Soldeu
| Soldeu | |
|---|---|
|
Soldeu in 2007 | |
  Soldeu Location in Andorra | |
| Coordinates: 42°34′37″N 1°40′2″E / 42.57694°N 1.66722°E | |
| Country |
 Andorra |
| Parish | Canillo |
| Elevation | 1,710 m (5,610 ft) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 1,109 |
Soldeu (Catalan pronunciation: [suɫˈdew], locally: [soɫˈdew]) is a village and ski resort in the parish of Canillo, Andorra.
Overview
It comes alive in the winter months as a ski town, and is part of the Grand Valira ski resort, the largest in the Pyrenees with 205 km (127 mi) of ski runs.[1] According to The Sunday Times, Soldeu is one of the three best budget skiing resorts in Europe.[2] The ski area links to Encamp, Canillo, El Tarter, Grau Roig and Pas de la Casa. The Soldeu Ski School has a large number of native English speaking instructors and has won awards for the quality of its tuition.
The village is at an elevation of 1,710 metres (5,610 ft) above sea level and the top of the ski area is at 2,580 m (8,465 ft). The gondola from the village rises to 2,250 m (7,382 ft), where the ski and board schools as well as restaurants are located. From there, it is possible to ski to the top of the El Tarter gondola or the village of El Tarter itself via the blue-rated 'gall de bosc' run.
The village has various hotels, bars, restaurants, as well as ski and snowboard shops. It is more family orientated than neighbouring Pas de la Casa. The native language is Catalan. There are a large number of British and Irish tourists,[3] and English is spoken in many shops and restaurants.
World Cup racing
Soldeu hosted World Cup alpine events for the first time in February 2012. Three women's races were scheduled, two giant slaloms and a slalom. The additional GS was due to a cancellation at Courchevel in mid-December,[4][5] but was also cancelled at Soldeu due to extremely high winds on Friday.[6] Women's races are scheduled again for 2016; a super-G and a combined at the end of February.
References
- ↑ Grandvalira, Soldeu, Grandvalira, grandvalira.com, 2011.
- ↑ S Newsom (2009). Three of the best budget resorts—Europe’s top ski resorts are hideously expensive—but we have a solution, The Sunday Times, 4 October 2009. (Last accessed 2009-10-08)
- ↑ M Clinch, A postcard from the Pyrenees, Daily Mail, 2004-01-28.
- ↑ worldcupsoldeu.com - 2012 World Cup races - accessed 2012-01-31
- ↑ FIS Alpine.com - 2012 Soldeau races - accessed 2012-01-31
- ↑ Ski Racing.com - Strong winds cancel women’s World Cup GS in Andorra, slalom rescheduled - 2012-02-10
External links
Media related to Soldeu - el Tarter at Wikimedia Commons
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Coordinates: 42°34′37″N 1°40′02″E / 42.57694°N 1.66722°E