Pal Arinsal Ski Resort Sets Record with 460,788 Ski Days in Shortened 2025-2026 Season

Pal Arinsal ski resort concluded its 2025-2026 season with a record 460,788 ski days sold, a 9.1% increase from the prior year despite running for only 123 days—10 fewer than before. Marketing director David Ledesma described the season as "very good" for Pal Arinsal and "good" overall for the Grandvalira domains, which include Grandvalira, Pal Arinsal, and Ordino Arcalís.

Exceptional snowfall totaling 540 cm—the highest in 22 years and 34% above last season—created depths approaching two metres and sustained over 90% piste openness from January, frequently hitting 100%. This reduced artificial snow needs by 35% to 218,000 cubic metres. Key periods shone, including Immaculate Conception, Christmas, and a standout January with 24% billing growth—its strongest in years. February dipped amid poor weather and the RN20 closure to France, dropping French visitors to 3%, though 15 February marked a single-day peak of 6,761 skiers, boosted by accessible Massana and Arinsal cable cars attracting families. March rose 15-16%.

Sales channels thrived: direct bookings up 20.4%, one-day passes 15%, and half-stay tickets (3-5 days) adding nearly 16,000 days. Season passes such as Nord Pass and Andorra Pass contributed around 6,000 extra days, lifting usage 13.76%. Mobile Pass sales climbed 21%, with average spend at 3.5%, lessons up 14%, and on-mountain dining 9.7%. Gains cut across adults (12.7%), children (9%), juniors (11.1%), and non-skiers (16.7%), drawn by dining and activities. Visitor satisfaction hit 8.91/10, with 95% recommending the resort.

Nationalities showed Spain leading at 53% (Catalonia 26%, Valencia, Aragon, Balearics 16%), followed by UK/Ireland at 17% (up 10%), Portugal 10%, and Andorrans 13%.

Easter week provided a strong finale across Grandvalira Resorts, with over 160,000 passes sold from 28 March. Good Friday, 3 April, saw 22,000 skiers domain-wide as improving weather enabled near-full piste and lift access, offsetting earlier snow, winds, and high-altitude restrictions. Hotels achieved near-100% occupancy on peak days like Friday and Saturday in many instances, surpassing 2025 overall. The Unió Hotelera called results "very good," aligning with expectations around 66%—10 points above last year. AEAT data confirmed parish variations: Ordino at 83.67% (slightly below initial 93.33% forecasts), Andorra la Vella at 78.29% (exceeding 71.33% predictions), Canillo at 74.45% (under 78.17% estimates), El Pas de la Casa at 69.97% (well above 54.52% projections), and Encamp at 64.47% (beating 51.06% outlooks). Standouts included 100% at Art Hotel and Sol Park, near-full at Andorra Center and Càmping Valira bungalows, and 87-95% at Hotel Diplomàtic on Friday-Saturday. Wednesday lagged due to severe weather from France, impacting arrivals. Traffic totaled 66,200 vehicles—46,900 from Spain, 19,300 from France—peaking 4-5 April. AEAT president Àlex Ruiz described occupancies as "normal" for the late timing, with satisfaction over results and stays 5-10% pricier than 2025.

The season featured the ISMF Comapedrosa Andorra World Cup with 108 athletes from 20 countries; weather canceled the sprint but allowed the vertical race over 700m elevation gain. Pal Arinsal cut prior-year losses of 3.7 million euros, though final accounts are pending; February challenges curbed even stronger results.

Ordino Arcalís remains open until 12 April, while Pal Arinsal prepares for summer, relaunching Bike Park and Bike World on 20 June alongside the ANDBike Festival and a World Cup from 9-12 July.