 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
We are heading out for a family ski holiday to El Tarter on 2nd jan 2011. My wife is a nervous blue skier I`m a Not very good blue /red skier and my son is confident on blacks so we have a good mix of abiltiy. I`m looking for any hints or tips as regards to good runs, places to eat (although we are half board using the nordic for meals) and anything to make the trip as hassle free as possible. Also any good places to visit and sites to see. I heard somewhere about skiing to a frozen lake is supposed to be a nice trip.
Also is there a link to a decent downloadable Piste map for that area? I cant seem to find any.
Cheers
Paul
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Going by the ability of your group, you and your wife will love Granvalira (as the whole ski area is known) but there's not that much in the way of blacks. I stayed in El Tarter a few years in a row and it was perfect for my parents who liked the long (8km) cruisy blues over the right hand side of the piste map where El Tarter is. The good thing about Soldeu/El Tarter is that you can ski right from the highest point of the mountains to the lowest point on easy runs, with plenty of variations. I seem to remember Blue 8 was such a run, but it's a while since I was there. There's not a lot in the village of El Tarter tbh, one bar I think, but the Nordic is a great hotel. Outside the Nordic you have a chairlift and a gondola to get up the mountain. I seem to remember the chairlift is the best way up the mountain in the morning as it has less of a queue, expecially on the first day. The mountain restaurants tend to be fairly reasonable (not nearly as cheap as before the Euro came in though!) but my lunch recommendation is the Hotel Brussels in Soldeu. It's in the main street, about 100m down from the gondola on the left hand side. You can't ski to it, but it's only a couple of minutes downhill from the main telecabin.
hope this helps
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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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Hi
Bi gtnaks for info.
Will print off and take with us for reference.
Paul
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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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Depending on where you've skied blues/reds before, you will probably be surprised at how easy some of the reds and blacks are in Andorra - we came down a black at high speed and laughed our way down it - in other resorts we've been too scared to attempt many of them.
The food on the mountain was the most reasonable we've found, a few details of where we ate etc here, apologies for the rather negative feedback on Neilson and the Hotel Nordic: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=1470936
Please tell me you're not in El Tarter at the Hotel Nordic...
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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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Hi
Thanks for the reply will keep handy for food purposes.
We are actually at the Aparthotel del clos which is linked to the Nordic for our Meals!
Usually we dont need the reps for much so hoping that is the case this time. We have been to Val thorens with Neilson and found that OK. Fingers crossed.
Looking forward to getting out on the slopes.
Anyone know of a downloadable piste map to check out before the event?
Thanks again.
Paul
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The food wasn't bad, as long as you are into lots of carbs - pasta, chips or potato with everything, the range was decent enough, it just wasn't 4 star. We eat most things and always had something to go with, it was entirely acceptable.
Position wise it couldn't be much better - right next to the lift and in a fairly quiet location so no significant queueing in the morning. I can't remember ever being more than 3 or 4 people from the front, and later in the day you'd ski straight on.
El Tarter Piste map here: http://www.ski-finder.co.uk/pistemap/El-Tarter/
Grandvalira Piste map here: http://www.powdertravel.com/resort_trail_map/grandvalira%20soldeu%20Ski%20Resort%20Map.htm
If you PM me your address, we probably have a couple of piste maps in various pockets that I can send if you really really want to get one in advance.
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Big thanks for you replies Monium
I like to get as much info as possible before I get there that allows me more time on the slopes and helps with finding places to eat etc. preferable the trial and error method.
I`m a bit of a map freak as I enjoy walking and climbing so I have a habit of studying maps before I got out on the hills. This has crossed over to skiing and I like to check out as many runs as possible while at home and list the ones I fancy. Sounds sad but thats just me.
If you do have a map to hand that would be great I will PM you and refund any postage charges. If you cant find one dont worry.
Thanks again for quality info.
Paul
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It's a shame Monium didn't like the Nordic. I found it excellent, but that was a few years ago now. We were also staying in the ApartHotel Del Clos having meals in the Nordic. (We got a very good deal with Panorama actually, the flight to Toulouse was full so they let us have 2 apartments for the price of 1!)
Sorry, to disagree with Momium again, but I always found the reds in Soldeu steeper than the ones I was skiing in Austria, although I will admit the blacks are pretty straight forward. If you can't do the reds, some of the blues are like motorways! Wide, smooth and very long. And hardly ever busy. The thing that my parents always go on about in Soldeu (or El Tarter) is there are no queues! With the exception of first morning on the Soldeu gondola perhaps. And it is a massive area to ski.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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First of all the Aparthotel del Clos is accross the main road and about 100m up a hill from the Nordic, but it is easy walking distance, take good Boot/shoes, it might be snowy. It will also be cold as the sun is low.
There are plenty of reasonably easy runs to keep you happy, despite what is said above there are also some blacks that will test even the best, but I'll agree that there are also some easy ones.
The frozen lake that you mention is Lac d'Pessons and is part of the Grau Roig area, great restruant but the snack bar is the same as the rest on the mountain. Well worth a trip and for blue/red skiers it is do-able best hot chocolate on the mountain. As has beeen said there is not much happening in El Tarter, there used to be a bar in the Hotel Alba but it closed for a season or so, not sure if the Mesquet bar still works. theses are on the same side of the main road as the del Clos but up the road a bit. Plenty of night life in Soldeu if the bus is running or Taxi.
Slight down side is that until the 6th Jan there will be lots of Spaniards around for whom FIS rules don't apply.
I'll be up there from the 15th until the 26th Dec, might stay a bit longer but accom is a problem. You will have fun.
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Dypcdiver, They are talking about the self catering (with virtually no crockery!) apartments that are next door to the nordic, you get to them via an underground passage. They are usually booked out by uk tour operators. Hotel del Clos is across the road.
paulmo101 Get in the queue for breakfast if you are in early ski school, when we stayed there it always opened rather late (8.00am)
There is a weird supermarket with very cheep booze down the road from the hotel with a cheap 4 story ski shop opposite (go through carpark and turn left down road, opposite direction to soldeu)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ditto what Dypcdiver, says about queues. I'm not sure we encountered any while we were out there (staying in Pas), even after a day or two when about 20 busloads of Portuguese students turned up, cleaned every shop out of hire equipment and filled every available bed in the town.
Runs I enjoyed - Serrat Pinos - wide open, not particularly difficut but always felt really good - some trees that you can have a play in too on the right hand side.
Serra de les Sollanelles, Sollanella and Riu de le Sollanelles - I can't remember which one of these in particular, but there's lots of options to go through little dips and jumps off to the side which are pretty safe (I've only a few weeks skiing experience). There's an Igloo bar at the bottom too which is nice to stop and have a drink too.
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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.
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Hi
Big thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply - all the info is very useful.
Cheers
Paul
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carroz, Ok, sorry I mixed it up with the Hotel del Clos, assumed it had turned into an Aparthotel  I did like the Rolls in the reception area of the Nordic when I stopped there to pick someone up.
There is another much smaller supermarket at the top end of the El Tarter village. The ski/clothing shop you mentioned has usually got some really good deals on skis and boots although some of the stock is previous years models, I picked up a pair of the previous years Movements Flames for €200.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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tomstickland, try the hotel roc, we stay there every year, its a 5 min wlak to the centre is warm clean and friendly, I ahven't stayed in the Austria but mt mate has and he says the roc is the better of the 2.
http://www.hotel-roc.com/hotel.php
email nick there and see if he has dates available they do B&B of half board
regards
jason
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