It can be a nail-biting experience for many British tour operators trying to convince ski fanatics that you can not only ski in the Spanish Pyrenees – but that the slopes there, with daring off pistes and well-invested resorts, square up to any other worldwide mountain chain claiming to boast the best ski adventures around.
Of course the Spanish population shrug off this ignorance by their European friends and gladly dominate their beloved but media-shy ski destinations – Baqueira-Beret, Formigal and Sierra Nevada to name but a few.
Yet slowly the message is getting out there that the Pyrenees need more exploration and there is a growing and faithful band of slope-tackling British holiday makers who have marked Spain as their permanent ski holiday destination each year.
And for good reason - Spain, enjoying an almost prehistoric reputation for sunny beach holidays, also glitters with ski resorts tucked across the country.
There are the three resorts of Navacerrada, Valdesqui, and La Pinilla near Madrid. And Cantabria, Galicia and Leon in the northwest. Terual near Barcelona is another skiing destination. Sierra Nevada is famed of course for allowing skiers to get onto the slopes AND enjoy sandy beaches during holiday breaks.
It is the Pyrenees which arguably boasts the best of pistes in Aragon, Andorra (although not technically Spanish) and Catalonia (also wanting to shrug off the ‘Spanish’ label) with its superb resorts, Baqueira-Beret and Formigal.
Hot on the heels of the UK holidaymakers discovering Spain are, of course, workers who get a gleam in their eye when they discover the awesome ski areas, off piste opportunities and relaxing après-ski with tapas, game meats, dizzy wines and Sangria aplenty.
The typical job opportunities are there as you would find in any ski resort – bars, restaurants, chalet staff, managerial positions, ski instructing etc. But the towns and villages in the Spanish Winterlands are a world away from other European ski destinations, too obvious to mention, bloated with drunk students and over-priced accommodation. Spain hides ski resorts saturated with convivial local cultures which ooze charm.
‘Annette’ had never skied until a decade ago when she learnt on the slopes of Baqueira-Beret, called the ‘pearl of the Pyrenees’ and famed for its patronage of Spanish royalty. Annette fell in love with the place in her first season out there, and worked her way up the golden ladder to become a chalet manager. Then she trained as a ski instructor and now runs, with her husband Tim, Ski Inspired, as well as the respected, ‘Baqueira British Ski School’. The couple moved permanently to the resort last year and their two young sons are now learning Spanish, a local dialect called Aranese and Catalan. Annette has also become an English teacher at the local school.
Annette said: “I found the local language of Aranese impossible until my sons started at the local school and I had to endeavour to translate the paperwork.
“My family history stems from the time of the Spanish Armada so I feel some affinity with the whole Spanish culture, aside from the mid afternoon siesta time!”
David Slattery also lives in the Val D’Aran and he has enjoyed various employment roles in his time there, teaching skiing as well as English to the friendly locals.
David said he first came to the area for ‘an unusual reason’ after he landed a job working as a ski instructor, adding: “What stands out for me is the very different experience of working in a Spanish resort for a Brit. There are very few Brits here - so if you want to meet people, you can make Spanish friends - the people are funny, warm, and interested in you! That is a massive thing about working seasons - the friends you make.”
Other resorts such as Val D’Isere and Verbier did not measure up so well despite their popularity, in David’s opinion.
He said: “Those resorts are full if British workers and tourists - not a problem for others but I didn't want that. The nickname for Val d'Isere is ‘Val d'Sloane Square’, with good reason.”
David added that there were less drunk British tourists and workers in the Val D’Aran, saying: “While perhaps a little more nightlife in this valley would be good, the absence of typical Brit abroad behaviour is something I like too.
If you want to learn a language, or practice your language skills, Spain is perfect for that too.
"Sierra Nevada is famed of course for allowing skiers to get onto the slopes AND enjoy sandy beaches..."
Written by Chris Eyte from Skinspired, who run ski and snowboard holidays in Spain.