Almost no vehicles meet us on the way from Baqueira-Beret in the Spanish part of the Pyrenees to Andorra. After two hours of constant ups and downs on the narrow roads over the Port de Bonaigua and the El Cantó Pass, the sea of lights of the duty-free shopping nirvana of Andorra shines out of the darkness deep below us.
As if we had been beamed into another world from one second to the next, we cross the border of the dwarf state. The largest of the six European dwarf states is a shopping paradise. One shopping center follows the next and in Andorra Vella we almost feel like we're in Manhattan. Except that the mountains all around tower up to 2900 meters into the sky.
The Hotel Rutllan in the village of Massana is quickly found. The clientele could hardly better represent the two sides of Andorra: Sporty older men who want to ski again, accompanied by ladies in tiger looks who have obviously come here mainly to store.
Vallnord is considered the freeride area of Andorra. Strictly speaking, it is mainly the Secteur Arcalis, which offers gullies, cliffs and steep slopes. We start the day at L'Abarsetar chairlift, which starts right at the parking lot. The sparse forest on the slopes of the Pic de l'Hortell is perfect for treeskiing action. Freeriders from Andorra, Spain and France meet here, especially when there is fresh snow and visibility is poor.
The hill of Les Portelles is the center of the Secteur Arcalis. We quickly put on our skis and climb a good 100 meters to reach the gullies on the Pic d'Arcalis. Unfortunately, we don't find any more powder. Two weeks have now passed since the last snowfall. Nevertheless, the conditions in Arcalis are quite good. Arcalis is considered a snow hole, where twice as much white gold often falls from the sky as in the neighboring valleys.
Frozen snow and small chunks of ice come loose with every jump and yet, even in these conditions, a shady couloir like this can be great fun.
The Creussans chair leads up to Cota, the highest point in the ski area at 2625 meters. The slopes at the Creussans lift are considered a pure freeride area: there are no groomed slopes here. Now, around midday, the snow on the sunny slopes has already turned to firn. We quickly make two or three runs before the snow becomes too soft.
Around 2 p.m., we turn our attention to the even more pleasant side of Arcalis. The piste restaurant in La Coma is known for its Andorran specialties. And we are amazed when the cheese fondue is served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread instead of a fondue pot. Of course, after such a feast, we choose the direct route to the parking lot.
On our second morning in Andorra, we leave the car in the hotel garage. Directly opposite the hotel, on the third floor of a townhouse, is the valley station of the La Massana gondola. From here, we head up to the Secteur Pal, which together with the Secteur Arinsal forms the second part of Vallnord.
The mountains in these two sectors are no longer as rugged as those around Arcalis. Nico, an Andorra local, is happy to show us around the ski area. Freeriders will find extensive treeruns, especially on the slopes of the Pic del Cubil. As most off-piste skiers are drawn to Arcalis, the slopes on Cubil are rarely used.
A large gondola takes us over to the Arinsal area. Similar to yesterday in Arcalis, there is also a small freeride area at Pic de La Capa. After a few hours on skis, we finally take a seat on the sun terrace and relax in the sun with the first piste caipirina of our lives.