Mention the words skiing, and Barcelona in a sentence and people will look at you like you have gone off your trolley. Located on Spain’s sunny Mediterranean coast Barcelona is one of the last places on earth you would associate with skiing, water skiing OK but snow skiing no way! In fact skiing and Barcelona go perfect together with more than 27 ski resorts within a three hour drive of Barcelona airport in the Spanish, and French Pyrenees. Much less crowded and affordable than the resorts in the Alps the Spanish Pyrenees are the perfect choice for that weekend getaway to Barcelona where you can have a half day skiing up in the mountains while staying in the cosmopolitan Catalan capital.
All most all of the resorts are open by December in order to take advantage of the many Spanish public holidays leading up till Christmas. The closest, and oldest of Spain’s Pyrenean ski resorts is La Molina founded in 1911 it is the closest ski resort to the Mediterranean, and only an hour and a half’s drive from Barcelona’s outskirts with over 50 kilometres of downhill skiing available on 42 different pistes with 16 lifts able to transport 20,000 skiers an hour up to the ski stations. The resort itself sits at an altitude of 1,700 meters with the highest ski station at 2,445 meters guaranteeing snow all season, and for the lower elevations La Molina has over 400 snow making cannons to supplement the existing conditions. With ski runs to suit all abilities La Molina is the complete resort with beginners having a number of slopes in ever increasing levels of difficulty to learn on, to the pros black diamond runs, and other infrequently ventured trails between the trees to test your skills.
For Snowboarders La Molina is almost as good as it gets with the snowboarding world championships being held there in 2011 a brand new Snowpark was opened as good as anything in the United States comprising of boxes, rails,quarterpipes,and big air with its halfpipe the biggest in the Pyrenees. The Snowpark is incredibly large with plenty of room for freestylers to practice their new moves.
Getting to La Molina is easy even if you do not have a car. Driving from Barcelona International Airport will take around two hours and cost 17.70 in tunnel, and tolls. Click on the link for driving directions from the Airport.
By train
Plaza Catalunya train station where you can by a one-day-pass for the “White Train” that includes round-trip train fare to la Molina and a bus between the station and resort for 42.50€ The train leaves Barcelona at 6:10 arriving in La Molina at 8:43 a journey of only two hours, and thirty three minutes. The train back to the city leaves at 17:50 arriving in Barcelona at 20:14.
By bus
You can also get to the slopes by taking the “SkiBus” that departs the Passaig Sant Joan at 6:30 returning to Barcelona at 16:00. A roundtrip ticket plus Ski pass costs 34€
Jack Crow is a travel writer who occasionaly writes about his travel and hobbies. He also recommends visiting outlet4spain rentals if you are looking for a perfect holiday accommodation in Spain.
