La Cerdanya, snow time sport and leisure

Skiing in Cerdanya has been practiced for more than a hundred years. In documentary form we can highlight that at the beginning of the last century, members of the "Centro Excursionista de Catalunya" made their first descents in La Molina. Most of us have seen images of ski fans carrying their skis on their shoulders, uphill, to find the best ski descents on the snow. It has “snowed” a lot since then.

La Molina was the first ski resort to open in Catalonia and the first to launch a ski lift. It was founded in 1943. And the train, line R3, Barcelona-Puigcerdà (1922), helped in the development and growth of skiing in La Molina. We read, in specialized newspapers and blogs in the snow world, that in 1946 the first chairlift –Turó de la Perdiu– was put into operation. And in 1954 the two-seats cable car was inaugurated. Thus, La Molina is one of the oldest winter resorts in the State. Cadanchú is, in this case, the oldest resort opened in 1928.

Talking about history, St. Moritz (Sankt Moritz, in German, or San Murezzan, in romance), in Switzerland, is the oldest ski resort in the world, opened in 1864. It is located in the 'Upper Engadine region, more than 1,850 meters high, in the Swiss Alps.

But, returning to talking about Cerdanya, and amidst so much data, it is worth saying that a few years before 1943 – the year of the founding of La Molina –, you could already ski in our region taking advantage of a ski lift. It was 1936 when the first mechanical widget came into operation in the small town of Porté in what would later become the Porté-Puymorens ski resort. It is the first ski reference with lifts in Cerdanya and the first in the Eastern Pyrenees.

If we focus exclusively on alpine skiing and Baja Cerdanya, we must talk about La Molina and Masella, which are our local resorts. The Alp 2500 ski domain – which is the union of La Molina and Masella ski resorts (the first lift came into operation in 1968), in the La Tosa area – this is the largest domain in this side of the Pyrenees. The area has an offer of 145 kilometers, with a total of 33 lifts and 131 slopes, as highlighted on the resorts' websites. From La Molina, the Cadí-Moixeró cable car covers, in just 20 minutes, the difference in level that separates La Molina’s parking from La Tosa (2,537 meters). One fact that stands out especially is the skier transport capacity in both resorts, with all their lifts: 43,590 skiers/hour.

A modern network of produced snow guarantees longer ski seasons in the Pyrenees. It should be said, in this sense, that we have recently heard about the project promoted by "Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat de Catalunya" (owner of La Molina), which together with the Higher Council of Scientific Research of the Ministry of Sciences and Research has presented the Snow Laboratory. The initiative aims to produce snow with a reduction in water consumption of up to 40%.

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The two large winter resorts have modern facilities and different services that will allow a great skiing and snow day. In addition, the domain has various thematic areas (slalom stadium, the Pyrenees super-pipe and snowshoe circuits, among others such as the possibility of sledding as an activity designed for families). And other complementary activities that can be found detailed on the resorts’ websites: www.lamolina.cat and www.masella.com .

Rounding out we must mention the Nordic ski resorts. Guils Fontanera, Aransa and Lles de Cerdanya are cross-country ski resorts, open during the winter season with possibilities to also practice snowshoeing. Snowshoes have gained followers in recent years, mainly as recreation and leisure for families.

And to top it off, the practice of mountain skiing or Skimo, a modality that does not need marked or prepared areas like Nordic or alpine skiing. This modality, also called ski touring, has gained many followers in recent years. It is about reaching a summit or peak with skis and then descending. Both in this case and in the rest of the skiing modalities that we have been highlighting in this article, adequate material, preparation and training are needed. If this practice is new to you and you want to enjoy this sport or simply have fun, let yourself be advised by professionals before embarking on the skiing adventure.