Historic investment by Grandvalira with 34.5 million for the new ski season

Grandvalira Resorts has made a millionaire investment for the new ski season.

Grandvalira Resorts has presented its new 2023-2024 ski season, which highlights the huge investment made this summer, amounting to 34.5 million euros, a record that doubles last year's spending:

Breakdown of the €34.5 million investment:

• 21.5 million to Grandvalira
• 11 million to Pal Arinsal
• 2 million to Ordino Arcalís

The season will start on December 1 and will last until April 7, weather permitting. The general manager of Grandvalira Resorts, Juan Ramón Moreno, explained the investments for this season and its novelties, as well as the growth plans foreseen for the coming years.

This will be the second season in which all the alpine ski resorts will be marketed under the Grandvalira Resorts company. The main investments have focused on new infrastructures and facilities, with a new chairlift in Pal Arinsal and the installation of another four-people chairlift in the El Tarter ski area of Grandvalira, where a new multifunctional building has also been built , as well as the optimization of the snowmaking system in all the resorts.

On the other hand, a new commitment has been made to diversify the offer with new experiences, an improvement of the restaurant services and the Ski and Snowboard School, and the commitment to sustainability has been further reinforced with the objectives of continuing to reduce CO2 emissions and increase the self-production of energy, among others. Moreno wanted to emphasize that:

"it is a historic investment, the highest in recent years, a sign of the efforts that we continue to put in the stations with the commitment to optimize resources and remain the reference of the Pyrenees and southern Europe".

Future investments and growth plan

Grandvalira Resorts have already approved two medium- and long-term growth plans for the domains, with an expected investment of 140 million euros in the coming years, a figure that does not include the investments made each season in the maintenance and improvement of the domains.

On the one hand, the ski union of Pal and Arinsal has started the first phase this winter with the new Port Negre chairlift, and from the 2024-2025 season it is expected that the ski union will be a reality with a new tele-ski and red and black runs. The link will add another 7 km of slopes in Pal Arinsal, bringing the total to 70 km.

In addition, between now and 2028, new green and blue slopes will be created in the Coll de la Botella area, which will become a new gateway to the resort with school and ticket office services. The amount to be invested in these projects will be 40 million euros.

On the other hand, the new SAETDE concession for the operation of the Pas de la Casa - Grau Roig slopes for the next 50 years , approved by the Encamp Comú, foresees an injection of 100 million euros with an investment plan that includes the expansion of the ski area towards the pic de Maià as the main challenge, together with important improvements directly on the slopes of the Pas de la Casa, Grau Roig and Encamp ski areas, and in sustainability measures.

News on slopes

The main novelty of the season in Grandvalira is the extension of the domain with a new skiable area in the Encampadana area of Canillo thanks to the installation of the Seig chairlift, which has allowed the creation of 3 new red runs that add 5 km more. Thus, Grandvalira now has a total of 215 km, 140 slopes for all levels, and 76 lifts, while Grandvalira Resorts grows to 308 skiable km. At the same time, a new snow center was opened in the same area, taking advantage of a nearby service building that increases the snowmaking capacity in the Canillo ski area.

The Pas de la Casa has the new multifunctional building Costa Rodona 2,222. It includes a new point of sale, a ski lockers room with 230 lockers, new rooms for ski clubs, a merchandising store and ski equipment rental, and a new car park area with 10 new chargers for electric vehicles.

Grandvalira's snowmaking network has also received a major boost, with the installation of 88 new snowmaking devices. One of the areas where special emphasis has been placed on the Pla de les Pedres area, i.e. the linking area between the Soldeu and Grau Roig ski areas, a key point of the domain.

On the other hand, the construction of the ICÒNIC high altitude sports performance center, located in Port d'Envalira and within the ski area, is also noteworthy. At an altitude of 2,500 m and with capacity for 180 people, it is expected to open its doors in 2025 to become one of the reference centers in southern Europe for professional, federated and amateur athletes who want to prepare at altitude to improve their performance.

Likewise, the resort continues to strengthen the offer of alternative sports to alpine with a new ski mountaineering circuit and six new snowshoe circuits, with which Grandvalira expands the circuits of the respective disciplines by 5 km and 15 km, reaching 53 km of ski mountaineering circuits and 55 km of snowshoe circuits.

Grandvalira improves the connection in Pla de les Pedres while planning new runs in Pas de la Casa.

News at Pal Arinsal

The resort of Pal Arinsal has a long-awaited renovation this season, which means the first step in the piste connection of both ski areas: the renovation of the Port Negre chairlift, a 6-people detachable lift that considerably improves access to the upper and lower part of the Arinsal ski area.

The route will be longer than the previous one, starting right in front of El Niu restaurant and arriving at an altitude of 2,493 meters, closer to the cable car that connects to Pal, and will have a transport capacity of about 2,400 people per hour. Arinsal also has a new 700 m blue run , El Niu. In terms of snowmaking, Pal Arinsal has also made improvements to the network with 4 new snowmakers.

Also in Pal, the start of work on the new national heliport project to be located in the Caubella, which will bring great benefits to the resort once it is operational, in late 2025. The infrastructure will accommodate all the scenic and tourist flights of Andorra, bringing a large number of people closer to the slopes. It will also make it easier to connect skiers between Grandvalira Resorts' domains and open up the possibility of heli-skiing in any of Andorra's resorts.

What's new in Ordino Arcalís

In Ordino Arcalís, after the major transformation that began last year, the Planells beginners' area will be enlarged this year from 3,500 m2 to 6,000 m2 and will have a new variant piste. The Sala Màgic has also been improved, the lockers have been enlarged with more changing rooms and showers, and improvements have been made to the VIP car park lot, including 6 new chargers for electric vehicles with a capacity of 22 kW each.

To improve the efficiency of the terrain equipment and optimize resources, the resort has renewed the snow grooming equipment, as well as 18 new snowmaking machines. In addition, the Tristaina gondola lift has 6 new cabins to increase its transport capacity.

Ordino Arcalis improves the beginners' area and snow on the slopes is better guaranteed.

Sustainability and environment

Respect for the environment is a priority for which mountain resorts strive every day to cause the least impact, taking advantage of the resources needed but always with an attitude of respect and conservation. For more than two decades, Andorra's resorts have been working to be more sustainable and take care of the environment with large investments in projects to promote renewable energies, energy saving measures and self-production of energy, as well as optimization of snowfall with cultivated snow.

Grandvalira Resorts' initiatives fall into four lines of action:

• Energy self-production
• Reduction of CO2 emissions
• Innivation
• Sustainable hydrological planning

In terms of energy self-production, the Grandvalira Resorts ski resorts are working towards the goal of becoming self-sufficient in the coming years. Currently, they produce 25% of the energy they need throughout the year, with 100% self-sufficiency in Ordino Arcalís, 37% in Pal Arinsal and 6% in Grandvalira.

This has been possible thanks to the development of infrastructures such as the Ordino Arcalís mini-hydroelectric plant, inaugurated in 2016, the Pessons mini-hydroelectric plant, in operation since last season, or the Planell de la Tosa Solar Park, with 22,000 m2 of solar panels. Every year new photovoltaic panels are also installed on the roofs of the different buildings spread throughout the resorts, such as the Grau Roig ski school, the Funicamp, the Gall de Bosc restaurant, La Coma or the La Massana gondola lift, among others. This year the roof of the Soldeu machine car park and the Soldeu gondola lift building and the La Coma building in Ordino Arcalís have been added.

The aim is also to facilitate the use of renewable energies for resort users, with the installation each year of new recharging points for electric vehicles. Currently, Grandvalira Resorts have 65 chargers for electric vehicles directly on the slopes, with the 19 new units installed in the Pas de la Casa and Grau Roig ski areas of Grandvalira, for a total of 52 chargers in their car park lots, and the 6 new chargers installed in Ordino Arcalís.

The ski season in Andorra will start on December 1st.

See ski deals in Andorra