El Pas de la Casa is a
skiSkiing is a group of sports using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
resortA resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company. Such a self-contained resort attempts to provide for most of a vacationer's wants while remaining on...
(part of the Grandvalira resort), town, and mountain pass in
AndorraAndorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of ...
, lying on the border with
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. Literally "the pass of the house", the pass marks the
watershedA drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...
of the
PyreneesThe Pyrenees are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain...
and at an elevation of 2408 m, is one of the highest points on the European road network. The pass is bypassed by the Envalira
tunnelA tunnel is an underground passageway. The definition of what constitutes a tunnel is not universally agreed upon. However, in general tunnels are at least twice as long as they are wide. In addition, they should be completely enclosed on all sides, save for the openings at each end...
.
The ski resort of Pas de la Casa sits below the pass on the side closest to France, and below the Pic d'Envalira (2827 m).
El Pas de la Casa is a
skiSkiing is a group of sports using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
resortA resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company. Such a self-contained resort attempts to provide for most of a vacationer's wants while remaining on...
(part of the Grandvalira resort), town, and mountain pass in
AndorraAndorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of ...
, lying on the border with
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. Literally "the pass of the house", the pass marks the
watershedA drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...
of the
PyreneesThe Pyrenees are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain...
and at an elevation of 2408 m, is one of the highest points on the European road network. The pass is bypassed by the Envalira
tunnelA tunnel is an underground passageway. The definition of what constitutes a tunnel is not universally agreed upon. However, in general tunnels are at least twice as long as they are wide. In addition, they should be completely enclosed on all sides, save for the openings at each end...
.
The ski resort of Pas de la Casa sits below the pass on the side closest to France, and below the Pic d'Envalira (2827 m). Its first
ski liftThe term ski lift can refer to many different types of uphill transport, in three main classes:-Lift systems and networks:The network lifts at a ski resort can be arranged in several patterns depending on the size and topography of the area. Several lifts may be arranged radially outward from a...
was opened in 1957 and currently it counts 31 lifts, 100 km of pistes and 6.26 km² of skiable terrain. The highest skiable point is 2640 m. Its popularity has grown with the burgeoning ski and
snowboardSnowboards are boards, which resemble a wide ski, with the ability to glide on snow. Users of such equipment may be referred to as snowboarders. Commercial snowboards generally require extra equipment such as bindings and special boots which help secure both feet of a snowboarder, who generally...
industry in the
principalityA principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
: it is the highest resort in Andorra, has the best snow record, and is the easiest to get to from
BarcelonaBarcelona is the capital, most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008. It is the 11th-most populous municipality in the European Union and sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris,...
or
ToulouseToulouse is a city in southwest France on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. With 1,102,882 inhabitants as of Jan...
airports. Consequently it attracts a large number of British and Irish winter sports enthusiasts, as well as French and Spanish. It is also favoured for its southern latitude and duty-free status, which for many overcome the drawbacks of the long airport transfer times and brazen modernity of the place.
The nightlife is particularly youth-oriented, and a prevalence of red pistes perhaps makes the skiing more suited to intermediates than beginners or the most advanced.
A recent lift link to
SoldeuSoldeu is a town in the parish of Canillo, Andorra.It comes alive in the winter months as a skiing town. The skiing is on the Grandvalira ski resort, the largest in the Pyrenees with 193 km of runs. According to The Sunday Times, Soldeu is one of the three best budget skiing resorts in Europe...
via
Grau RoigGrau Roig is a village in Andorra, located in the parish of Encamp. The nearest major settlement is Pas de la Casa, to the east on the border with France....
has created a linked skiing area ranging over almost 10% of Andorra's land area, though not all is skiable.
The fiesta of Saint Peter (Catalan:
festa major de Sant Pere) is held annually on 29 June.
A secessionist movement based at Pas de la Casa has a very limited local support. The Front Envaliran de Libération, [F.E.L.], proposes a state in association with
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. The F.E.L. is not recognized by the Andorran authorities, or by
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, or any other country. Such limited support as it commands locally revolves mainly around local perceptions of administrative shortcomings and the area's relative geographical and linguistic isolation from the rest of
AndorraAndorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of ...
: French is particularly widely spoken. [See 'External link', below.]
See also
- Vallnord Pal-Arinsal Ordino-Arcalis
Vallnord is a ski/snowboard resort in the Pyrenees mountains in the country of Andorra.It encompasses the linked sectors of Pal and Arinsal and the Ordino-Arcalis sector some kilometres away.All the separate sectors within Vallnord contain green, blue, red and black rated runs as well as...
External links