Worldwide Ski Resorts • Andorra • Arinsal
Overview
The village of Arinsal consists of an expanse of grey buildings stretching out at the end of a long valley. It cannot be called attractive, but it is a popular destination among British skiers who are draw to the resort by the cheap package deals offered by many UK based tour operators.
It has become increasingly developed over recent seasons to cater for the annual influx of predominantly novice skiers and snowboarders who come to Andorra to learn the basics of the sport and also to engage in the extremely lively après ski activities that owe much to the cheap alcohol available in the resort. The plentiful accommodation available in Arinsal caters for all tastes and budgets and there is a large selection of bars and restaurant to choose from.
Profile
The skiing and snowboarding opportunities available at this resort are very limited and frankly not for the experienced skier who will become quickly bored. There are a total of 63 km of pisted runs, the majority of which are either red or blue. There are some short black runs and a few good off piste locations that take the skier or rider down through some excellent forested areas. The slopes are served by 29 lifts, many of which are drags — bad news for boarders! Skiing to the village is not always possible and the runs do not reach the centre. A gondola or a cable car ride is the normal start and finish to the day.
On the positive side, the snow record for the region is good and there are extensive snow making cannons covering 19 km of runs. There is also a gondola link to the nearby resort of Pal, where the skiing is more interesting and has some excellent runs through the tree line.
Mountain Information
Arinsal’s slopes lie above the village in a wide exposed bowl starting and ending at the gondola station of Comallempla and extend up to the highest point of Port Negre at 2560m and descend to Cota at 1550 m. The gentle nursery slopes lie close to the gondola station, although these tend to become rather crowded due to the high numbers of beginners that come to these slopes to learn the basics.
The area boasts a large terrain park for snowboarders that features a range of half and quarter pipes, big jumps and spines. There are plenty of mountain self service cafes and restaurants which tend to get rather crowded during the season. Arinsal has a ski school with an excellent reputation and is geared to the British pupil. Facilities for children are also said to be good with a special kindergarten and crèche facilities for the very young.
Apres Ski
The nightlife in the resort tends to cater almost exclusively for the young and energetic. The bars are inclined to be extremely loud and crowded and excessively heavy alcohol consumption is the norm. Quieter bars are to be found with difficulty.
Andorran Resort Guide
Resort Information • Arinsal
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Resort Height | 1550m |
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Top Station | 2592m |
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Bottom Station | 1550m |
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Vertical Descent | 1092m |
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Drag Lifts | 9 |
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Chair Lifts | 4 |
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High Capacity | 1 |
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Opening Dates | Mid Dec - Mid April |
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Rating Expert | 3 |
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Rating Intermediate | 7 |
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Rating Beginner | 8 |
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Apres Ski Rating | 3 |
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Snow Reliability | 7 |
