Snowboarding in andorra

seannash

Okay so we have 3 of us going snowboarding in andorra at the begining of march.
Ive never snowboarded in europe(only america) but I have all the gear.
The other 2 dont have anything.I know in resorts in america you can hire out absolutely everything(boards,boots and outerwear)
Is there anywhere that hires out all of the above or should we simply organise that before hand.
Also were trying to go on the cheap(who isn't) so were looking at hotels that arent too close to the lifts.Is it tricky to get to the slopes from the main towns.
Should we just bite the bullet and get a hotel in a ski resort?

neilthefunkeone

Hey Seannash, I'm off to Andorra my self on Sunday.. Went on my first trip there 7 years ago so looking forward to going back!

Firstly you will have no problem renting equipment in any of the villages.. I know in Pas de la casa nearly every hotel/ apartment block has a rental shop! You can obviously book in advance so you are guaranteed equipment when you arrive but I'm sure all shops will have plenty of stock!!

I have only ever stayed in Pas de la Casa, Its part of the Grandvaleria range.. Its made up of 6 towns/sections(Pas de la Casa being the biggest and liveliest!)

Pas de la Casa has some steep sloping streets but the furthest accomidation will be no more that 5 minutes walk from a lift.. And closer for the smaller towns!

There are other areas like Arinsal but i only boarded there for one day and didnt get a good look around the town..

Hope this helps... Cant wait for sunday.. 60cm dropped in last 3 days.. slopes are looking good!!!

flikflak

The other two will need to get their own clothing. If you have been a few times then you can tell them what they need to pick up (gloves, socks, thermals, outerwear - that kind of thing)

seannash

Thanks guys
I think were gonna go to La Massana because I wanted them to be close to LaVella incase they absolutely hate snowboarding(How could they I hear you cry)

Thinking of staying here

http://globaltrips.lastminute.com/trips/productDetailsInternal?pTxId=2407504&roomOptions=true&checkInDate=2012-03-01&checkOutDate=2012-03-06&guestCounts=3&tabId=photos&guestCodes=ADULT&propertyIds=213066-0-2-EXT%3A281%24v1v%24&configId=S72722479&city=andorra&intcmp=opmtogt&fb_source=message&numRooms=1&numNights=5&dest=DEU&_gsid=S72722479-NE118089800010587843027830503232931320&path=hotels&isPriceFilterChanged=false&hotelRequestId=303312470594921#details-hotel-nav-information

Honestly not too bothered about the hotel just its proximity to the slopes and some nitelife so hopefully this'll be fine.would it be tricky to get taxi's to La Vella?

Also quick question about baggage.We're flying with Aerlingus.Whats there policy with boardbags?

Sorry for all the questions.Think we got the clothing sorted though

neilthefunkeone

You will have to pay extra to bring a board bag.. unsure of the exact cost, double check their site..

travelbug82

Hi seannash,

Just reading the post and replies now...as there are two of us heading to Andorra on January 1st/2nd. Finding it all a bit over whelming as its our first time doing ski trip. Was wondering how you got on. Did you get lessons, how did the ski pass work, what about equipment rental and outer clothes etc.

Any info you can throw my way is greatly appreciated.

PS did you travel from Barcelona (thats what we are doing).

seannash

travelbug82 wrote: »

Hi seannash,

Just reading the post and replies now...as there are two of us heading to Andorra on January 1st/2nd. Finding it all a bit over whelming as its our first time doing ski trip. Was wondering how you got on. Did you get lessons, how did the ski pass work, what about equipment rental and outer clothes etc.

Any info you can throw my way is greatly appreciated.

PS did you travel from Barcelona (thats what we are doing).

Hey,I'll try my best to remember as much as I can but Ive a terrible memory

Yes we flew into Barcelona and got a bus directly to the centre of Pas del la Cas.It was a simple enough transfer,we just hopped on the bus directly in the designated bus area in the airport.
It is a bit of an expense though so be warned,Probably about 100euros return(Can remember how much exactly but I remember thinking it would be cheaper to hire a car)We used a company called Novatel and they were grand.

One thing if you do get a bus transfer to your hotel make sure you leave plenty of time for your return leg.The bus trip took 4hrs so factor that in when your looking at your return flight as the buses out are scarce enough and only go at certain time.

As for clothing my friends just rented in Ireland and got the equipment over there.Probably best to bring an extra set of gloves(As waterproof as you can get)and also thick socks.Rental was pretty cheap.

As for the ski lift pass,because I wasnt sure how interestd the other guys would be about hitting the slopes every day,we kept on getting daily tickets which was definetly the wrong way to do things so just get the week ticket and be done with it(That is if your going for a week)

If money is tight you could opt for the child pass(Although obviously this is against the rules)We did this on our final day as we were broke but the end of it,We had no real problems with it especially as the two other fellas with me stayed on the bunny slopes and one blue slope the whole time.

Okay so food and drink
Drink in the bars was the same as here.So we just bought cans and drank in the hotel.Booze in the off licence was dirt cheap.
Food was alright,not amazingly cheap but if you looked you could find value for money but again not as cheap as I had read about.

We stayed in Pas de La Cas the whole time and i worked out great.
Granted we went very late in the season but its was still busy on the slopes but not busy at night,but we were fine with that.

If you go to Pas de La Cas I suggest you go to the slope farthest away from the main set of chair lifts as there are much less people on them compared to the one in the middle(Its where the bunny slope is and the kids ski school).Its a little bit of a hike up the steep street but its worth it to have a bit of room,Plus there's a little area with jumps and rails that you can watch people do as you go up the chair lift(I got taken out of it twice by skiiers who were out of control and came crashing into me from behind on the main area)

It was a good trip but it was a bit more expensive than I planned for but not bad overall.
My friends got lessons,you book them in the same place you buy the lit tickets.If you can book them in advance and try and get them for the first day.

Any other questions give me a shout:)

seannash

Oh also just to say,Pas de la Cas isn't very "Pretty"
Its not the image of wooden chalets and pine trees you might see in the films.Its purpose built for skiing/snowboarding so if you get sick of skiing there isnt alot more to do really

The other resorts I cant comment on unfortunately

We stayed in the K2 apt.
They werent pretty bu it was 3 lads so we didnt really care about how they looked.The accomodation was grand.they had a space heater for the whole room so we just kept that going all day when we were out and it did the trick.
It was seriously cheap and did the job but if I was bringing my girlfriend there I wouldnt stay in it