Where to SkiBike - Vallnord, Andorra
Posted: Thursday, 1 December 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: Andorra, D.I.Y., SkiBike, Skibob
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Andorra is divided into two domains; GrandValira and Vallnord. Luckily Vallnord is skibike friendly and includes the resorts of; Arinsal, Pal and nearby Arcalis. Brenter have an agent nearby and the lifties were generally unfussed about skibikes. In Arcalis, the head of operations had a fit about leashes and insisted they were worn at all times, he also had words with a local on a K-trax caterpillar type skibike conversion and told him to get off the mountain. His subordinates then apologised for his attitude once he had gone!
The snow was good mainly due to the altitude, there was a good mixed bag of runs, some tree lined and off-piste too. Prices were reasonable for lift passes and accommodation. The whole attitude was friendly, unpretencious and customer focussed, probably close to reports I've heard about Canada and the USA.
The Pyrenees can suffer due to their proximity to the warm Atlantic winds, so freeze/thaw cycles and wet snow are supposed to be common, but not in my experience.
It is a awkward area to reach, there is no airport in Andorra so you need to get up from Barcelona, Tarbes or Toulouse airports. I drove there from London, its a hell of a long drive on your own and not cheap on petrol or tolls, especially as a single traveller. At a push it can be done in a very long day.
Interestingly there are also some skibike friendly areas on the French side of the Pyrenees near Lourdes.
The snow was good mainly due to the altitude, there was a good mixed bag of runs, some tree lined and off-piste too. Prices were reasonable for lift passes and accommodation. The whole attitude was friendly, unpretencious and customer focussed, probably close to reports I've heard about Canada and the USA.
The Pyrenees can suffer due to their proximity to the warm Atlantic winds, so freeze/thaw cycles and wet snow are supposed to be common, but not in my experience.
It is a awkward area to reach, there is no airport in Andorra so you need to get up from Barcelona, Tarbes or Toulouse airports. I drove there from London, its a hell of a long drive on your own and not cheap on petrol or tolls, especially as a single traveller. At a push it can be done in a very long day.
Interestingly there are also some skibike friendly areas on the French side of the Pyrenees near Lourdes.