Andorra

Most of Andorr's resorts were once small mountain villages which have grown in recent years due to skiing.

In recent years the resorts have all joined together so that your ski pass covers neighbouring areas. As a result there are now two large alpine skiing areas known as Vallnord and Grandvalira.

Vallnord covers Arcalis and the Arinsal-Pal ski area. Arcalis is quite distant away from Arinsal-Pal but the latter have been joined up in recent years by a cable car connecting the two ski areas. The Arisnal-Pal ski area is directly accessible from La Massana right from the middle of the town. 93km (58 mi) of pistes.

Arcalis - ski area located at the head of the valley from El Serrat
Arinsal - skiing resort part of the Arinsal Pal ski area. Also known as Vallnord which means Valley North in English
Pal - skiing resort part of the Arinsal Pal ski area.

Grandvalira covers Soldeu and Pas de la Casa. The Soldeu ski area is also accessible from El Tarter, Encamp and Canillo. This quite cleverly has opened up these areas to cope with the influence of visitors without putting all the strain on Soldeu. It has 210km of ski slopes between 1710-2640m. The area of Grandvalira is about 1,926 hectares, and it's divided into 6 different sectors. These are (from left to right on their piste map):

Pas de la Casa - skiing resort located right on the French border with a good sized town that has plenty of duty free shops, hotels and restaurants.
Grau Roig - skiing resort only with a large car park and a hotel
Soldeu - skiing resort in a small town with hotels, restaurants and shops
El Tarter - skiing resort in a small town with hotels, restaurants and shops
Canillo - skiing resort accessed by gondola from a medium sized town with hotels, restaurants and shops
Encamp - a large town with hotels, restaurants and shops connected to the Grandvalira ski slopes by the 6.1km Funicamp gondola - was the longest in Europe but maybe surpassed now.
La Rabassa is a cross-country (Nordic) skiing area in southern Andorra above the town of Sant Julia de Loria.

GRANDVALIRA - Escaldes-Engordany ( Escaldes-Engordany )

Grandvalira is the largest ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the east of Andorra, has more than 200 km of slopes, and hotels at the foot of the slopes in Encamp, Canillo, El Tarter, Soldeu, Grau Roig... Some of its many services include a ski and snowboarding school, equipment rental service, booking centre, restaurants, snack bars, terraces and barbecues, Wi-Fi zone, snowparks, children’s circuits, baby clubs, crèches, the igloo hotel and a wide variety of snow activities for non-skiers. The season starts at the beginning of December and ends in mid-April.

VALLNORD - La Massana ( La Massana )

Vallnord is the second largest ski resort in Andorra. Situated in the northern valleys (Ordino and La Massana), it has around 100 km of slopes, as well as a wide variety of activities for non-skiers. Vallnord is divided into three sectors: Pal and Arinsal, connected by cable car and with hotels at the foot of the slopes in La Massana and Arinsal. And Arcalís, situated in the northernmost part of the Principality. You get here on the Carretera General 3 main road (CG3) from the town of Ordino. All the sectors have a ski school, equipment rental shop, booking centre, restaurants, bars, terraces and barbecues, Wi-Fi zone, snowparks, children’s play areas and crèches, and a wide variety of snow activities for non-skiers.

NATURLANDIA - La Rabassa ( Sant Julià de Lòria )

Naturlàndia is the only Nordic ski resort in Andorra, and it also includes a multi-activity theme park, with popular attractions such as Tobotronc and Airtrekk. Naturlàndia is situated in the south of the Principality, in Sant Julià de Lòria, at the top of La Rabassa forest, very close to the Spanish border. The Nordic skiing tracks are only waymarked in winter and are 15 km long in total. Among the top attractions is the Airtrekk, the largest sky trail in Europe. It is a ten pole three level structure with a selection of rope elements forning different circuits. The choice of leisure activities is huge: snowmobiles, snowshoes, electric vehicles, Tubby and Minitubby toboggans, pony rides, inflatables, manual workshops for children, zip-line, archery and mini golf among others. Furthermore, it offers night activities packages during winter, such as: Snowmobile and/or snowshoes + dinner. Naturlàndia's facilities are open all year round and offer a wide variety of outdoor activities for all ages.