Sectors: Soldeu/El Tarter
The longest run in the Soldeu-El Tarter area, all 8.2 km (just over 5 miles) of it manageable even by first-week novices; delivering a tour through almost all sectors of these twinned stations.
It begins at the highest point in these sectors, the
Tossal de la Llosada at 2560 m (8399 ft), accessed by El Tarter's
Llosada chairlift and
Llosada button tow, as well as Soldeu's
Assaladors chairlift (or
Solana chairlift for a slightly lower start point). The tour offers novices an almost unique opportunity to experience a complete summit-to-base descent, and can be combined with other pistes crossed en route to deliver a different ride each time.
From the Tossal de la Llosada, the descent commences as a wide and gentle schuss along the ridge, eventually funnelling to the skier's right alongside the
Duc and
Ós pistes. After the next broad and undulating straight, the
Gall de Bosc then makes a sharp turn to the skier's left on to a steeper narrow track dropping down to Soldeu's busy
Espiolets Plateau. Veer to the skier's left at the bottom of this pitch, to bypass the central
beginners' zone and exit this area by flowing with the gentle gradient towards the Telecorda rope tow, provided to alleviate the need to skate/walk on the next slightly inclined section.
You are then heading towards El Tarter's
Riba Escorxada level (an easy link straight ahead), but the
Gall de Bosc isn't finished yet! A sharp U-turn bend to the skier's right continues the excursion, crossing the line of the
Aliga run and heading into the tree line on a narrow, but very gentle, sheltered forest trail in the direction of
Soldeu base station. This track eventually emerges close to the base terminal of Soldeu's
Bosc button tow, where the route converges with the equally long
Ós run again on a short and often busy straight. After the next [lefthand] bend, the
Ós peels off down to the skier's right to Soldeu; the
Gall de Bosc continues straight on, via another gentle track through the woods to finish across the meadows at the
base station at El Tarter.
A truly epic trail, with an overall vertical drop of 850 m (that's almost 3000 ft)!
