Ski resorts have become true leisure centers. Today we can enjoy the holidays in the snow with a lot of added values that make the trip a round experience. There are many plans but we tell you the most curious.
MUSHING IN THE ARAN VALLEY
It is one of the most fashionable activities in recent years. The mushing, or dog sledding route, It is spreading more and more in our country and is especially exciting in the privileged natural environment of the Aran Valley.
The ski resort Baqueira Beret has various sled routes pulled by Siberian huskies that include different options according to prices (and availability). The route through the Senda de los Osos or the Dossau forest makes us discover the beauty of snow in its purest form.
There are some routes that reach Montgarri, in the Lleida Pyrenees and that can even be done at night or include a dining experience at the refuge. And to raise adrenaline, you can do snowmobile ride.
Get your adrenaline pumping on a snowmobile.
SNOWCOOKING IN CERLER
They started in 2014 with the idea of merge skiing with a dining experience. And the success has been such that Guayente Cerler Snowcooking has all the places sold out year after another, being forced to open a waiting list.
The Guayente Hospitality School is the ally of the Cerler station in the Benasque Valley, in this experience that mix the descent in the snow with haute cuisine menus and tastings under the delicious shelter of Somontano wines. A delicious high altitude dinner, basically because it is made above 2000 meters of altitude. Also the experience closes with a night descent to the 1,500-meter height with torches, a luxury for somewhat more experienced skiers.
Cooking classes in the snow.
FROM SNOW TO SPA
Many of the ski resorts in our country have a hotel with a spa nearby for those seeking relaxation and disconnection. There are spa circuits found in villages lost in the snow like Llavorsí, in the Catalan Pyrenees, where the Ribeires spa hotel is located, which also includes a lot of activities such as quad routes, bungee jumping in the snow or horseback riding.
Raising the bar, we travel through the Arán Valley to discover in Lleida the spa Banhs of Tredos, a thermal paradise that has an outdoor pool of sulphurous waters that maintain the temperature while you swim surrounded by snow. If your destination is Sierra Nevada, in Monachil you can live this same experience at the HG Maribel, a spa hotel with all the unimaginable services and with the opportunity to go skiing directly from the hotel itself.
Spa hotel in Sierra Nevada.
DIVING UNDER THE ICE IN PANTICOSA
The Huesca Pyrenees is a real mine for those who seek adrenaline beyond the skis. One of the practices that is gaining more followers, mainly among lovers of strong emotions, is ice diving. In Panticosa you can find ice sea, one of the companies that are in charge of said activity, for both beginners and advanced divers.
The feeling of diving under the ice is simply indescribable, very dizzying and it is something that you have to experience once in your life if you are brave. All the necessary material and equipment is usually included in the proposal. Also, complete the experience with routes through Formigal, Astún or Candanchú. this same experience you can live in Vallnord (Andorra) and even in Madrid. That's because it works.
Diving under the ice.
TUBBING AND SEGWAY ON SNOW IN LA MOLINA
If there is a ski resort that offers thousands of alternatives to traditional skiing, that is possibly the resort of La Molina, in the Catalan Pyrenees. We have to move to Girona to find this small snowy paradise very prepared for those who opt for the more playful side of the snow.
Among all the plans offered by the Girona station, we are left with two. On one hand his circuit of tubing, or the possibility of launching yourself down huge icy slides on an inflatable donut (laughs are guaranteed). Secondly, ride a segway (previous training) through the snowy forest trails that surrounds the station and delight instagram from a ecological and sustainable means of locomotion. And all of them with more than affordable prices.
La Molina Station.
APRES-SKI FROM NORTH TO SOUTH
We are not going to fool ourselves There is no snow day if there is not a après-ski, which is said wrongly and soon as an 'afterwork' after skiing. If there is something they know how to do very well in ski resorts, it is put on good soirees, authentic parties for those who want to have a few drinks until you drop from exhaustion.
Mythical are the Marchica festivities, at the Formigal station, a terrace that becomes an improvised nightclub with DJ sessions and good music for those who dance without taking off their snow clothes. Other similar options are found in Remáscaro, in Cerler, less crowded or the exclusive Moët Winter Lounge in Baqueira for the wealthiest, although at the moment it does not accept reservations. And if it's also for tapas, Pradollano in Sierra Nevada takes the cake
Moët Winter Lounge. in Baqueira.
GASTRONOMIC TRIBUTES: VILLABLINO AND RIAZA
Some ski resorts are close to true temples of good eating. An example of this are the Leitariegos and La Pinilla stations. The first is located a few kilometers from Villablino, a very interesting proposal for those who want to spend a day in one of those charming towns of Leon where one gets fed up with eating and drinking. He goes to Villablino eat meat –in stew, roast or in the chanfaina– paired with good wines from Bierzo.
the station La Pinilla, on the other hand, is located in the surroundings of Riaza, a Segovian town that makes roast lamb an art and where he The beans of La Granja know how to alleviate the ills of the cold. And it is a stone's throw from Madrid.
Segovian Jews.
DISCOVER TREASURES: GRANADA AND JACA
Granada and Jaca are two banners of our incredible cultural heritage. Jaca, with or without snow, is a city that is well worth a long getaway of a whole week, to enjoy the snow and its cultural and gastronomic heritage. About Granada, few presentations are needed.
The proximity of the city of La Alhambra to the Sierra Nevada ski resort makes it an essential destination for those who want soak up the beauty of our treasures, parking your skis for a day. In fact, there is a lot of holiday offer to ski in Sierra Nevada that includes a Getaway to Grenada. Of course, warning for newbies, in Granada it is very cold at this time of year.
The Alhambra of Granada.
BUILD AN IGLOO
You have to go to the Guadarrama National Park, more specifically to the surroundings of the port station Navacerrada to find this curious hobby that not only hooks the little ones. After a route of about six kilometers with snowshoes, the guide provides all the necessary tools to build your own igloo and become an Eskimo for a day.
It is a very fun workshop that can be booked from the park's own online reservation center. Such is the success of this proposal that we can now build igloos in the Grandvalira station (Andorra) and in Formigal, where there are organizations that extend this practice throughout the Tena Valley.