UPDATED - Perfect Skiing - Imperfect Steak! (Pas de la Casa)

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	Pas de la Casa
Date:	24/02/03 (1690 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great skiing, Duty-free shopping, Huge ski area

Disadvantages: Low water pressure in high season

I'm lying back in a deckchair. Beside me is the love of my life of over 25 years. between us is a table. On the table are two glasses of beer. The deckchairs are on a sundeck facing south. from the sundeck can be seen a panorama of spectacular mountain peaks, below which are miles of perfect snow. the sun pours down on us from a startling blue cloudless sky. I am forced by the heat to strip down to my tee-shirt.

And I think, "Life doesn't get much better than this!".

So, where is this paradise? we are in Andorra. specifically, this suntrap is outside La Solanelles panoramic restaurant at the top of the gondola up from Encamp which lies near the end of the valley that runs all the way from Pas de la Casa, where we were staying, via Soldeu, where we stayed last year.

If you have read my review of Soldeu you will understand why we came back again this year to Andorra. we love Andorra and the only reason why we didn't return to Soldeu was because we wanted to explore a bit more of the area. why didn't we do that last year? more of that later.


The Resort
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Soldeu is a village. Pas de la Casa (Pas from here on) is a town. Pas is right on the border between France and Andorra. it is the first place in Andorra that you reach when you transfer from your flight from the UK into Toulouse airport. the transfer last year was a real ordeal. completed on rural roads, the transfer time to Soldeu took four hours.

Since last year there have been considerable improvements. a new motorway (the A66) is now open, a branch off of the A61, that takes you half-way to Andorra. it cuts a very welcome hour off of the journey. if you are going all the way to Soldeu, a new tunnel through the mountain from Pas cuts a further 30 minutes off of the transfer.

You arrive in pas at the lowest point in the town, at the coach stop opposite the church. your luggage is unloaded into a van and
taken up to your hotel whilst you make the journey on foot. In our case this was to the Himalaia Hotel, situated just about as high as you can go up through the town.

On the way the first impression is of passing through the departure lounge of any large airport. Virtually every shop advertises duty free prices; Andorra, although in Europe, is not part of the European Union. Also, every other shop advertises closing down sales although I get the impression that this is just a gimmick. However, with so many booze, fags and perfume shops I can't see how they all manage to make a living.

Those shops that aren't selling drink and ciggies seem to be selling electronic goods. If you need anything from a camera to a full hi-fi system, this is the place to get it. Don't bother with CDs or DVDs though. You can get them cheaper in the UK or over the Internet.

Most disturbing is the ready availability of guns. In the light of the perfunctory checks carried out by the French Customs when you re-enter France, occasional cars pulled out, coaches waved through, it is little wonder that the UK police have a real problem with illegal arms being smuggled into the country! I wonder how much comes from here.

The other main focus is jewellery. Now, I know nothing about jewellery. If you know a real diamond from a fake, gold from brass, then you might want to take a chance.

We had chosen the Himalaia Hotel as we had stayed last year at their hotel in Soldeu and found it a good base for our holiday, not perfect but very comfortable, clean and warm and close to the pistes. The one in Pas is virtually identical in design and also within 50 metres of the pistes. As there is quite a bit to say about the hotel, I have written a separate review.


The Purchase
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Monday morning opened with blue skies and bright sunshine to accompany the perfect snow conditions. 2002/3 has seen an abundance of
snow right across Europe and Andorra is no exception. But first, we had a little shopping to do.

My wife and I have our own boots (Salomon - hers 53s, mine 63s) and skis (both Head Cyclone Carve). The boots we've had a long time, over 10 years. Whilst mine have always been a perfect fit, my wife has always found hers uncomfortable. They leave bruises on her legs where the back and the front of the cuff of the boot draw together. I promised her a new pair as a deferred Christmas present.

The largest sports retailer in Pas is Olympic Esports. We went there to seek their advice. Now, my wife has an unusually foot shape; high arch, broad foot, large angle on the toes; a difficult shape to fit and I'm not just talking about ski boots.

The assistant recommended Atomic C:9W, size 24.5. These are of the modern front-entry design as opposed to our old rear-entry boots. There are the standard two clips on the cuff and two across the foot. Three of the four clasps have micro-adjustments by screwing the clips in and out of the buckle.

My wife commented that she felt that the boot was a bit too short and that the left big toe was pressing in the end of the boot. The assistant assured her that, according to the measurement, this was the right size and that they would be all right in use. On that assurance we took them.

Two days later we were back. My wife had been suffering extreme pain and could tolerate them no longer. Her big toes on both feet were starting to show signs of bad bruising from the hammering that they were taking from contact with the end of her boots.

The same assistant accepted our "complaint" and exchanged the boots for the next size, 25.5, even though the originals had had two days use and were starting to show signs of wear. These proved a relative though not entire success. By the end of the holiday my wife had tightened the boots until there was no more adjustment available. I a
m in correspondence with Atomic about this.

Anyway, full marks to Olympic Esports for customer service even if the boots were not a complete success; hardly their fault though.


The Ski Passes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, to the pistes. The ski area that serves Pas is very large, around twice the area of that of Soldeu "next door". The ski area actually covers two locations, Pas de la Casa itself and the little hamlet of Grau Roig in the next valley. From there it stretches beyond to the top of the gondola system that brings skiers up from Encamp. It does NOT include the Soldeu ski area.

Now, I'm sorry but this feud between Pas de la Casa and Soldeu has been going on for far too long. Despite assurances that joint lift passes are planned and will be in use "next season", nothing actually ever happens. The real loser in this petty squabble is the visitor, who has spent his hard-earned cash to get there and has every right to expect to be treated with greater respect.

It wouldn't be too bad if it was possible to buy a pass for the other resort where you are staying but both refuse to sell the other's passes. As there is no way of skiing from one to the other without using the lifts, the only alternative is to take the bus to the other resort, taking all your equipment with you, and buy one there. We didn't bother, either last year or this.

The amazing thing is that from both resorts you can ski to the edge of the other ski area. If neither resort will sell the other's passes, why on earth don't they set up an office at that point to sell passes? They do this in Switzerland where ski areas meet and it works there!

I believe that this problem will never be resolved unless they get enough complaints from their visitors. I am encouraging an email campaign. Please support me and email the Pas de la Casa and Soldeu tourist organizations and complain. The email addre
sses are, for Pas de la Casa via their website - www.pasgrau.com - from the Info Pas/Grau link and for Soldeu - webmaster@soldeu.ad.

Rant over!

UPDATE - The 2003/4 season marks a landmark in Andorran skiing. Finally, after years of bickering, Pas and Soldeu have agreed a common ski pass covering both resorts. This year you can, for the first time, ski the entire area on a single pass.

To all of you who made your feelings known and brought about this earth-shattering change of direction, much thanks. I never thought it would happen, which is probably the reason why this year we are skiing St Sorlin! Oh, the irony!


The Skiing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the hotels in the area where the Himalaia is situated can get to the main pistes by a short walk. Strictly speaking this isn't ski in/ski out but about as good as. From here it's a short ski down to the four main lifts. Two are high speed, a four man (Pas de la Casa) and a six man (Font Negre), which take you as high as you can go from Pas. From here you can ski down into Grau Roig.

The other two lifts are older slower lifts (Solana - 4 man and Coll Blanc - 3 man) only go about half way. These are good for getting your skiing legs at the start of your holiday as they tend not to get too lengthy queues, not that queues are really a serious problem anyway.

The area seems to have a strange local climate. On a couple of days it was misty or there was light snow on the Pas de la Casa slopes but, once you got to the top, the Grau Roig bowl was usually mist free and bathed in sunshine. Many people didn't realize this and stayed on the lower slopes at Pas.

The next lift on from Grau Roig is also a fast 4 man (Cubil), which gives you access to the furthest pistes in the next valley, taking you via one further 4 man (Enradort) to the limits of the ski area.

Throughout these areas are a good mix of piste standards, mostly Reds, so
me Blues and a few Blacks. Between these are miles of great off-piste for the more adventurous. We didn't find any pistes that we would class as impossible. Many will provide a challenge such as Jordi Angles down from the top of Font Negre, a Black that was often icy despite the abundant snow and Tamarro down towards Grau Roig from the top of the Pas de la Casa lift, which was steep for the first 500 metres but blended into the Red Pista Llarga below that.

The only piste that disappointed was Cami de Pessons from the top of Cubil, which advertises itself as a Red but is really Green at best. The only lift that disappointed was Montmalus up from Grau Roig. This is a drag, one of the very few in the area, and heavily used, resulting in substantial delays. I wanted to try it as there was an interesting Black (Granola) down through the trees but in the end we only did the adjacent Red as my wife refused to do the short punt to the top of the run. We never went there again.


The Refreshments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Throughout the area are lots of snack bars and restaurants, far more than at Soldeu, where there are really only two main refreshment areas. In this respect Pas/Grau Roig is far better. We found plenty of variety.

However, most have "No Picnic" signs up! I fail to see why. If their intension is to prevent people coming in and using their tables to eat their own food, preventing genuine customers from finding a seat then it was a dismal failure. We were there during what we were told was the busiest week of the season and on no occasion did we find anywhere where we could not have got a seat. By preventing us from using their facilities they lost any potential trade with us. We would have been happy to buy drinks.

As a result we used only those outlets that permitted picnics and, of course, we bought all of our drinks from them. A case of cutting of your nose to spite your face!

The vie
ws from the two main panoramic restaurants at El Solenelles and at the top of the Pas de la Casa lift (where picnics are allowed) are spectacular. The Coma III snack bar (picnics also allowed) half way down to Grau Roig was a favourite stop-off point for a relax in the sun.

Another location we enjoyed was at Costa Rodona, at the foot of the 4 man lift of the same name. This is on the right of the piste, halfway up from Pas. Downstairs is a self-service, which we didn't try but had a look at (OK, nothing special). Upstairs is a restaurant with waiter service. This is really good. We had an excellent launch there and would have gone there far more often had we not ventured far from home most days.

The other restaurant we tried which proved a success was the Husky, only about 100 metres up from the main lifts at Pas, on the right-hand side. This was so popular that it did get rather packed at lunchtime. My advice, get there early. Also good for the elevenses Vin Chaud, when it's less crowded.


The Skiing Experience
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All in all the skiing is as good as I have enjoyed anywhere. For beginners this is paradise. There are almost as many ski instructors as there are skiers and the learner slopes are almost perfect. For those who want off-piste, this is heaven. Chamonix, who needs Chamonix!


The Apres-Ski
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are loads of bars and restaurants throughout Pas, far more than you can try out during a one-week holiday. We only indulged in one event organized by the local reps, a Mexican evening, held at the nearby Milwaukee Bar. The bar itself itself was nothing special; you can find its like in most ski resorts and its name alone gives you an idea of its "theme".

The Mexican evening was held in the back room and on this night the place was full. I wasn't expecting much and my expectations were fully realized. Virtually every time we have d
one these it is clear that the cheapest possible fare is provided to maximize the profits. Wine and beer is on an "as much as you can drink" basis. The wine was undrinkable and the beer was probably Budweiser (nuff said!). Food was a Nachos starter followed by Buffalo Wings. Dessert was a tub of ice-cream.


The Band
~~~~~~~~~~~
The "entertainment" during the meal was a mildly amusing compere. After the meal a band came on. Once again I wasn't expecting much. This time I was wrong.

The band was a two-piece, guy (John - lead guitar)/girl (Caz - bass guitar) with computerized drum backing, who went by the name of Hooched. Now, these two were as good performers as I have ever heard. How they haven't been heard of before beats me. I'm a connoisseur of Bass players. In my opinion Andy Fraser, late of 70s supergroup Free, is the best Bass player of all time. Caz could stand her ground with anyone.

There are probably two things that prevent them being famous. Firstly, they only do covers, they seem to have written nothing themselves. Secondly, I have a strong suspicion that they play simply to fund their skiing and, during the summer, surfing. Whether they pay tax anywhere is open to question! Nice work if you can get it.

Their repertoire featured Oasis and Blur heavily with Nirvana and Free in reserve. Their performances were superb. I was moved to buy their CD. It was c**p, not the performance, the quality (or complete lack of it) of the recording. Sorry guys but you really need to do better than that.

We came across them again the following day at El Marselles Bar just down the hill. We went in only because it was Happy Hour. Same set, same c**p joke (singular!), same brilliant performances. Pitty about the bar. This just has to have the worst loos in Pas, actually loo, yes, just one for the whole bar, for both sexes, door that doesn't lock, light that doesn'
;t wo
rk. Avoid!!!!!!!!

UPDATE - I was very surprised to receive an email the other day, right out of the blue, from the guy who manages the band's website (http://www.hooched.s5.com). He'd seen my review and passed on his thanks for the compliments I had paid the band.

He wanted to make it clear that this really was a job for John and Caz and not just pocket money. They spend three months in Andorra and the rest in Majorca. Any way, as I STILL say, nice work if you can get it!

Apparently John was in a band back in the 90s but it broke up. He and Caz have been playing together since 97. He accepts that the CD is c**p and is trying to persuade them to do something better. Oh, and they do write their own stuff. Perhaps we'll get to hear it some time.


Eating Out
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Apart from the Mexican night we ate out twice. The first time was at La Raclette Chez Gegene on Carrer Maia. It is in the traditional Savoyard style found everywhere in the Alps. If you stick to the traditional fare I'm sure that you will be very satisfied. I felt like a steak and it was a big mistake (sorry about that - couldn't resist it). This was just about the worst piece of meat it has ever been my misfortune to try to eat. Fortunately there was a lot of it so I managed to salvage at least a modicum of chewable substance.

My wife had the lamb and pronounced it very satisfactory. In all cases the quantity could not be faulted, just the quality of my steak. It made it a disappointing experience from my point of view. At least the wine made up for it, a superb bottle of Muga.

The other occasion we ate out was at Campistrano, right next to the Milwaukee Bar. This is a seafood restaurant with a Spanish influence. We had a very excellent Lobster Paella. It was Saturday night and the place was virtually deserted. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why. OK, perhaps it wasn't at the heart of the tow
n but it would have been well worth the effort of a little walking for anyone.

The only other customers were a group of Russians (Andorra is very popular for skiers from Russia). We were amused to hear that the common language when Russians meet Andorrans (Spanish) is... English!

Generally the impression I got of Pas was that the dining out experience was not as good as in Soldeu. The quality isn't as good, nor the variety. If pizza parlours and fast-food outlets are your thing, however, you,ll probably be happy.


The Travel Company
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This year we travelled with First Choice. We have used them before and found them no better/no worse than most other companies. We needed little help from them and our only complaint to them (about problems with the hotel) were beyond their ability to fix. They did, however, bring the matter to the attention of the hotel management (who knew about it anyway but a few more complaints never hurt).


In Summary
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once again Andorra was everything (almost) that we could have hoped for. The skiing was just about perfect, helped, admittedly by the abundance of snow this year.

The only real disappointments were the inconveniences imposed by the lift pass feud between Pas and Soldeu which, as you will have read above, has now at last been resolved. The problems with the hotel (read the review) is not down to Pas directly although, the local services probably contribute. Oh, and the steak!

Nevertheless, I am now upgrading Pas from a previous 4 stars to the full 5 stars. Would we go back again? Almost certainly. All it now needs is for a connection to Arinsal to be set up and Andorra will be skiing paradise.

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