Upper runs at Masella
S
pain isn't most peoples' first thought when it comes to ski destinations but it has a few decent resorts hidden away within its borders.

La Molina is in the Pyrenees, under two hours drive up from Barcelona. It is joined with the neighbouring resort of Masella.

a tricky mogul-infested red leads into a tediously flat blue
A joint lift pass covering both resorts can be purchased for 32 Euros (2003/2004) for a peak season day. A fast modern cable car connects the base of La Molina to the peak of Masella. The piste connection back is less good; a tricky mogul-infested red leads into a tediously flat blue. If you're based in La Molina it's bearable as a final run home but otherwise best avoided.

More fun at Masella

Of the two resorts I much prefer Masella. The lifts are faster and more modern. They service an excellent variety of interesting runs. There are only 61 km of pistes but intermediate skiers are well catered for with 14 reds. A fast four-seater chair followed by the six-seater gets you to the top of the mountain. All of Masella's best runs are accessible from here.

If you want a lengthy cruisey run I recommend Deus Estacions round the mountain, into La Corda, a bit of La Pleta down to Davillada and through to Enamorats. A faster more challenging alternative is to burn down the Coma Pregona canyon. Most of Masella's runs are nice and windy, with plenty of undulations through the pine forest.

zero queues and empty runs
Many skiers drive up from Barcelona for the day so lift queues at weekends and other peak days can be lengthy, particularly on the core chair lifts. At other times the place can be a joy, with zero queues and empty runs. If you want to skip the skiing, a wealth of sights and walks in the Cerdanya valley are a short-drive away.

The runs start at 1600m and peak at around 2500m. This isn't particularly high but the resort has invested massively in snow-making kit. Combined with excellent piste management, Masella manages to sustain decent skiing even when it starts getting warm enough to ski in a t-shirt. Masella's topography means that it frequently has better quality snow than La Molina.

Limiting for some

Advanced skiers will probably find these resorts too limiting for anything more than a long weekend stay. There are few black runs and these tend to be of the narrow, exceptionally icy, variety. Off-piste skiing is only really possible after a big dump of fresh snow and there aren't any big suitable areas.

If you're after night-life beyond a nice dinner out these are not places to go to. Day trippers go back to Barcelona and most other people seem to stay home round the fire. Given the range of ridiculously cheap excellent wines available from nearby Puigcerda, this isn't generally such a bad plan!

Photographs from Masella and excursions around the Cerdanya valley are here.

Have you visited La Molina or Masella? What did you make of them? Please post your comments below.

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