Andorra is famous for its great-value ski holidays and relaxed, friendly resorts as well as its brilliant ski schools. These days it’s also home to the largest ski area in the Pyrenees – bigger than most areas in the Alps – and for having fast, modern, comfortable lifts to whisk you around it all too.
But one question many skiers not that familiar with the Pyrenees mountains wonder, is when is the best time to visit?
Having a reputation for plenty of sunshine as well as great snow conditions, and being located down towards the Mediterranean can set skiers questioning when is the snow likely to be at its best. Fortunately, the short answer is you can’t usually go wrong from early December to well past Easter!
“There’s normally good skiing throughout the whole winter, not just the peak weeks,” confirms Steve Hull, who runs the long-time Andorra ski holiday experts Andorra Resorts.“
It’s true that the Grandvalira region, which encompasses 210km of lift-linked terrain around half-a-dozen ski resort villages including famous names like Pas de la Casa, Andorra’s highest area, as well as Soldeu and El Tarter, has a season that begins at the end of November or very start of December (depending on how the weekends fall) and runs to the middle of April, often then extended towards the end of the month.
As with most ski areas in Andorra, it benefits from fronts moving west from the Atlantic or up from the Mediterranean, hitting the mountains and their cold air and then dumping large amounts of snow long before they carry on to mountains further north and east like the Alps. So it’s first dibs on the goods for the Pyrenees! Apart from the natural stuff, Grandvalira has a mighty arsenal of snowmaking machinery, with over 1,000 snow cannons spread across its vast area and about two-thirds of its slopes supported by this technology.
It’s also important to note that the resort’s ski villages lie at quite high altitudes so resort-level snow and top-to-bottom cover is the normal for much of the season too. The main resorts in Grandvalira lie above 1700m for example, with the highest village, Pas de la Casa, sitting at 2050m, not only one of the highest resorts in the Pyrenees but of all ski villages across Europe.
The lifts here also climb to the highest lift-served point in Andorra at 2,640m.
All this means that Andorra’s ski slopes offer reliable cover right through the winter and through at least the first half of spring.
The Grandvalira pass now also covers the slopes of the separate Pal–Arinsal ski area, as well as those of Ordino Arcalís, famous for both getting the most natural snowfall and this offer the best freeriding in Andorra and, since 2016, for being 100% green energy powered. Its lifts climb up above 2,600m as well.
Month by Month
December, particularly before Christmas and New Year weeks, usually delivers quieter slopes. This year the season starts on Friday, 1st December, 2023.
The quietest weeks will be the second and third of the month as the first week coincides with several Spanish public holidays, including a celebration of the date the three wise men set off on their quest to find the baby Jesus. After those celebrations are over though once the three kings are on their way, the festive mood continues through December in those second and third weeks of the season. Santa will be visiting the slopes and there are celebrations around the villages.
Christmas
Then once the Christmas and New Year fortnight are behind us January is a great month to visit when Andorra sees some of its coldest temperatures and usually snowiest weather just as slopes are quieter as the holiday crowds depart and prices drop as businesses try to entice visitors in this dip period of the season in The Pyrenees, just as in the Alps.
February
February is usually the busiest month of the season as it’s when school holidays hit Andorra and most of Europe. The demand for accommodation for most of the month tends to drive up prices, but if you can afford that this can also be the month with the best snow conditions, with snow building up through the cold first half of winter before warmer spring temperatures tend to start the thaw in spring.
March
March is a great month if you’re looking for a relaxed time with plenty of snow lying, but also the days getting longer and a strong likelihood of lots of Mediterranean sunshine. Andorra’s southerly position in Europe means it often gets warm sunshine as spring arrives to enjoy the apres ski on one of the many terraces overlooking the slopes. However, mornings and early afternoons should still see the snow in great shape.
“For those searching out the best deals, the middle of March usually delivers some of the best prices for holidays,” says Steve.
April
The Andorran ski season starts to wind down in April and around Eastertime, but Andorra is renowned for getting big late-season dumps, often extending its season past planned closing dates in mid-April and instead staying open to ski late in the month. This season it’s quite an early official closing date at the end of the easter holidays on April 7th 2024 due to Easter falling on one of its earlier dates, March 31st, 2024, but it would surprise no Andorran locals if it ends up being extended into the latter half of the month.
Andorra Resorts – andorraresorts.com
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