An average of 300 sunny days a year: is this the ideal ski resort?

Is there any chance that a ski vacation in the Andorra Pyrenees is superior to the Alps? When most of the year it has sunshine, the routes are wide and luxurious and there is even a camp in Hebrew - so there is a chance that there is a serious competitor here. Shimon Cohen went out to check on the white slugs, and fell in love

An average of 300 sunny days a year: is this the ideal ski resort?

Video: Ski vacation in Italy

A new year is an opportunity to discover new ski resorts, especially when it comes to the months when the mountains across Europe are snowing. The destination I marked for myself this time was Andorra, which offers numerous ski resorts in the Pyrenees, suitable for surfers of all levels.

I started my visit to the ski town of La Massana, located in the northern valley of the Vallnord surf area. From the moment I arrived in the field until I got on the skis, it was about six hours, of which four hours was a flight to Barcelona and about two hours' drive, until I arrived in the town of La Massena. The timing was perfect, as from December, fortunately, there were large amounts of snow that colored the mountains in white, officially opening all ski runs on site. In addition, I earned a week of stroking sun which allowed me to take a closer look at the rest of the surfing area as well.

The whole pan in La Phelan: the ski resort which is a surfing paradise

Ski resorts suitable for surfers at all levels. Andorra (Photo: Shimon Cohen)

Ski in Andorra (Photo: Shimon Cohen, official website)

Ski in Andorra in front of the Alps: Which is better?

In the Alps you can find a great number of great ski resorts, but after visiting the Andorra Pyrenees I found quite a few advantages over the Alps. for example:

Cost vs. Benefit: Prices for Andorra ski packages are low compared to the top ski resorts in France, Italy and Austria, with facilities and lifts in Andorra not falling compared to the top sites.

Track width: The courses in Andorra are very wide and friendly for beginners, but also allow veteran surfers to improve the technique and skill of surfing. The site has a variety of tracks suitable for all levels: green, red, blue, and even wide black tracks that help surfers progress and raise their level of fun and fearlessly.

Excellent service: As a skier in many countries and dozens of ski resorts around the world, I was thrilled with the desire of locals to provide courteous, welcoming and welcoming service to the surfers.

Shopping: Andorra is known as a huge "duty free" offering a fun shopping experience. Shopping enthusiasts? It is also worth taking this matter into account.

Weather: In Andorra, on average, there are about 300 sunny days a year, which gives you a good chance of surfing even on pampering sunny days.

Andorra has an average of 300 suns per year (Photo: Shimon Cohen)

Ski in Andorra (Photo: Shimon Cohen, official website)

Andorra Ski Spaces: Who's this for?

Just before I start elaborating on the tracks, I will say that Andorra is indeed a small country but definitely surprising. In Andorra you can find two central and impressive surfing spaces, which by the way can be equipped with convenient and cheap public transport. One, Garand and Grandvalira, and the other and Vallnord.

The glacial space and El Nord is made up of three magical towns - Massena, Pal and Arinsal (La Massana, Pal, Arinsal). The ski resort has 93 km of tracks at all levels. Beginners will enjoy green trails, plenty of blue trails and especially wide red tracks. Extreme enthusiasts will also be able to enjoy two beautifully maintained snow parks that are just waiting for freestyle enthusiasts.

Leisure attraction enthusiasts will find a variety of extras besides surfing, including snowmobiling, dog sledding, omega, skiing, snowmobiling, snowmobiling and more.

The Grand Wallira gliding area has 240 km of 118 tracks for all levels. Here, too, I found extremely wide tracks and three indulgent snow parks. Pas De La Casa is the well-known and sought-after ski resort among the six towns This is a lively town in the Grand Wallira area and very suitable for a young company that is very important to the nightlife scene. The tone of the madness and joy is given by the English guys, who have mastered some of the top bars. Until 9 p.m., and in the town of Pass they will find ski runs that are also open for night-skiing on some of the beaches. And A..

The routes in Andorra are wide and very friendly. Cozy Black Track (Photo: Shimon Cohen)

Ski in Andorra (Photo: Shimon Cohen, official website)

About 100km of off-piste

The diverse ski area has recently joined a new and unique site, Arcalis, where you can find only 30 km of tracks but about 100 km of off-piste. On this site, there are only one cable car, but the idea is to go up and down mainly in the piste (for the genre's fans, of course).

The town is also very suitable for shopping enthusiasts, who will find dozens of tax-exempt stores that offer great shopping at great prices. Entertainment enthusiasts will also find it interesting, as it has bars and clubs that put the town's ashtray skiing scene on the front row with Europe's leading sites.

We stayed at the luxurious four-star Magic La massana hotel. Located about 100 meters from the cable car, the hotel features a wellness center with pool, sauna and hot tub for relaxation and after-relaxation. The town of La Massena is very suitable for families, but if you are a party lover - on the other side of La Massena the town of Arinsel, which has a very lively nightlife, awaits you.

La Massena is located about ten minutes drive from the capital of Andorra la Vella, where you can find a real shopping fest - 12 minutes drive and you are in a central avenue of shopping malls with great prices.

Camp counselors teach important basics right from the start (Photo: Shimon Cohen)

Ski in Andorra (Photo: Shimon Cohen, official website)

Dream Camp for Families: Ski Camp in Hebrew

The biggest fun for me on vacation is to share the white hobby with Benny Eyal, who joined me for a Chanukah trip and joined the Ski Deal camp, which includes explanations in Hebrew. This is his second time skiing, and the improvement has been amazing. He said the main reason is the explanation in Hebrew that helps overcome the language barrier and allows children to focus and invest in skiing.

It was a real experience to surf with a deer in the afternoon, when the summer camp ends, and experience the significant improvement in surfing every day. The instructors taught him and his teammates important basics right at the beginning of the camp, including back-surfing, small jumps and tasty fist bites that made them leave fear aside and improve the technique to the best.

The "Ski Deal" packages include: Flights, transfers, a half board hotel, stripe skiing and most importantly Hebrew training, and most of all peace of mind that will allow you a real vacation without having to deal with all the annoying options when buying a package alone.

The improvement was amazing. Andorra Ski Camp (Photo: Shimon Cohen)

Ski in Andorra (Photo: Shimon Cohen, official website)

The writer was a guest of Ski Deal in Andorra.