Resort Overview:
A great choice for beginners and intermediates: with a compact ski area, acclaimed ski school, great value prices, and vibrant nightlife. When conditions allow, with good snow coverage down to village level, Arinsal can claim the greatest on-piste vertical in Andorra: 1010 m from Pic Alt de la Capa, all the way down to the lowest chairlift base at Arinsal's Cota 1550 suburb; that's over 3300 ft of non-stop descent. The true on-piste starting point though is at the Comallempla 1950 base area, high above the village, accessible by gondola directly from the resort centre or by chairlift from Cota 1550. There are really just two principal [blue-graded] arterial routes cruising down Arinsal's relatively narrow ski area, with a number of crossover variants. The upper slopes on Pic Alt de la Capa and Pic Negre offer some more challenging red & black runs, with Pic Alt de la Capa the jewel in the crown (on days when the powder hasn't blown away!). Additionally, a cable car links the upper reaches of the Arinsal sector with the larger & more picturesque ski area of Pal, although there are still no linking pistes.
Village Altitude:
1475 m (4839 ft).
Pros:
Friendly, laid-back atmosphere Excellent ski school Lift-linked with Pal ski area.
Cons:
Little variety of terrain in main Arinsal sector Beginners Zone often very crowded in high season.
SKI AREA STATISTICS
NB:
Stats given are combined totals for Pal-Arinsal.
Altitude Range:
1550–2560 m (5085–8399 ft) Vertical Drop = 1010 m (3314 ft).
Pistes:
42 in total: 7 Green 15 Blue 16 Red 4 Black 1 Snowpark (with 1 Halfpipe) 1 Moguls Zone 2 Freeride Zones 2 Children's Zones 1 Slalom/Carving Course No Nordic Circuits Total combined 'mileage' = 63 km (39 mi).
Snowmaking:
271 Cannons Covering 23 km (14¼ mi) of pisted terrain.
Ski Lifts:
30 in total: 1 Cable Car 2 Gondolas 12 Chairlifts (5 fast, detachable) 9 Button Tows 2 Rope Tows 5 Conveyor-belt Surface Lifts Total Capacity = 39,180 passengers/hour.
Linked Ski Areas:
Pal-Arinsal + separate non-linked sector at Arcalís, all included on the Vallnord Area Lift Pass.
FACILITIES & SERVICES
Ski & Snowboard Schools:
2, one at each of the two linked sectors (both 'in-house' Vallnord operations).
Mountain Bars/Restaurants:
15 in total, at 7 sites.
Medical Centres:
2
COMMUNICATIONS & TRANSPORT
Airports:
Airports serving this region include Barcelona (BCN) and Girona (GRO) in Spain; and Toulouse (TLS), Carcassonne (CCF) and Perpignan (PGF) in France.
Railway Stations:
The nearest railway station is at the French hamlet of L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre (45 km (28 mi) by road to the north-east).
Are you in Arinsal right now? Has there been any fresh snowfall recently or is it even snowing right now, are the slopes in good condition or do they really need more snow? Please post the latest on-site snow condition reports here.
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