Skiing in Pas De La Casa
Pas de la Casa is the northeasternmost point on the Grandvalira and one of six village resorts – Pas de la Casa, Grau Roig, Soldeu, El Tarter, Canillo and Encamp – now connected by means of a common lift pass.
Pas De La Casa Ski Area Overview
Already the chairlift TSD6 Estanay heads east out of Pas de la Casa into France and the addition of Porte des Neiges across the French border into this 193 km sequence of runs is anticipated soon.
Skiing in Pas de la Casa begins at TSF4 Solana from the top of which it is possible to get to all the other runs in the Grandvalira. If you get to the end and don’t want to ski back, there’s a free ski bus from any point on the Grandvalira back to Pas de la Casa – the bus displays the word “Grandvalira” so you don’t mistake it for the local village transport.
All ski lifts have both a numeric code and a name noted in upper case on the ski map while the ski pistes themselves just have names some of which sound curious to Anglophones “clot”, “muflo”. “llop”, “cucut”, “fagina” and “tubs”) but you quickly get used to them.
From Pas de la Casa you can ski over the Coll Blanc (2,528m) into Grau Roig and back again. Grau Roig is not the most exciting place in the world – it’s one hotel and a car park – but you can eat there and if you plan your route cleverly you can take in the two freestyle areas known as “portella” at the top of the button lift Coma Bianca III.
Beginner Skiing in Pas De La Casa
The Grandvalira region has a total of 18 green runs and 38 blue.
There are three gentle “beginner zones” just outside Pas de la Casa making it perhaps the most beginner-friendly of all the villages. Taking the TSD 6 Estanay into France brings you to Abellettes where there are two beginner zones. There’s a small beginners’ area with a button lift just across the L’Ariege stream, which officially divides Andorra and France.
Getting across the Coll Blanc and down into Grau Roig is possible for adventurous beginners if you take the TSF4 Solana lift followed by the TSF4 Costa Rodona and then take the “pastora” blue run down to Grau. There’s a great sense of achievement for beginners in having made it into the next valley. Unfortunately, there is no blue run back, but the Granvalira bus will return you or free on production of your ski pass.
Intermediate Skiing in Pas De La Casa
The Grandvalira region has a total of 38 blue runs and 32 red of which six red runs and four blue are in the Pas de la Casa/Porte des Neiges region.
The Grandvalira route is a central government initiative that gives skiers the option to pretty much traverse Andorra on a combination of red and blue runs from its northeast border to the very middle of the principality. The route needs improvement. At the moment you can get on a cable car at Encamp at the southern end of Grandvalira but you can’t ski back to it. The whole sequence is oriented towards Pas de la Casa and Soldeu with Pas being particularly good for intermediates.
Advanced Skiing in Pas De La Casa
The Grandvalira region has a total of 22 black runs of which 5 are in the Pas de la Casa/Porte des Neiges region.
There’s good off-piste skiing from Pic D’Encampadana but getting there is a challenge. From Tossal de la Lossada take the blue run Llosada to where the pistebasher will tow you across the saddle to the Pic D’Encampadana. Alternatively, take three lifts up from Canillo.
The off-piste runs converge at Riba Escorxada from which there is a snowshoe route down to El Forn where you can take the TSD4 Portella ski lift back up to Portella and ski down the blue run “daina” to start again.
If you fancy clocking up as much as 193km in a single day there’s the new Grandvalira tour itinerary which gives you the option to cover the whole resort from Pas de la Casa to El Forn and pretty much traverse Andorra from its northeast border to the very middle of the principality, but the route needs improvement.
At the moment you can get on a cable car at Encamp at the southern end of Grandvalira right up to Collada D’Enradort (2,447m) but can’t then ski back to Encamp – you have to ski down to El Tarter and get the Grandvalira bus back. The whole sequence is oriented towards Pas de la Casa and Soldeu.
Boarding & Freestyle Skiing in Pas De La Casa
There is a freestyle area at Snowpark Pas (the others are to be found at El Tarter, near Soldeu, and Grau Roig between Soldeu and Pas de la Casa.
At the top of the Coma Blanca II button lift there is a freestyle area around the “portatella” blue run and further down next to the blue “clot” run.
The “tubs” slope which runs back down into Pas de la Casa is also designated a freestyle area though this can lead to some congestion on one of the busiest slopes in Andorra. Across the border into France take the TSD6 Estanay up to Abelletes and descend the “amateur” blue run for the only freestyle zone in the French part of Grandvalira.
Pas De La Casa Mountain Restaurants
Grandvalira has codified its restaurants on the slopes into five categories:
Restaurants with Charm
Offer the best menus (international choices) with good views
Self Service Restaurants
Mid-price for salads, pizzas, basic fish and meat dishes
Fun Food
Least expensive for burgers, salads, sandwiches
Espress’Oh! Cafeterias
Coffee outlet offering breakfast in the mornings
Xirixucas
Usually, a small stone or wooden hut which you can ski up to and refuel without even taking your skis off.
Costa Rodona (376 800 870) comes into the Charm category and can be found at the base of the TSF4 Costa Rodona chairlift (the second leg of the ascent from Pas de la Casa). Built in the style of a mountain refuge it has fireplaces to warm up by and offers chargrilled meat dishes, escudells (ham, chicken and pork hot pot) and rice dishes. There is also a Self-Service outlet on the ground floor an Espress’oh! and a Xirixuca in this popular complex owned by the Grandvalira organisation.
There are also Xirixucas at Coll Blanc, Park Pas (at the start of the Snowpark) and Font Negre.