Cerler, Spain
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Cerler is a somewhat undiscovered gem of a resort located in the north of Spain in the Pyrenees, close to the French border. This area is not always guaranteed good snowfall, but when it does snow, it really dumps...

Cerler and several other resorts (including Formigal) were recently taken over by Aramon, which is a resort management company part-owned by the Spanish government. They have spared no expense in developing the resort; all the chairlifts and mountain infrastructure are modern and efficient. The mountain restaurants are plush, well laid out eateries with a mix of traditional and contemporary decor, the snowpark is perfectly shaped with lots of obstacles to ride, and the most important factor in the resort is it's superb snowmaking facilities. Indeed, Cerler has one of the most extensive snowmaking networks of any European resort. This means that even with very little snowfall, the pistes remain well covered and well groomed.

The town of Cerler has also undergone redevelopment, but it has all been done in a very tasteful manner. All the buildings are built in local stone and everything blends together well.

Snowboarding in Cerler:
The terrain around Cerler is made up of steep faces and rolling mountains, which makes for lots of natural hits all over the ski area. Cruising around you will notice endless possibilities for kicker spots so just pick a spot and get building...

The snowpark lies below the Rincon de Cielo chairlift, close to the main station. There are around six rails including kinked rails, flat bars, and boxes. There are also several sets of kickers and a halfpipe, when snow allows (when we visited in early January these had not yet been built). The only thing the snowpark lacks is its own lift. To do laps of the park you have to ride down to the bottom of the run to take the chair back up. This chairlift, however, does also provide access to some great tree lined freeriding terrain to the left of the snowpark. The park is well shaped and maintained by Snowboard Division, a specialist Spanish snowpark company.

photo: andrew winter testing out the prestige cerler snowpark | a de la haye

For more freeriding terrain, head over to the Basibe chairlift. This area is a freestyle paraside with natural rollers and windlips everywhere. There is also a patrolled off-piste area called Canal Amplla, again well worth checking out if there is fresh snow. There is enough varied terrain to keep snowboarders busy exploring for a week, although in that time you would easily see most of the area. For more adventurous riders, there is some very advanced snowboarding to be done if you are willing to hike.

Nightlife:
The nightlife in Cerler is limited to a couple of bars. The town of Benasque is 4km down the road and it is a different story here, indeed this is one of the liveliest mountain towns you will come across. There are lots of bars and all of them seem to have a friendly yet rawcus atmosphere. Five euros in Molly's Irish bar will buy you the biggest JD and coke you've ever seen, but to get more into the Spanish vibe check out "Rabason". This has a proper Spanish tavern feel to it. The walls and ceiling are all completely engraved with initials and you feel as if Antonio Banderes out of Desperado could bust in at any moment and unleash on the place. Again the drinks are strong and cheap.

Staying Here:
It is only a 10 minute free bus ride from Benasque up to the ski lifts in Cerler, so if you are coming on holiday we would reccommend staying down here as there seems to be a lot more going on in the town. If you prefer to be close to the pistes, the Hotel HG is the place to stay. Perched on a hill overlooking the village of Cerler, the HG is a modern sophisticated hotel complete with a bar, internet, pool tables, restaurant, and it's own swimming pool and spa.

Travel to Cerler:
The closest airport to the Spanish Pyrenees is Zaragoza, 3 hours transfer away. Flying from the UK, the only service is operated by RyanAir. The flights are usually very cheap but just make sure you pay for your snowboard or skis when you book or you'll get stung at the airport! Barcelona is also not too far away, around 4 hours transfer. Spain has a good high speed train network which makes getting from one city to another relatively quick and easy.


Resorts in the Pyrenees are often overlooked and most of us tend to stick with the Alps, yet the Alps are overcrowded and overpriced. The Spanish Pyrenees has great terrain and great culture, all at a price that will not blow the average snowboarders wallet.

www.cerler.com

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