Returned from Soldeu on Sunday after a week of solid skiing. What a great resort. Some fantastic cruisy blues and reds (much better than Soll this time last year).
We were very fortunate with the weather with sun & cloud all week except the last day where is snowed heavily.
The transfer (3hrs) wasnt too bad as the coach stops off half way at a small restaurant for toilet/refreshments - this broke up the journey
The 210km of piste was plenty for us - only hitting the blues and some reds (did 1 black). Some great tree lined runs and great scenary
Prices in resort are pretty good (2.5euro for a hot choccie, 3euro for a beer etc) - not as cheap as once was (so I have been told...but where is!) and much cheaper than the Alps
Stayed at the Piolets Park & Spa which was a great hotel - close to the gondola (and free minibus each morning/afternoon). Good food in hotel and slopes (very "burger and chips" on piste but found some nice pizza places and the occasional panini.
Nice quiet slopes even on the Saturday when locals were there. Max queue for a lift was about 10mins (but that was a one off as was the only connecting lift first thing in the morning). Gondola queue, again max 10min wait (we went out of school holiday time). Some slow lifts, but some fast ones (same as most reorts) Great jump parks (x3) to watch the advanced hitting jumps and ramps. Hands free list pass, so no need to insert pass at lifts.
Would deff recommend the resort for advanced beginners/good intermediates (advanced may find most of the runs flatter than used to)...the black we did was a steep blue in other resorts I've been to...hence us doing it). We will deff go back in the near future. Alp style skiing at budget prices
Any questions from people thinking about the area, just shout and will try and advise
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Nice TR, and fun video! Glad you had a great week. Out of interest, which black did you try?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Pyremaniac, it was the tiny bit of Mirador leading from top of the TSD 4 Cubil Lift onto the Blue Tortuga run. Was a tiny link, but at least I hit the black (you're going to say that is no longer classed as a black now arent you!)
Jon Ford, awesome video - I love Soldeu. Great runs for intermediates, great piste bashers, huge area and great weather (if I remember right Soldeu literally means sun god!)
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Jon Ford, haha I knew it!! Well, if it says it's black on the piste map, then it's black! My first black in Masella was pretty much the same thing.
... but how they have the balls to call the top half of that piste black is beyond me
Hope you also tried the red just above Tortuga which winds around to the lake and restaurant; beautiful view there.
I feel a little bit obliged to come to Granvalira's defence and say that although it has a firm reputation as a beginner-intermediate resort, there is a variety of more demanding pistes too! Though bizarrely, they're often not very visible from the middle of the valleys; you have to follow the piste map quite carefully to find some of them. Probably a good half of the blacks and reds are worthy of the name (and when you consider there's dozens of them...) and a decent amount of those have fun, interesting terrain rather than just being ruler-straight.
I'm back in Soldeu on the 15th feb, been there almost every year since 1986, I like it because,
Its great for my family
We use a friend's apartment so it's a very cheap 1/2 term week for us
As it is mainly beginner intermediate resort, some red runs are frequently desrerted and you can carve them flat out from top to bottom without other skiers being in the way.
In Val D'Isere last week, I was just an average skier, in Grandvalira, I'm a hot shot!!!
The down side is that there is no challenging skiing without going offpiste, the handful of black runs are pisted flat, so cannot be regarded as black. There used to be a fabulous challenging run underneath the main lift out of Soldeu, narrow and mogulled to start with, opening onto the "face" where it became steeper and wider with moguls as big as houses, sadly this is now used for racing and is pisted flat.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
We did a run called esquirol (or something like that) loved the bottom half...from by the bottom of the el tarter snow park jumps, but found the top half (just above the jump park) quote tough. It was blue all the way but varied groom top half to bottom half. Pyremaniac, I think we did that red. Deff did one around there. Really nice one. Often found some of the reds better than the blue as, like said above, not as many people on them. We are not sure if we are skiing next year.. legs are getting more tired each year, so we may hit carribean for relaxation. Or start a family...for 20years of knackeredness . But if we go skiing, I think we'll be going back here. (make our way over pas next time) great place overall
After all it is free
After all it is free
tangowaggon wrote:
The down side is that there is no challenging skiing without going offpiste, the handful of black runs are pisted flat, so cannot be regarded as black.
I think that's a matter of taste; many resorts including outside of the Pyrenees piste at least some of their black runs. A permanently unpisted black is really just a type of itinerary, right? Namely lift-served steep, straightish, largely rock/tree-free gully descents. Contrary to popular belief, there are a number of those in Grandvalira: in Canillo (various parts of the face), in El Tarter (the whole Encampadana mountain), in Grou Roig (around the Montmelus sub-peak), and in Pas. But I concede that they really are off-piste with all that that entails, albeit indicated on the piste map and "open/closed".
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There used to be a fabulous challenging run underneath the main lift out of Soldeu, narrow and mogulled to start with, opening onto the "face" where it became steeper and wider with moguls as big as houses, sadly this is now used for racing and is pisted flat.
Yeah, they over-piste everything unfortunately. However, good news: you have a replacement in the form of the old bottom-half route of the Áliga piste in El Tarter which goes straight down from the exit of the lowest chairlift (not from the neighbouring gondola). It's not officially a piste any more - they rerouted that lower section of the Áliga as a dog-leg this year so that it's now virtually certain to become a FIS downhill piste - but at least until the vegetation grows back it's basically a mogulled black, very similar to the old Estadi piste in Soldeu that you're describing.
There's also a steepish mogul field at the Pas end of Grou Roig.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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legs are getting more tired each year
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Or start a family...
Jees! how old are you!, old enough to have tired legs but young enough to start a family? or are you a sugar daddy married to someone 30 years younger!, you should be at least be mid 40s before you start to slow down
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A permanently unpisted black is really just a type of itinerary, right? Namely lift-served steep, straightish gully descents
Not Really, in the good old days, pisted blacks were almost unheard of, even blues had moguls (as I found out in Tignes in 1986, my 2nd week on skis, coming over a rise at the sort of speed an irresponsible 21 yr old would be doing, straight into a mogul field)
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
He he. Only 33 but do a lit if gym work and volunteer at animal rescue at weekends so always on the go. After 3 or 4 days of solid skiing, the legs start to get knackered.I'm sure exercise isn't good for you!
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
There are definitely a few decent blacks in Grandvalira- Jordi Angles, Gaig in Canillo, Falco and Granota in the Pessons area are all reasonable and relatively quiet. Had a great day trip to Grandvalira on the 31st Jan, plenty of blue skies once the clouds had lifted.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Jon Ford, great video!
Don't know why but had ruled out Andorra- am now changing my mind!Grandvalira definitely looks worth a visit!
Anyone been early Jan and able to report if generally ok snow cover then? (Other option would be early March)
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
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