The 2026-27 ski season in Andorra, date by date

Every autumn the same question comes round, when does the Andorra ski season start. This winter the answer is already published, and it’s the same at all three downhill resorts. Here are the official dates, what can move them and how I’d use them to pick a week, with British school holidays in mind.

The 2026-27 dates

Grandvalira, Pal Arinsal and Ordino Arcalís plan to open on 4 December 2026 and close on 4 April 2027, with lifts running from 9am to 5pm. All three add the same caveat, that both dates depend on the weather. That isn’t boilerplate. Last season, Grandvalira’s weather page still logged its latest snowfall on 3 April 2026. Snow decides, in December and in April.

Naturland runs on its own timetable because it’s a different kind of place. Its 2000 level, home to 15 km of cross-country trails, is open every day between 28 November 2026 and 4 April 2027, 9am to 5pm. Down at the 1600 level, where the activities are, you’ll find it open from 10am to 5pm at weekends, on the 5-8 December bridge and in the Christmas and Easter holidays. More in my guide to Naturland.

Ski Canaro, the small beginners’ area in Soldeu, has only published last season’s closing date, 6 April 2026. There’s no opening date for the coming winter yet, so I won’t guess one.

What if there’s no snow?

The short answer is that the resort decides and the date moves. To cut the risk, Grandvalira says snowmaking covers 66% of its area, and Ordino Arcalís, with 101 snow cannons and a north-facing aspect, reckons it’s probably the Pyrenean resort most likely to open early. Andorra’s tourist board says snow reaches the high mountains around November and the heaviest falls come from December to February.

Ordino Arcalís also has a weather guarantee on day passes. If you’re not happy after your first lift, you swap the pass for another day at its ticket office. To see what’s open before you set off, the Andorra snow report is updated every morning with runs, lifts and snow depths.

What changes through the winter

On 10 December the non-resident adult Andorra Pass goes from €1,019 to €1,433, and the Nord Pass from €788 to €977. If you’re buying a season pass, that’s the only date that really matters. I’ve gathered everything else about passes under Andorra ski pass.

Before the lifts open, the Fira d’Andorra in Andorra la Vella’s Parc Central sells season passes from 23 to 25 October 2026, and the Grandvalira Resorts desk at the Illa Carlemany shopping centre serves customers from 5 October. It closes during the fair and on three winter holidays, 25 December, 1 January and 14 March.

Once the season is under way, the big date is 6 and 7 March 2027, when the women’s Alpine Ski World Cup returns to the Avet run in Soldeu for a giant slalom and a slalom. Grandvalira says it’ll be the seventh time in Andorra. I cover it in the Soldeu Ski World Cup.

Which weeks would I choose?

I’m speaking as a planner here, not a weather forecaster. The first weekend of December has the thrill of fresh pistes, but only if it has snowed, and I wouldn’t pay anything non-refundable for it. Christmas and February half-term are the most sought-after weeks, and the clearest sign is that the resorts don’t even offer their group discount then.

Midweek in January, away from the New Year rush, strikes me as the best balance between snow and crowds. The first fortnight of March has longer days, comes straight after the snowiest months according to the tourist board and coincides with the World Cup, although Soldeu will be packed that weekend. For anything in the final days before the 4 April closing, I’d look first at Ordino Arcalís because it faces north.

Lift hours and night skiing

All three resorts run their lifts from 9am to 5pm, and Grandvalira points out that skiing outside those hours isn’t allowed, for safety. The exceptions are specific runs and nights for night skiing, such as the floodlit run at Pas de la Casa and the Peretol snowpark, which runs from 3pm to 9pm every day except Monday. I explain it all in night skiing in Andorra. The end of the season, with closing day on 4 April 2027 and what stays open afterwards, is in Andorra in April.