Andorra (Pas de la Cassa)

A snowHead

After having such a good trip to the 3 Valleys in January 2011 (see other post) I was itching to get away again. So I ventured of to Andorra with my mate.

After keeping a beady on web cams and snow reports across Europe I found that Andorra was getting a good sprinkling of the white stuff. Without further ado and hardly any arm twisting I persuaded my mate that the following week was the time to go as the weather looked very promising.

So on Thursday we booked a last minute deal to a self catering apartment called the Apartments Manzano in Pas de la Cassa, Andorra with Direct Ski.

The flight took 2.5 hrs to get to Toulouse Airport. Then we had a transfer of 3.5 hrs by bus to Andorra.

Pas de la Cassa is quite a large and very lively town with shops, restaurants, leisure facilities, bars, clubs. It is linked with five quieter resorts. Pas is referred to as the Ibiza of ski’n resorts but it’s not really.

It cost £389 for the apartment and £143 for the Grandvalira lift pass.

The Apartment was 2*, clean and very good value. The room had two bunk beds so if four people were going the holiday may have been cheaper again. You could also buy your breakfast and dinner from the apartment but we never bothered just made our own breakfast and ate out a night. It also had a bar which was cheaper than the bars in the town and it was handy for watching the football at night or for surfing the net using their wifi. It also had heated ski lockers.

The only downsides were you had to hand over a €150 deposit for the room and the kitchen didn’t have an oven. Instead it was kitted out with a hob, microwave, toaster, fridge and a sink. A safety deposit box cost €15.

The location of the apartment to the slopes was brilliant it was a 3-4 minute walk to lift. It was around the same distance away from the town.

On the first night (Sunday) you’ll meet the Rep at an introduction and you will be given the chance to go on excursions / nights outs. It’s the usual ploy of there is limited space etc so book now etc. I would only recommend going on the first bar crawl which is on the Monday night. Gives you a chance to meet other randoms and basically you tour round the best bars and get free shots and a few free drinks and play drinking games.

As for the rest they aren’t great and if you really want to do something you can book it that morning. The hypnotist show on the Thursday night in the Milwaukie Bar is good and it’s free as well. Snowmobiling is 120 Euro for an hour.

Drink is €4 a pint so basically the same price as home, but its dirt cheap in the supermarket. A liter of Smirnoff was € 8 or 4.5 litres of Absolute was €33.50!

On the mountain lunch is around €10 for a burger, chip and a drink. I would thoroughly recommend Telepizza located at the bottom of the slopes in Pas or there is one in the Grau Roig valley as well.

As expect the weather was excellent. It snowed constantly for 4 days and nights so we had four quality powder days. Only one of the days was a bit foggy because of low cloud.

I did have a moment when I fell and my ski came off on the main red run into Pas and I couldn’t find it for a while under all the snow but thankfully I got it back a short time later.

Temperature wise it was anything from -15°C to 2°C at the end of the week once the clouds went away leaving sunny and cloudless skies. There wasn’t much in the way of wind either.

The ski area is mainly made up from blue/red runs. It’s ideal for beginners or intermediate skiers / boarders. An advanced person may get bored quickly as runs can be quite short in comparison to the 3 Valleys. There are opportunities to go off pieste down forest trails and unmarked slopes. The ski area is massive and I think it allows beginners and intermediates to clock up loads of miles and build confidence.

The pistes weren’t overly busy for being the last / first week in March and it was great making the first tracks in the snow every morning. Lift queue etiquette is also better than France. No need to trail people backwards by their hoods.

When the snow didn’t fall for the last two days the piste bashers were out smoothing the slopes out at night leaving them in great condition for the next morning.

We ate out at a restaurant called Pas 83 most nights. The food was quality. Make sure you go to the curry night early on a Wednesday. €15 gets you your starters, mains, desert and a drink. On a normal night you can expect to pay €12 for a mains. Rapid Pasta was also a good restaurant. We also went to a more expensive one called El Carlet which was a steakhouse but It wasn’t worth the money.

I would defiantly recommend Andorra for anyone who was looking for great snow and a lively resort. I have been 3 times now and it has never disappointed weather wise.

Over the week I spent around €350.

The two previous times I was there I stayed in the Magic Pas Hotel it’s also a 2mins walk from the slopes. It’s a 4* Hotel and has a sauna, jacuzzi and has a good buffet for breakfast & dinner.

I used the ski school on my first trip and they were very good.

Some pictures attached below from 2011.

Pas de la Cassa Resort

Pas de la Cassa Street

Both of us in the powder

First day in Pas de la Cassa

Me in Grau Roig

Forest trail in Grau Roig

Me going down forest trail

Red run into Grau Roig

El Tarter

Me in El Tarter

Me on a red run into Grau Roig from Pas (pic taken from Nacho’s camera)

Me on another red run into Grau Roig (pic taken from Nacho’s camera)

Jonathan in Pas de la Cassa

A snowHead

Nice pics
,the snow conditions look ten times better than in January/feb when we went...very icy
This will be are third year back in pas this time round.As we are all new to skiing and all in are 40's we havent tackled the reds yet.
Can you remember some of the easier reds to start us off
We can ski Blues all the way from Pas to El tartar but on the way back we would have to ski a few reds ,,any advice on the easiest route back

thanks

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

The snow has been like that the last 3 times iv'e been there, 2n'd week in january 08, 2n'd week in Febuary 09 & at the start of March 11

Do the usual blue runs in Cassa then jump on lift TSF 2 COLL BLAC in Pas De La Casa. You have probably ski’d it before it’s the red in the middle of the resort it’s handy enough and will give you a bit of confidence.

Then when you are feeling up to doing a few reds try this route it’s quite good and you’ll see a good bit + there wont be anything too scary.

Hop on TSD 6 FONT NEGRE in Cassa. Ski down the red I think it’s called COMA III.

This is slightly steepish at the top but nothing to drastic. Keep the speed up just before the run levels out and aim for the drag lift TK COMMA BLANCA III, the Iglu bar is facing it.

This will take you down the portella slope and the follow it to the bottom and it will connect to the slope called clot.

You should then jump on the drag ski lift called TK MONTMALUS. Take a left when getting of the drag lift and ski down the red called montmalus. You’ll enjoy this slope and will maybe give it another couple of goes.

When your finished with that run jump on TSD 4 CUBIL and go down the red serrate pinos. It’s probably the easiest of the reds.

Then onto TSD SOLANA and go down obac sotana then onto obaga then onto bosca fosc right down to Soldeu.

Jump on the cable car TC 8 Soldeu and go down gall de bosc and jump on TSD 6 LLOSADA. I’d take gall de bose a blue and take a run into EL Tarter.

Don’t think you’ll have much time if you include lunch with that so on the way back try the following route.

From there take the TSD TARTER lift then ski down to lift to TSD 6 LLOSADA and go down and hop on TSF 4 COLIBRI. Take enradort and get on TK LLAC DEL CUBIL.

Take the tortuga slope, moreto slope is quite steep from memory leave it towards the end of the week.

Take the TSD 6 PIC BLANC back to Pas. This will be the hardest run of the day I think.

Don’t go down the llac slope that will be 100 meters down on the right instead take directa II slope which is further down. It’s the slope in the middle which you can see when you look up at it when standing with your back to the Olympia department store.

You should be fine with those runs and just mix them up as you go over the week. Granota is a great run as well it’s marked as a black but some of the reds are easier try this at the end of the week as well. It’s easier than many reds.

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Thanks for the detailed route .I just hope we gain the skill/courage to tackle some of these reds.
The only part im not sure about When we leave soldeu back to pas we take the lift TSF 4 LLAC DEL CUBIL then on to tortuga slope....To get to the Tortuga we would have to take a black to get to Tortuga???

Your dead right About the reds in the middle of PAS we have skied most of it but not from the very top.I think we would of tried a few reds last year but it was getting very icey which i hate ,i tense up dont turn and end up in the fence.

I dont mind narrow but not so keen on steep..... What reds would you say leave/avoid for us old timers

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Those reds aren’t overly hard I’m sure you’ll be fine with them once you’re pretty confident with the blues

Yes to get to tortuga you will go down a short section that is denoted black but it is just a easy red or steep as the steepest section of the run called isards in Pas. I think it’s mark black just to say the mirador slope is further down.

Montmalus is quite a steep red run (PIC Cool

if you go down the left hand side if your looking down it from the top. The right hand side is easier.

The reds leaving and coming back (the one in the middle) to Pas will be the hardest for you I think. How did you get back to Pas before without going down it?

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HAHA good old Directa I/II still claiming victims. It’s one of the hardest reds I think. I wrecked my shoulder on that run at the top as well. We saw two people walking down it with ski’s in hand.

I laughed to myself thinking they had a long walk down. 20 seconds or so later I was l face down in the snow saying ahhhhh.

Yep you guessed it first day and first fall of the day and I injured something called a Rotator Cuff in my shoulder. Couldn’t move my arm at all for weeks after it.

Our rep in Brides last year bust his collar bone as well on Directa.

Good luck with your trip.

After all it is free

Had a head on crash on that run. We both turned in,.... then tightened our turns to miss the other then bam! No damage done but I hate that run. If the snow is OK the black run further to the right (looking up) is an easier run 'cos no one is on it.

I'm a bit confused/worried which red run we should be taking back into PAS...LLAC,DIRECTA I/II or GAVAXTA

They all sound a nightmare from your storys

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wasley, Gavaxta is the best back, but you have to get a different lift up from Grau Roig to access it (or walk). That's where the black is I mentioned. Directa I/II are basically the same run. It's the top 200m that is bad as it is quite steepish and busy and trashed by the time everyone is coming home. You can bail out down a very narrow track to the right after about 80m but that has its problems too as it is crowded with beginners blocking the way.

Help!!

Andorra (Pas de la Cassa)

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