Catalan ski resorts end season with record numbers despite warm weather

Ski resorts in Catalonia closed the season with record-breaking figures this weekend, despite experiencing one of the warmest winters on record. 

The resorts in the Lleida province, which include Baqueira Beret, Boí Taüll, Port Ainé, Espot, Port del Comte i Tavascan, have recorded the third highest season in number of visitors, with almost 1.5 million tickets sold. 

Although there were hot spells throughout the winter and the snow came later than usual, the ski resorts managed to open for 135 days thanks to the production of artificial snow. 

The warmer weather particularly affected cross-country skiing, the type of skiing where the heel of the boot is not attached to the ski, with only 15,000 skiers, a significant fall compared to previous years. 

Baqueira Beret, the largest resort in Spain, located in the Catalan Pyrenees, recorded the highest number of visitors since it opened in 1964, with over one million skiers. 

The busiest day was December 30 with 18,000 skiers, and the daily average for the entire season was almost 8,000.    

The vice president of the Lleida Tourist Board, Juan Antonio Serrano, celebrated the "good season" and stressed that the ski resorts are a "key factor" for tourism in the region. 

Serrano stressed the need to continue investing in the production of artificial snow, as it is "fundamental" in the current context of climate change.