Baqueira-Beret

Baqueira-Beret is the largest and most visited winter resort in Spain, with 161 kilometres (100 mi) of marked pistes, 7 kilometres (4 mi) of marked off-piste, and 7 kilometres (4 mi) of cross-country ski and 2,166 hectares (5,350 acres) of ski area.^[1] It is located in the highest part of the Aran Valley (Naut Aran), and Pallars Sobirà (Valls d'Àneu). It has long and wide ski runs, some through trees. It is divided into three different zones, Baqueira, Beret and Bonaigua. Due to its westerly aspect and position on the northern side of the Pyrenees, and consequent Atlantic climate, the resort of Baqueira-Beret has a good snow record throughout the winter. In addition, there is more than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) of vertical drop and an extensive skiable zone.

Much of the region of the Aran Valley and Àneu Valley is made up of over 50 small rural populations, each one with stone and wood houses and ancient Romanesque churches. The resort was founded 60 years ago on the initiative of the local authorities in the Aran Valley. A group of people commanded by Jorge Jordana Pozas, Jesús Serra Santamans and Luis Arias (after whom a piste was named after he died in a dramatic accident) founded the ski resort in the municipality of Naut Aran due to the good snow conditions found there.

Discover more about Resort related topics

Piste

Piste

A piste is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports.

Snow

Snow

Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout its life cycle, starting when, under suitable conditions, the ice crystals form in the atmosphere, increase to millimeter size, precipitate and accumulate on surfaces, then metamorphose in place, and ultimately melt, slide or sublimate away.

Romanesque architecture

Romanesque architecture

Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later date being the most commonly held. In the 12th century it developed into the Gothic style, marked by pointed arches. Examples of Romanesque architecture can be found across the continent, making it the first pan-European architectural style since Imperial Roman architecture. The Romanesque style in England and Sicily is traditionally referred to as Norman architecture.

Naut Aran

Naut Aran

Naut Aran is a municipality in the comarca of the Val d'Aran in Catalonia, Spain. It is the second largest municipality in Catalonia in terms of surface area, and was created in 1967 by the merger of the municipalities of Arties, Salardú, Gessa, Tredòs and Bagergue: the former municipalities retain some privileges as "decentralised municipal entities". The name literally means "Upper Valley" in Aranese, and both the Garonne (Garona) and the Noguera Pallaresa have their sources on the territory of the municipality. The town hall is in Salardú. The municipality is linked to Vielha by the C-28 road, which continues to Alt Àneu over the Port de la Bonaigua (2072 m). This road, the higher stretches of which are impassable in winter, was the only route between the Aran Valley and the rest of Spain before the opening of the Vielha tunnel in 1948.

Almost all of the resort's 35 lifts are modern and of high capacity, and consist of:

• 1 gondola lift.
• 20 chair lifts of which: 3 six seaters, 6 four seaters, 7 three seaters and 4 two seaters.
• 7 conveyor belts and 7 ski lifts.

The resort offers 99 pistes of different difficulties:

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  6 beginners.
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  40 easy.
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  37 intermediate.
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  15 expert.

The ski resort offers a wide range of services: a ski school, equipment rentals, restaurants and cafeterias on the slopes, medical services, etc. There are also hotels and apartments as well as ice skating, heated swimming pool, and shops. There are also numerous restaurants and bars for apre skiing activities.

The main activities are skiing and snowboarding. There are also other activities available such as hiking, rafting, kayaking and climbing. Museums and exhibitions are also available in the villages around the resort. Other activities that can be carried out in Baqueira are fishing and hunting, although they are both regulated.