Catalan ski resorts open for the new winter season

Barcelona (ACN).- The ski resorts of Vaquèria-Beret and Port del Comte, in northern Catalonia, opened this week-end. More than 6.000 skiers flocked to the resorts to indulge in the winter sport in the first few days of the season. Both ski resorts, in the Lleida Pyrénees, had between 40 and 60 centimetres of snow. The opening of the ski resorts has been quite early compared to past years due to the low temperatures measured in the area recently.

The managing director of Vaqueira-Beret, Pep Albòs, said that the quality of the snow this past week-end was 'excellent' for skiing. He explained that this ski season will be 'one of the longest in history', lasting from November until the 25th of April. In the area, it was snowing right until Friday but skiers were lucky enough to also have sunshine over the weekend, allowing them to ski in very good weather conditions. The resort of Vaqueria-Beret opened 92 of its 120 kilometres ski slopes.

On a neighbouring mountain, the resort Port del Comte opened 15 of its 22 ski slopes. According to its director, Alfons Farré, the weekend was 'satisfactory'. Around 1000 skiers arrived at Port del Comte to take part in this winter sport. Farré argued that, despite the economic crisis, the ski sector is doing well. 'As long as we have snow, the ski industry does not suffer, as ski fans continue to ski', he said. Next weekend, all other ski resorts in the Pyrenees will open.

This season, ski resorts in the Catalan Pyrénees invested more than 21 million euros in the improvement of their facilities and services. This is the largest investment in the area in the last 10 years and represents 75% of all ski investment in Catalonia. In total, 27.5 million euros has been spent in Catalonia by the ski sector. In Spain, the investment rises to 60 million. Ski tourism will create up to 2.500 seasonal jobs this winter in Catalonia, with the majority (1600), in the northern region of Lleida.

In the region of Girona, in north-east Catalonia, the ski resorts of Vall de Núria and Vallter 2000 also opened their doors this weekend. However, they only opened the area for ski amateurs and recreational areas. They expect to be in full operation by December.