It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that due to its amazing architecture and great beaches, that Barcelona is often overlooked as being the perfect place to go for a spot of skiing. However if you paid careful attention at school during your geography lessons you will know that the capital of Catalan is only a located a couple of hours drive away from some of the best ski resorts in Europe.
The Pyrenean Mountain range that acts as a border between Spain and France and which sometimes is visited during the world’s most strenuous cycling event (Le Tour de France) provides skiers with the chance to enjoy their favourite past time from the end of November through to about the end of April every year.
There are more than 20 places to ski that can be reached by car and all are no more than 2 to 3 hours away from the heart of Barcelona. The closest ski resorts to the city are those of La Molina, Port del Comte and La Masella, all of which are located just 2 hours away by either car or train. However if you want to try your luck on some ski slopes that are a little more challenging then of course why not head to resorts like Vallnord or Grand Valira which aren’t much further on from those already mentioned.
Baqueira-Beret Resort
However if you are willing to travel on a little further then the resort of Baqueira-Beret can be found at just over 4 hours away by car. Not only does this particular resort offer you some of the best skiing in this part of Europe, but also some of the best snowboarding as well. This is because unlike other resorts this one covers over 4,700 acres divided between 6 peaks and is served by 33 lifts.
One of the biggest advantages of choosing to come and ski in this part of Europe is you often find that the slopes tend to be a lot less crowded. Certainly if you are someone who wants to be on the slopes as soon as you can rather than having to queue for lifts each morning then these are the perfect ski resorts to visit.
Although the Pyrenean Mountains aren’t as tall as the Alps, meaning that they get less snow, this problem is dealt with through the fact that each resort has snow cannons on the pistes. So even if mother nature has chosen not to provide enough snow one weekend, you will still be able to get your fix.
As all the ski resorts in Spain including those close to Barcelona are managed by the Real Federación Espanola de Deportes de Invierno, they ensure that any skier in Spain complies with the rules and regulations relating to conduct on the mountains set out by the FIS (Fédération Internationale de Ski). This then helps to ensure that your time on the slopes is as enjoyable as possible.
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