Grandvalira, the Andorran ski area that includes the ski resorts of Pas de la Casa and Soldeu, will add a new 10 person gondola, six-seat chairlift and a quad chair to its impressive tally of lifts.

The region was created last season when Soldeu and Pas de la Casa finally agreed a joint lift ticket, this season the merger is so advanced that the two have announced they will no longer be treating Soldeu and pas de la Casa as separate resorts; but just two on the list of 'sectors' for Grandvalira, which also include Encamp, Canillo, El Tarter and Grau Roig.

The new lifts include a 10 seat gondola with exit onto the El Tarter car park and transport to Pla de Riba Escorxada. A new six-person detachable chair lift, Coma I, to replace the ski lift of the same name in Grau Roig and a new fixed-grip quad chair lift, the Cap de Clot, to replace the current Enlla� lift linking El Tarter with Canillo.

Grandvalira now has 63 lifts, with a joint uplift of 94,500 skiers per hour, serving 193km of trails. The lifts include 15 quad chairlifts and eight six-seater chairs, the most of this type of lift for any one ski area.

This season ski tickets for Soldeu and Poas de la Casa will no longer be available only for Grand Valira (except for half day tickets which are available for one sector or the other and one day which are available for either a sector or the whole Grandvalira area). Six day Grandvalira tickets are 163.50 Euros low season, 168 Euros high season. In 2003-'04 Pas de la Casa six day passes were 149.5 Euros, up eight percent on the '02-'03 season. Last season Soldeu-only passes were 150 Euros for six days.