The ski resorts in the Lleida Pyrenees have brought forward the start of the 2013-14 season to November 23rd and expect to have practically all of their slopes and ski lifts in operation for the Constitution Day weekend.
The intense snowfalls that fell in the second half of November in most of the Pyrenees with significant thicknesses and low temperatures have allowed Baqueira-Beret to partially open the facilities on Saturday, November 23, and Port Ainé, Espot Esquí and Port del Comte, on November 30. The Nordic ski resorts of Lles, Tuixent-La Vansa and Sant Joan de l'Erm also opened on the 23rd, so that this season has become the most advanced in the history of this sport in the Lleida Pyrenees.
During the presentation of the season, which took place in the multipurpose room of the Diputació de Lleida and was attended by those responsible for the winter resorts, as well as representatives of other regional administrations and the Generalitat de Catalunya; it was reported that the 11 Lleida resorts have invested almost 4 million euros in this campaign to improve facilities and services and, especially, to attract new beginners. This year there has been an increase in the signage of snowshoe routes, mainly in the Nordic ski resorts, which have increased from 51 km in the previous season to 87 km in the current one, as well as in the alpine resorts of Port del Comte and Espot Esquí.
During the season presentation ceremony, the president of the Lleida corporation, Joan Reñé, stressed that the ski resorts of the Lleida Pyrenees receive every year almost two out of every three skiers who choose Catalonia to ski and one out of every four who do so in resorts throughout Spain. "These figures are an example of the quality and attraction that the Lleida Pyrenees have for all fans of the world of skiing and snow," said Reñé.
The president of the Lleida Provincial Council referred to the advance of the season by one week compared to the initial forecast thanks to the snowfall in the second half of November and stated that he is confident that this good news will allow around 1,250,000 ski passes to be sold, a figure that was reached in the 2009-10 season and is expected in 2012-13.
For Reñé, the postponement of Barcelona's bid for the 2022 Winter Games and the new scenario proposed for 2026, "must be an opportunity to manage and work on a clear Olympic commitment". Reñé encouraged Lleida skiing to bet on schoolchildren in the face of the "opportunities" of the 2026 Winter Games, which are based on the need to promote the practice of this sport among schoolchildren to boost the economy and have guarantees in the face of a new Olympic candidacy. He also added that "we should all generate suitable and attractive offers so that schools and families practice skiing in a more intense and regular way", and said that the future candidacy must also allow for improving communication infrastructures in the Lleida Pyrenees.
The 11 Lleida resorts have invested 3.9 million euros this season to improve facilities and services and, especially, to attract new beginners. In the last 10 years, the Lleida ski resorts have invested 123.6 million euros, acting as a true economic engine of the Pyrenees and maintaining year after year the leadership in all of Spain in terms of skiing activity.
Source: Pirineu.com