 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi. I am planning to spend 4-5 days in the Spanish Pyrenees at the end of December. I was looking at La Molina or Masella. Considering it will be around Christmas/New Year the prices are rather high and I was wondering how likely is it to get decent amount of snow. The stats I came across do not look very promising - 5cm on average of natural snow in December. 
Has anyone been there in December? Or you could probably suggest a higher and more snow-secure place? I am not expecting the holiday of my life, just something decent for my 10 YO boy who has done a 1-week course last year and is very eager to ski again.
Andorra (for example Grandvalira) seems to be better but would be even more expensive... But if it is supposed to be FAR better I guess I can spend a bit more.
Thanks.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Andorra and perhaps larger Spanish resorts make an effort to produce snow before early Dec IIRC. Enough for a 10 year old if not for you!
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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?
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The Pyrenees used to have a reputation for early snow but these days is different but if there is snow and the potential to make the Spanish stations will always always try and take advantage of the early December Spanish holidays around the 8th Dec
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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It's been a few seasons since I was at those places, but Massella at least had plenty of snowmaking. You can kind of drive along there and see what the conditions are, and go somewhere else if it's not up to scratch. Likely local intelligence nearer the time will tell you how things are.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Galfonso, Masella really struggled last year. Even when Andorra was having a tough-ish time, it was even tougher there. At one point last winter, a colleague was digging his car out to be able to get to work whilst looking across the valley probably no more than a couple of km away he said the pistes there looked green. This coming season will hopefully be fine but we never know.
All I can say is, keep an eye on the webcams and decide closer to the time if you can leave it later. I'm in Andorra, so I can tell you what it's like here as the season progresses.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Galfonso, Arcalis in Andorra would be great for a few days with a beginner. There's a lovely long green run right from the top to the bottom, then some nice blues and reds as confidence builds. It was pretty quiet up there during Feb HT when we went, not sure about Xmas/New Year, it's usually busy everywhere then, but this was the quietest spot we visited in Andorra and the snow was best too. Not a lot of accommodation, but a few places near the base area and scattered back down the valley towards Ordino. Option for a change of scenery by driving to one of the other resorts like La Massana for Pal or Encamp for Granvalira.
https://www.bergfex.com/arcalis-ordino-vallnord/
Andorra Travel Service can sort you out with discount ski passes and ski hire you can pick up at partner shops in La Massana.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Tue 22-10-24 20:09; edited 3 times in total
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I was in La Molina 2 years ago on the 28th December and the condition was terrible.
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I was there two years running and keep an eye on the webcams out of interest since. It has got very little natural snow two or three seasons in a row now. Like it barely snowed at all the entire season. It has snowmaking but even then it doesn't get much open. Its a cute little area for beginners but I couldn't recommend booking it otherwise than last minute when you know there's been fresh snow.
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Thanks a lot guys! It is really helpful to have feedback from locals and people who have been there around Christmas/New Year.
It sounds like it is at best 50/50 to have good enough snow to justify spending over 100 Euro a day for ski passes alone. I am not that desperate as we will most likely go to the Alps first week of April (a bit risky, I know) and hopefully before that in February too.
We are planning to stay in the vicinity for 4-5 days and if the conditions are fine - perfect! If not, I guess there is enough to explore by car and on foot too.
Thanks again, have fun and stay safe!
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@Galfonso, it is likely to be much better in Andorra than Masella. Even if there isn’t much precipitation, it’s usually colder so the snow cannons can be used.
Arinsal is excellent for beginners and a bit cheaper than Grandvalira. As @luigi suggests, Arcalis is a good option too although there’s not many places to stay within 5km of Arcalis and they’re in the middle of nowhere. It’s probably a half an hour drive from Arinsal to Arcalis though so not too bad. Arinsal/Arcalis allows you to get the NordPass which costs a bit less than a Grandvalira pass - you get a day at Grandvalira with a NordPass over a certain number of days (possibly 5 or 6 - not sure).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I've often been to baqueira in December, sometimes early December. Though can get quite busy if there over the early Dec Spanish holiday. They do tend to open the whole resort as early as they can, which can't be said for many French resorts in the Alps.
Most of the times I have been there in Dec there has been good snow, sometimes too much.
If staying there it is best to stay down in one of the very pretty villages in the valley, such as Arties, and drive up to ski every day. Parking in the car park at Orri is easy and can ski back to the car.
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