For the first time in history, the ladies’ World Cup tour stops in Soldeu, Andorra at Grandvalira, the largest ski resort in the Pyrenees, with a giant slalom and slalom.

A brand new venue for the Audi FIS World Cup, both competitions will be held on Grandvalira’s black Avet slope, the top of which stands at about 2,250 meters, while the village of Soldeu is located at 1,700 meters. Several renovations have been made to the Avet slope over the last five years in preparation for this season’s World Cup event.

Pas de la Casa near the French border in Andorra first staged a European Cup in 1974, and has been a regular stop on the European circuit since 2003. European Cup races were held on the Avet slope in 2009 and following the World Cup races in February, will host the ladies European Cup again in March.

The Grandvalira ski area reaches a vast amount of terrain (193 kilometers of marked slopes), from Pas de la Casa to Encamp, Grau Roig, El Tarter, Canillo and Soldeu. The nearest ski area in France is Porte des Neiges.

Skiing is one of the staples of the Andorran economy and the European state has produced 28 Olympic skiers to date. Located about two and a half hours from Barcelona in northern Spain, Andorra is the sixth smallest European nation, with an area of 468 square kilometers.

Although English is spoken in many shops and restaurants around Soldeu, the native language of Andorra is Catalan. French, Spanish and Portuguese are also commonly heard throughout the country.