PAS DE LA CASA-GRAU ROIG SKI AREA

On the Slopes
Pas de la Casa is the only Andorran resort to have pistes which run directly into town, meaning that it’s practically ski-in/ski-out.

Local Sectors
There are two distinct sectors to the local ski area: the Pas de la Casa sector immediately above the town, and the bigger Grau Roig sector on the other side of the dividing Envalira ridge. Both stations are characterised by motorway-wide snow-sure pistes mostly above the tree line, offering big-mileage cruising and wide-ranging vistas; with plenty of variety of terrain to suit all abilities:

Greens & Blues  Absolute beginners and still-nervous novices will find that both sectors’ well-groomed wide pistes are a boon to confidence building, and flattering to their style. The resort attracts many first-timers and second-weekers, which helps dispel any elitist attitude common in some Alpine resorts, helping debutants to relax and enjoy the learning experience. The standard of tuition provided is high, for all ability levels, and the Andorran authorities have developed one of the highest-quality snowsports teaching systems in the world.

Reds  Intermediates can make the most out of the big mileage and variety offered by the full Grandvalira domain and, since all standard lift passes of more than one day’s duration are automatically full area passes, there’s no need to upgrade or to pay a supplement to range out over all linked sectors. There are also a couple of well-maintained snowparks directly accessible from the town.

Blacks & Freeride  Advanced ability visitors may find the terrain a little tame, but there’s more than enough ground to cover here to keep a week’s holiday interesting and, since it all depends on the prevailing snow conditions on the day, Andorra’s respectable snowfall record helps keep the chance of powder days high.