeting point for winter sports
The successful organization of the Women's Alpine Skiing World Cup in 2012 and 2016 has seen Grandvalira chosen to host the 2019 World Cup finals. Before this, the Snow Domain will be holding the finals of the 2018 European Cup for the third time in its history.
In recognition of the resort's commitment to freestyle, Grandvalira will once again be hosting two of the most important competitions on the international circuit In February, the 60 best ski and snowboard riders from 15 countries will gather at Pic Alt de Cubil for one of the most spectacular competitions in the winter sports calendar: the World Junior Freeride Championship, which will be returning to Andorra for the third year running. March sees the turn of the Total Fight Masters of Freestyle in the snowboard and freeski categories. This year, the competition will include a women's snowboard category for the first time. The season's finale comes in April, with three Speed Skiing World Cup events, to be held on the Riberal slope in the Grau Roig sector.
