The 2023-2024 ski season, which closed yesterday except in Masella and Boí Taüll, which will extend the campaign a little longer, will go down in history for having survived the driest and hottest winter since records are kept climatic And, as was predicted from the beginning of the campaign – Aragon was unable to open the Constitución bridge and the Catalan stations that opened worked below the minimum (only Baqueira was saved) in that premiere – the balance will not be positive on a general scale, not including the excellent Easter occupation. Despite the fact that the disaster, they insist from the snow business, “could have been much bigger” with such adverse weather.
With the day of the slopes closing for most resorts, it’s time to take stock. And the first numbers that emerged yesterday attest to the feared significant loss of skiers, at least in the Catalan public ski resorts, managed by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat.
The 2023-2024 season closes in these complexes (La Molina, Vallter, Espot Esquí, Vall de Núria, Port Ainé, and Boí Taüll), with 640,000 ski days sold. They are 200,000 days less than the 838,082 registered in the 2022-2023 campaign. A substantial loss of skiers, caused by the difficulties the resorts have had in the winter to keep the slopes operational and in good condition.
Paradoxically, this season brings down the curtain when there is more snow in those mountains (up to two meters thick) than what they have had all winter, thanks to the late and copious rainfall of two weeks ago.
Despite the negative figures in visits by skiers, from Ferrocarrils they put the focus on highlighting the economic reward for the mountain regions, thanks to the effort in the public management of the resorts to keep the slopes open, with more or less skiable kilometers
“The six public ski and mountain resorts have closed this season with an aggregate business volume of more than 50 million euros for the valleys where those complexes are located,” explains a press release issued yesterday by Ferrocarrils. From the office assigned to Territory, it is insisted that the objective sought with this management is for the snow business to return to the territory where it is developed. And they would be right, since in those mountain regions it is taken for granted that, without the intervention of the Generalitat, most of the stations – key to local economies – would be closed today.
The balance sheet of Ferrocarrils highlights the extra work in the complexes to cheat the climatic adversity of this season. “Except for March – says the same note -, marked by heavy snowfall, this winter has been characterized by the drought that affects all of Catalonia and by abnormally higher temperatures than usual”. Despite everything, adds the statement, it has been possible to attract these 640,000 skiers thanks to the human effort made on the slopes “to reduce the impact of weather effects”.
The only positive note this season, in terms of the influx of skiers, is expected to come from Antony Baqueira Beret. The Aranese station plans to report its balance sheet today, but it is already predicted that its numbers, instead of negative, could be favorable. This resort has been luckier than the rest with the few snowfalls this winter. And, presenting more favorable conditions than competitors for skiing, it has captured many fans looking for the best snow on their getaways. In mid-January it was stated that Baqueira Beret had received 10% more skiers on that date than during the same period last year. If this trend has been maintained in recent weeks, it could be that the Aranese resort closes the 2023-2024 season with more skiers than last year. In the 2022-2023 campaign, Baqueira sold 990,000 ski days. It was the second best season in their history. So, if these numbers are exceeded, the station could boast a record number of visits during the driest and hottest winter in living memory. We will have to wait to know the official figures.
Masella, the second most important private station in Catalonia after Baqueira, is still not passing numbers because it intends to extend the season until April 14. With the adverse conditions this winter, it is expected to be difficult for the Cerdanya resort to have reached 377,686 ski days sold in the 2022-2023 campaign. The stations in Aragon have sold, for their part, 800,000 ski passes, far from the 1.1 million last year.
