Apart from the 707 skiable hectares that contain 42 pistes totalling 63km which are accessed using 30 different ski lifts, Vallnord has made several improvements for the 2006/07 ski season.
Seeing as though a high percentage of Arinsal's visitors are beginners or lower intermediate skiers, Vallnord has once again made improvements to the beginners slopes by increasing their size (but not their gradient!) as well as adding a second conveyor belt. Much easier to use than a chair lift or a button lift, you just stand on these conveyor belts and you get taken to the top of the nursery slopes; much more civilised than side-stepping up the hill!
Also, new snow canons replace the older ones making them more efficient at doing what they do best; making snow. Exactly how the restaurants in all of Vallnord's 3 sectors have been improved isn't yet clear (not until they open anyway), any and all improvements are always welcomed.
For those who are not restricted by lessons or those want to cram in as much as possible to their day, one of the quickest and probably most exhilarating ways to get to Arcalís is by helicopter! Although not cheap, a return flight to possibly one of the best all-round skiing areas in the Principality awaits you, sandwiched between G-force and a bird's eye view of the north western quarter of Andorra.
Easily accessible by the 50-person cable car, the Pal sector also offers motorised thrills, including snow mobiles and skidoos for both big kids and the little ones or sightseeing helicopter flights over Arinsal and Pal sectors.
Far more energetic, and far more environment-friendly, you have ski bikes, huskie-pulled sled rides or walks with snow shoes to access some of the more inaccessible parts of the Seturia valley.
All have been chosen to make use of Andorra/'s natural resources, and to help you to see them! But these arent the only additional activities available. Theres more&
Après-ski in Arinsal village is possibly the liveliest in Andorra with a selection of restaurants and bars catering for all tastes in both music and food.
From the centre of Arinsal, a gondola whisks you up to the slopes in 4 minutes. In recent years there has been some extensive development including new snow-making equipment, but most importantly, there is the high speed 'telefèric' link from Arinsal to the Pal slopes and back, taking 7 minutes per journey.
The combined resort now has a pisted area of over 64Kms of great skiing! The Arinsal sector of the combined station has the largest vertical drop of just over 1,000m (3,300ft) and stands in the shadow of Andorra´s highest mountain peak - 'Coma Pedrosa' which is 2,842m (9,708ft).
The resort retains its particular attraction as a family skiing and snowboarding centre. The lift passes which are valid for Arinsal, Pal and Arcalís (reckoned by many experts to be Andorra's most testing skiing) at no extra cost!
