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Andorra 

VALLNORD—PAL-ARINSAL

TOURIST INFORMATION
Edifici El Planell, Sector Pal
La Massana, Andorra
Telephone: (376) 737 017 Fax: (376) 838 738
URL: vallnord.com
Email: palarinsal@palarinsal.com

PYRENEES MOUNTAINS

(Language Catalán) Pal and Arinsal are sectors within Vallnord. Stats below are for them. (See next page for Ordino and Arcalís sectors).

Elevation: Base/Village: 1,010 m (5,085 ft); Top: 2,560 m (8,400 ft)

Vertical: 1,010 m (3,315 ft)

Longest Run: 3.0 km (1.9 mi)

Terrain: Wooded runs, glades and open slopes; 63 km (39 mi) of slopes; 41 slopes are 4 green, 16 blue, 16 red, 5 black; There are also 5 FIS slalom courses

Lifts: 31 in all; 1 cable car, 2 gondolas, 1 six-passenger chair lift; 2 highspeed quad chairs, 6 fixed-grip quads, 3 double chairs, 8 surface lifts, 2 rope tows, 5 magic carpets

Types: 2 cable cars, 2 gondolas, 12 chairs (2 detachable quads, 5 other quads, 5 doubles), 11 surface lifts, plus 2 baby lifts and a carpet.

Lift Capacity: 39,180

Snowmaking: 300 snow guns over 30 km (12.5 mi)

Ski Season: Early December until mid-April

Cross Country: No

Ski School: 2 schools, with 200 instructors teaching skiing and snowboarding

Thematic Areas: 4 freestyle areas, 2 for freeriding, 1 moguls area, 2 I.S.F. stadiums

Mountain Restaurants: 15

Other Winter Activities: Skibike, jumping, mushing, slalom and carving areas, freestyle area, bumps area, freeride area, snowboeing, snowmobiles, parapenting, helicopter flights

Après-Ski: Good variety in Arinsal Village (where many hotels for Pal skiing are situated)—live music, discos, bars and restaurants

Amenities: 12 bars and restaurants, 9 rental shops, 9 parking areas for 6,000 vehicles; hotels and 5,000 beds

Shopping/Services: Five restaurants/snack bars at area; Après-ski, shopping and services in nearby Arinsal La Massana or Andorra la Vella

Child Care: Kindergarten and kid’s ski school

Lodging: Lodging available in the Arinsal sector. Central reservations: Tel: (376) 737017

Transportation: Gateway Airport: Barcelona, Spain

By Auto from airport: (See Arinsal)

By Train: From Barcelona to Puigcerdà and then bus to La Seu d’Urgell, then 22 km to Andorra La Vella and on to La Massana

Further Information: Check the skiandorra.ad and vallnord.com web sites for links to various services, including info on access to the areas

Rates: See Rates section

Vallnord Ski Map

Vallnord, Not To Be Missed By Ted Heck   This impressive area in Andorra was the second ski circus that Spain and Andorra editor Bob Enzel and I visited in March, 2007. Earlier we skied at larger Grand Valira. (See the previous page here in The Blue Book.) Unfortunately, we did not have time to ski at Vallnord. It was Sunday morning and we had plans to be back in gateway city Barcelona for our Iberia flight home. It was a shame. Winds we experienced the previous day atop Grand Valira had died down. Vallnord offered brilliant sunshine, temperature in the 40s and manicured trails that stretched to the horizon. Smaller than GV, it had more trees, which framed the trails and helped us imagine where we might have made some turns. We had a great guide here, too. Angels Olivares of the marketing department met us at the bottom station of the gondola from La Massana to the hub of the Pal sector. It was a nine-seater that launched smack in the middle of the village. Angels showed us around the impressive base lodge that includes several function rooms, a self-service cafeteria and a waiter-served restaurant. Vallnord is popular with families, who can actually spurn the gondola and drive up to the lodge and park near the Mickey Mouse playground. Angels charmed us with her command of English, which she had not spoken until she was 36-years-old and landed a service job in Deer Valley, Utah. Bob and I suspected we would not have been able to keep up with her on skis.                                                                        *       *       *

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