Once again, Grandvalira welcomes Christmas as the resort with the largest skiable area on the Peninsula, with a total of 89 open slopes and 148 skiable kilometers. Despite a peculiar start to the season due to the scarce snowfall and some of the mildest temperatures on record, the Principality of Andorra is still one of the destinations with the best conditions for snow sports. The resort has kept snow thickness at between 20 and 50 cm thanks to the efforts of the technical teams over the recent weeks and guarantees the good quality of the snow for the coming Christmas and New Year holidays, one of the busiest times of the year.
New features and fully operational services
Continuing with the aim of improving the access points to the resort, this Christmas, Grandvalira will open the new ski lift at Pas de la Casa, one of the major investments of the season which will improve the flow of skiers and ensure greater capacity. The new infrastructure links the lower part of Pas de la Casa with the beginners zone in d’Abelletes – Isards, with a maximum capacity of 1,200 people per hour at peak times.
Visitors will be able to enjoy all ski-related services as they are all fully operational thanks to the high numbers of visitors to the slopes and the rate of reservations recorded in the run up to Christmas. During the Christmas holidays, the services at the Ski, Snowboard and Freestyle schools will be 100% operational, as will all adventure activities in Soldeu, El Tarter, Canillo and Grau Roig. Similarly, the whole range of catering options at Grandvalira will remain open in all sectors of the resort.
From 27 December, the range of services at the resort will be further increased with the Grandvalira Igloo Hotel, which will once again open its doors to the Grau Roig sector. This year, the iconic ice structure features a new hot room for up to 70 people, where guests can experience both heat and cold in the middle of the mountains. This unique hotel has also upgraded its gastronomic services by expanding the dining area to host group meals.
Music and entertainment on the slopes
Grandvalira will offer a music program on the main terraces as well as some surprises centered on the youngest family members.
L’Abarset at El Tarter once again guarantees the fun over the Christmas holidays with the presence of renowned DJs. DJ Ismael Rivas from the Space of Sound, Madrid will kick off the Christmas season with his set on 26 December, DJ Legotheque on the afternoon of 27 December and DJ Simply on 28 December.
For the New Year’s weekend, the party continues on the L’Abarset terrace with the DJ sets of the famous Miqui Puig on 2 January, the visit by the acclaimed DJ Nano on 3 January and finally, the performance of the resident DJ at the Sala Apolo in Barcelona, Viktor Ollé on 4 January.
The offer at the snowparks
The Grandvalira snowparks will open during these dates, making the freestyle offer at the resort one of the most complete in the Pyrenees, especially for beginners and intermediate freestylers. The excellent work carried out by teams of shapers and operators at the resort has enabled us to provide the following conditions:
Xavi Park, in the Grau Roig sector, offers a total of 3 lines: one line with 6 modules in-line, one line with 3 modules in-line and one jump and one line for beginners with 2 modules in-line.
The El Tarter snowpark has one line with 7 modules which includes several options and plenty of variety for all tastes and levels. The Freestyle Center and the freestyle camps are also operating at full capacity,
while the Peretol Snowpark has 22 modules and very good snow quality.
A Christmas for all tastes
Grandvalira presents its new Christmas program full of activities specially designed to be enjoyed in the company of your family. The timetable for the confirmed activities is described below:
24 December: At 11 a.m., Santa Claus will visit the Ski and Snowboard Schools in Soldeu, El Tarter and Canillo.
24 December: Santa Claus will be at the Grau Roig snow garden the whole morning. At 2 p.m., he will head over to the Kiconico hut to give out cake, hot chocolate and sweets to the children.
24 December: At 6 p.m. Santa Claus will take part in the torch-lit descent, starting at the Cost Rodona restaurant and finishing at the foot of the slopes. He will be riding a snow groomer and will be escorted by the Grandvalira monitors.
25 December: Santa Claus will be at the Pas de la Casa snow garden the whole morning. At 1 pm he will be attend the arrival of the children's group classes and will give out sweets to the children.
31 December: At 6.45 p.m., there will be repeat of the torch-lit descent down the Bosc Fosc in Soldeu.
5 January: At 6 p.m., the Three Wise Men will descend from the Costa Rodonda restaurant to the foot of the slopes, escorted by the Grandvalira monitors and three snow groomers.