Adventures in the Snow

Girl on snowmobile

Mondays are always better in the mountains.  Even better when it is a sunny bluebird day and there is powder snow everywhere, but they can even become epic Mondays when the Andorra Resorts team had a big surprise planned: A Nordic adventure in the mountains of Grau Roig.

You may wonder, what is this Nordic adventure about? It starts with an injection of adrenaline driving snowmobiles, and ends with a tranquil mushing ride among the snowy trees of the Pyrenees.

Team on snowmobiles Team on snowmobiles Team on snowmobiles through forest Team on snowmobiles in powder snow

We arrived at Grau Roig and had two snowmobiles waiting for us, our selected vehicles can take two people (one driver and one rider). Everybody has usually driven a motorbike before, but a snowmobile? That’s not as common! And it’s not as simple as it seems! Luckily, our RocRoi guide was fully prepared us to teach us the basics on how to drive them and most importantly, be safe.  We learnt all the controls, such as accelerating, braking and turning safely. Our guide gave us a helmet to protect ourselves and we got on the bike, is it never too late to learn new things, right?

A few minutes of practice on the flat snow, turn to the right, turn to the left, and we were prepared to head to the forests of Grau Roig. If you like snow and speed, snowmobiles are for you!  Because these vehicles can go as fast as a scooter reaching easily 60km / h, but always with caution! In addition, it is not just about sitting and letting the snowmobile to take you, but at each turn you have to use your weight to balance the bike moving from side to side, making the experience even more fun.

Team on snowmobiles Team on snowmobile Team on snowmobiles Powder snow and blue sky

After many trees dodged, climbs, descents and turns, we were stuck in a pile of powder snow, but, do not panic, there was our guide to help us with the reverse gear and continue our trip.

After 30 minutes of driving the snowmobile, last straight run, it’s time to hit the accelerator and feel the air of the mountain at full speed hitting us in the face. Undoubtedly, a feeling that we will never forget!  A 30 min drive (for one or two adults) is €80. Take a look at our video here:

Then when we thought that our Monday could not get better, there were waiting for us a bunch of Alaskan dogs ready to take us among the forests of Grau Roig. Who cannot fall in love with these energetic dogs with fluffy hair and deep eyes

All ready: two sledges with 11 dogs each and two mushers to drive the sled, and of course, the Andorra Resorts team to enjoy this unforgettable experience. Not a dog moves until the musher says “Avant” which means GO, and quickly each of the dogs starts to walk, and even run which is what they like the most, reaching even 16 km/h. The cold temperature is their natural habitat and their great physical capacity allows them to be able to walk for even 140km in a single day.

Dog mushing Team on sled Alaskan dogs Team with Alaskan dogs

But what language do they speak? As their ancestors come from the north pole, but they are in Andorra, curiously these dogs speak a mixture of Inuit and French, and it seems that they understand it perfectly!

The connection of nature, on a beautiful day, with dogs, snow and mountain certainly is a magical experience.  Available for two, three and five km rides starting from €50. After this ride in which we even dared to do the mushing and drive the sledge we said goodbye to the lovely dogs, who run at full speed to lunch, perhaps because they knew it’s time to eat and nobody wants to be the last one! Check here our video of the Mushing:

No doubt it was a Monday that we will never forget thanks to the RocRoi team in Grau Roig.  RocRoi offer a range of activities from the snowmobiles and mushing that we have mentioned above to snowshoeing, tubing and even paintball in the snow.  These activities can really enhance and add to your winter break and leave you with experiences you’ll never forget.  If you would be interested in taking part in any of the activities, or simply to find out more, then get in touch.