Skiing, Spanish-style

There's no queue when my wife and I get in the cable car to take us up the mountain, which makes a pleasant change from our experience of other European ski resorts. But then, not many tourists think of coming to Spain for their skiing holidays.

Although the Spanish Pyrenees many not have the kudos of the Alps resorts of France, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria, that is also one of its advantages, for it remains pretty much off the radar of the package holiday firms. Instead, the slopes are almost wholly for the locals.

The largest of the string of resorts that run along Spain's border with France is Alp 2500, just a two-hour drive north from the mild Mediterranean climes of Barcelona. Strictly speaking, it is two resorts -- La Molina and Masella -- occupying adjacent pine-clad valleys which have been linked by lifts to form a combined ski area of 68 runs, totaling 67 miles of pistes.

We like the two-star Hotel Solineu in La Molina village, a leisurely five-minute walk from the cable car station. Though basic, the rooms are clean and comfortable, and the eat-as-much-as-you-like dinner in the restaurant is a definite hit after an appetite-inducing day on the slopes. While more stars and lower prices can be found in the hotels in and around the town of Puigcerdà at the base of the mountain, the half-board daily rate of $205 per couple -- which includes our ski passes for the La Molina valley -- is still good value in comparison to rival European and North American resorts.

Up on the slopes there is plenty to entice us too. Both Alp 2500 resorts offer a good range of pistes that will test all skill levels, from beginners to advanced. There are also the additional attractions of a cross-country circuit, dog-sledge track, and quad bike area around the winter-wonderland setting of la Molina's lake. Alp 2500 boasts a good snow record, too, with more than 600 artificial snow cannons on standby in case of any shortfall. But keep it quiet-- these empty lifts are just the way I like them.

If you haven't yet planned this year's skiing holiday, details of the Alp 2500 resorts can be found at websites: www.lamolina.com and www.masella.com. For bookings: La Molina, tel. (34)972-89-2031; e-mail: [email protected]; for Masella, tel. (34)972-89-2031; e-mail: [email protected].

Paul Allen
For International Living