Ski resorts in the Catalan Pyrenees to begin opening their slopes next weekend

Barcelona (ACN).- On Saturday, the first slopes for skiing, snow-boarding and practicing other snow sports will open in Catalonia. The rest of them will be open by the bank holiday of December the 6^th. Baqueira Beret, located in the Val d’Aran County (in the most north-western part of Catalonia), is the largest ski resort and will be among the first ones to open some of its slopes on December the 1^st. Therefore, this year’s ski season will be starting quite soon and fully profit from the early December holidays, as opposed to last season, which was the worst in the last 30 years. In fact, business-owners are quite optimistic about the coming season and they expect to recover from the 18% loss of ticket sales in the resorts located in the Lleida Province in the first months of last season. One of the main new things on offer this year is the opening of Catalonia’s first night snowpark, which will be located in Port del Comte. Another way to attract visitors in times of crisis is to fund part of their trip up. Espot, Port Ainé and Tavascan will offer these ‘gas cheques’. Furthermore, a single ticket will work for skiing in these three resorts as well as in La Molina, Vall de Núria and Vallter 2000, as they are all managed by the same company.

The first Catalan Pyrenees ski slopes to start their activity are located in the Province of Lleida, in the north-western part of Catalonia. Lleida has 11 ski resorts and they represent Spain’s largest offer to practice Alpine skiing, with more than 460 kilometres of slopes. In addition, it also gathers the largest array of cross-country skiing, with 68 kilometres of trails. In fact, 1 out of 4 skiers in Spain chooses a resort located in the Lleida Pyrenees, according to the Director of the Lleida Tourist Trust, Jordi Blanch. The most well-known resort to offer Alpine skiing is Baqueira Beret. Around 20% of its visitors are foreigners, mainly from France.

Baqueira Beret has invested €2.2 million in improving the resort for this season, far below last year’s €6 million investment. However, as the company’s Director General, Aureli Bisbe, explained, this season they have focused on guaranteeing the condition of the slopes to offer high quality skiing and a wide range of related services to the visitors. They expect to sell 760,000 tickets, 160,000 of which will be for the whole season, which should enable the company to keep 600 direct jobs. Baqueira Beret’s forecast is to generate around €33 million revenue in the coming season, starting on Saturday.

Additionally, the snow that is falling on Monday and Tuesday on the Pyrenees will make other stations reschedule their season’s kick off and start their activity sooner, as from next Saturday. The ski resorts of La Molina, Vall de Núria, Espot, Port Ainé and Vallter 2000 will open their slopes on December the 1^st. The company managing these venues has also announced that they are selling 8% more season tickets in advance than last year. They are offering a season ticket called ‘Atotaneu 6.0’ that entitles the client to use it at the 6 different ski resorts managed by the company. ‘Atotaneu 6.0’ allows visitors to ski in La Molina, Vall de Núria, Espot, Port Ainé, Vallter 2000 and Tavascan. It costs €610 without a discount and provides unlimited access for the entire season. In addition, if it is bought before December the 9^th it costs €530. Another season ticket available is ‘Atotaneu 5.0’ which allows skiing in the same resorts apart from La Molina, which is the largest one. However ‘Atotaneu 5.0’ offers a 50% discount on buying La Molina tickets and it costs €450 without a discount or €360 if bought before December the 9^th.