Ski guide for beginners in Grandvalira

Welcome to our Ski Guide for Beginners in Grandvalira

Are you thinking of learning to ski and want a ski resort where you can slide down wide and long slopes? Then you've come to the perfect place: The Grandvalira Beginner's Ski Guide. In this ski resort you will learn to ski and enjoy a multitude of green and blue slopes.

In this section of our website we will explain everything you need to know to get started in snow sports in this Andorran winter resort.

✅ Our advice before booking your ski holiday in Grandvalira

✅ Ski and snowboard equipment for beginners

✅ Ski schools for beginners

✅ The best slopes for beginners in Grandvalira

✅ Recommended hotels and apartments

✅ And now, what's the best way to learn to ski in Grandvalira?

❄ Our advice before booking your ski holiday in Grandvalira ❄

Before starting any ski holiday, it is important to check the weather forecast for the dates you want to travel. On Esquiades.com you will find all this information in one place and about all the ski resorts that we offer. In this case you will have to check the weather in Grandvalira .

In addition to the weather forecast, it is also important to know how many beginner slopes are open at the ski resort. To do this, you can access the our report of Grandvalira ski slopes and check the number of open green and blue slopes.

You should know that if it is the first time you step on the snow , these slopes will be the most suitable for your level, since they are wide and have little incline. In addition, as we will explain later, some of the ski areas of Grandvalira also have areas specially designed for beginners.

Finally, remember that you must bring all the necessary equipment for your ski holiday. Snow clothes, a hat or sunscreen are some of the essentials you need to pack for your ski holiday. However, if you do not have this equipment , you can always rent it during the booking process , so you do not have to worry.

❄ Ski and snowboard equipment for beginners ❄

Surely, one of the first things you ask yourself when you go skiing to Grandvalira for the first time is: “ Do I have the necessary equipment to go skiing for the first time? "

If you need help, Download our checklist so you can make sure you are packing everything you need! 

It's highly possible that you don't have your own equipment (unless a family member or friend leaves it for you), but if that is not your case, you will have to rent it and on Esquiades.com we have loads of options for you.

During the booking process, once you have selected your ideal accommodation, you can add various other services related to ski or snowboard equipment. In this step, you can add the complete ski equipment (boots, poles and skis) or snowboard (board and boots) , or only the boots if you already have the rest of the other services.

In addition, you can choose the same equipment in different ranges (bronze, silver and gold).

Do not complicate here, because if it is the first time that you go to the snow with a rental of bronze equipment , you have plenty to slide through the snow for days.

The only difference is the age of the equipment , but the quality is the same in all. In fact, there are skiers and snowboarders with intermediate or advanced level who continue to rent the bronze range equipment.

❄ Ski schools for beginners ❄

As a first-time skier or snowboarder, we highly recommend you to book lessons and take your first slides down the slopes with a professional. Grandvalira has an excellent team of ski and snowboard instructors spread across different ski and snowboard schools in the ski resort.

On Esquiades.com we like to make thing easy and super convenient for you! You can include ski and snowboard lesson in your booking at an excellent price as we have some very exclusive discounts for our customers. 

During the booking process you can add:

• ❄ 3-day group lessons (Monday to Wednesday)
• ❄ Group lessons of 4 days (Monday to Thursday)
• ❄ Group lessons of 5 days (Monday to Friday)
• ❄ Private lessons of 2 hours (for any day)
• ❄ Private lessons of 6 hours (for any day)
• ❄ Top Class

As you can see, whatever you are looking for, you'll definitely find a program that will suit you perfectly. And you can also do them in any ski area of Grandvalira.

You will not regret it and you will enjoy skiing while you learn!

❄ I want to learn to ski. What are the best slopes in Grandvalira for beginners? ❄

To get an idea of how the Grandvalira resort is distributed, imagine a 25 km road that goes from the capital of the Principality (Andorra la Vella) to the border with France (Pas de la Casa). Along this road, there are the different ski areas into which the ski resort is divided.

❄ The first and the closest to the capital is the town of Encamp . From the town you can access the slopes of the ski area with the same name by means of the Funicamp funicular (free with the pass). The ride on the cable-car takes about 15 minutes and is quite an experience.

❄ Continuing north you will find the ski areas of Canillo, El Tarter, Soldeu, Grau Roig and finally, Pas de la Casa , the farthest ski area from Andorra la Vella and right on the border with France.

❄ The difficulty level of the Grandvalira ski areas increases as we move north , but the truth is that all of them have easy-level ski slopes (green and blue). Next, we are going to explain the pros and cons of each ski area for those who are new to skiing or snowboarding.

1. Encamp slopes for beginners

Staying in one of the ski hotels located in the town of Encamp is a good option for skiing in Grandvalira. In addition, you will be able to try the experience of getting on the longest funicular in Europe, the Funicamp (included in the price of your pass), which crosses a large part of the Grandvalira valleys until it reaches the slopes of the Soldeu ski area, right in the middle from the Grandvalira resort.

It is very important that you know that, if you take the Funicamp and want to learn to ski on your own , or if you are accompanied by people with more experience than you, the funicular leaves you at the top of the Soldeu area, at the level of 2,500 , where there are few tracks for beginners . In this area there is a conveyor belt, but we do not recommend it if you have never skied before, because it leads to a blue track that has a slightly higher difficulty than normal. On the other hand, if you want, you can practice in the beginners' area, but it may quickly become too small for you.

We recommend ...

For this reason we recommend that you hire ski or snowboard lessons in Encamp for beginners. The instructors will guide you to the areas indicated for your initiation and you will be able to progress more quickly and learn the technique correctly.

Finally, it should be noted that this ski area is the closest to the capital Andorra la Vella and, after a fun day in the snow, many skiers take the opportunity to go to the commercial area of Escaldes-Engordany to go shopping or relax in the thermal centre. Caldea .

2. Canillo slopes for beginners

The Canillo ski area has 2 tapes for beginners and 3 short green tracks. If what you are looking for is to take the first steps in skiing or snowboarding and you are going to be a few days, this ski area has everything you need to get started.

However, if you plan to spend many days in the snow, it is possible that the green and blue slopes that it has are not enough to carry out an adequate progression and you will have to connect with other ski areas to find more blue slopes.

In addition, it is important to bear in mind that Canillo is the only area of Grandvalira where it is not possible to book lessons . Therefore, if you are very interested in learning with a instructor, we recommend that you choose another ski area.

Our perfect route to learn to ski in Canillo

Next, we leave you a small beginner's route that you can try to do during your ski holiday in Canillo.

Start by practicing the descent with your skis or snowboard on the green slopes that are in the area for beginners. Little by little, these will fall short. It is important to bear in mind that the Canillo ski area has narrow blue runs . For this reason, if you want to continue progressing, it is better that you move to the neighboring ski area of El Tarter, although for this you have to take a total of four chair lifts.

There you will find wider blue tracks, where you can go down without fear of falling down the slopes of the track.

If, on the other hand, you already have a higher level or have ever gone skiing, you can go up from Canillo to Portella (height of 2,465 m) using the TSD4 chairlift. From there, go down the Rossinyol blue run, which is quite long and, despite being somewhat narrower, with a little level you can go down well.

3. Tracks for beginners in El Tarter

El Tarter is one of the ski areas of Grandvalira with the most number of green and blue runs available . It has children's slopes and many low-level slopes to learn to ski progressively. Therefore, it is ideal to start snow sports, especially if you are going to ski with children who are learning how to ski.

El Tarter is linked by chairlifts to three of the seven ski areas that make up the Grandvalira resort: Soldeu, Grau Roig and Canillo. In this way, when you have finished skiing on the beginner slopes in El Tarter, you can easily move to another ski area.

The hotels and apartments in El Tarter are located in the same town, from where you can use the TSD4 chairlift or the TC10 funicular to go up to the slopes, located in Riba Escorxada (elevation 2,100 m).

In addition, we inform you that in El Tarter we have quite a few hotels and apartments located very close to the slopes , so on many occasions you will be able to leave your room with your boots on.

It should be noted that this ski area has a ski school. In this way, if you want to take your first steps hand in hand with professionals, here you will have the opportunity to do so.

For your convenience, during the booking process on our website you can easily add group lessons for any of the Grandvalira ski areas (except Canillo). Also, since you are booking a hotel + Ski Pass ski holiday package , if you add ski or snowboard lessons, they will be much cheaper than if you book them separately.

Our perfect route to learn to ski in El Tarter

From Esquiades.com we propose an easy route for your initiation into snow sports in El Tarter. We recommend that you first practice at the Riba Escorxada level , which has a good initiation area . You can start with the green slopes Jardí de Riba and Riba I and then you can continue along the blue slope Pi de Migdia . This area has two chair lifts, a ski lift and a ribbon for beginners.

If you see that these three fall short, you can go up the TSD6 Tosa Espiolets chairlift and go down the blue track called “Esquirol” to the starting point.

4. Soldeu slopes for beginners

The Soldeu ski area is another recommended option for beginner skiers, since it has several wide and easy slopes. If you are staying in the town of Soldeu, you can take either of the two cable cars that connect the town with Espiolets (elevation of 2,500 m). Here you will find a large area for beginners with several cable trailers and a treadmill.

Soldeu also has a school to get started in winter sports, so if you want, you can book lessons and enjoy learning to ski or snowboard. If, on the other hand, you decide to learn on your own, we recommend taking a short beginner's route that you will find below.

You also have to know that in Soldeu we have several hotels and apartments located right directly on the slopes , so at the end of the day you can ski down to the door of your accommodation.

Example of a route to learn to ski in Soldeu

After gaining confidence going down the green slopes of the beginners area, you can head towards the blue Astoret slope . This track is very wide and you can go down it with less difficulty than other blue tracks. You will reach the TSD6 chairlift, through which you can go up to the beginning of the Gall de Bosc slope , which is a good option to go practicing.

At the end of your day in the snow, you can get together with the rest of your friends and go down together to Soldeu along the blue Ós and Bosc Fosc slopes , which are somewhat narrower and will help you improve your level.

5. Peretol slopes for beginners

The Peretol ski area has been created very recently and it is important that you know that you will not be able to access it by road. That is, to get to Peretol , you can do it skiing, or if you are staying in one of the hotels near this ski area.

El Peretol is one of the smallest ski areas of the Grandvalira ski resort and in it you will find two cable cars that give access to very short green slopes and a chairlift that will take you up to the upper area of Soldeu (Cortals), although you don't recommend it if it's your first time skiing , since you will only have access to blue and red slopes.

Do you know that in Peretol you can ski at night? One of the cable cars that give access to a green slope, opens from 4:00 p.m. to 9 pm., so if you want to live the experience of skiing at night, this is your chance. In addition, it is free with your Grandvalira ski pass. Actually, on this track there is a snowpark, but if you are learning and do not want to venture jumping, you can calmly go down the green slope.

6. Grau Roig slopes for beginners

The Grau Roig ski area is the only one that does not have accommodation near the slopes . Therefore, this ski area can only be accessed by road, or by skiing from the rest of the Grandvalira ski areas. This is a factor to take into account, in case you are not willing to take the car to go to the slopes.

At the foot of the Grau Roig slopes, you will find a small area for beginners with two cable trailers and a treadmill.. In addition, nearby there is a green track and several blue ones. Grau Roig is a good option if you have already started skiing and want to continue practicing on the blue slopes, which can be reached via the TSF4 Xavi chair lift or the TSD6 Coma Blanca chair lift.

Also, if you prefer, you can take lessons and take your first steps in the snow with the teachers of the Grau Roig ski school . And once you have started, continue practicing your technique on the slopes of this ski area.

In case of traveling with people who have a higher level, the ski area has several red and black runs. Thus, they can ski at a higher level, while you practice in the area for beginners.