Valdesquí is a

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

situated near the town of

Rascafría Rascafría is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain. In its territory is the Monastery of Santa Maria de El Paular The Monasterio de Santa María de El Paular (Santa María de El Paular Monastery) is a former Carthusian monastery ...

in the

Sierra de Guadarrama The Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains) is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges along the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the systems Sierra de G ...

near

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

(

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

). The area is close to the Navacerrada resort (Madrid), and projects have been attempted to link the two areas, stopped by

ecologist Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

movements.

The resort

Valdesquí has 21 km of marked

piste A ''piste'' () is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. This European term is French

s, making it one of the biggest ski areas of the

Sistema Central The Central System, Spanish and pt, Sistema Central, is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula. The 2,592 m high Pico Almanzor is its highest summit. The Central System is located just north of the 40th parallel a ...

chain. The highest point is "''La Bola del Mundo''" (2280 metres AMSL), with a vertical drop of 400 metres. The base of the area is situated at 1860 metres AMSL. From there the

chair lift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...

s provide access to the different pistes. The resort itself occupies a high mountain valley called "''Valle del Noruego''." The valley is accessible by car, with a parking and service area at its base from where the lifts depart. There is also a

Cercanías The commuter rail systems of Spain's major metropolitan areas are called ''Cercanías'' () in most of Spain, ''Rodalia'' () in the Valencian Community, ''Aldiriak'' () in the Basque Country and ''Rodalies'' () in Catalonia. There are twelve ''Ce ...

railway line that stops at nearby Cotos. From there shuttle bus services provide access to the resort.

Lifts

Many of the resort's lifts are modern and high-capacity. The resort features: * 5 chair lifts * 11

ski tow A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

Pistes

The resort offers 29 pistes of different difficulties: * 12 beginner pistes * 14 easy pistes * 3 intermediate pistes

Services

* 2

restaurants A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

called 1850 and 2000 referring to the height where they are situated * 1 skiing school * 1 snow gardens for children * 1

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...

* 1 ski hiring store

External links

* http://www.valdesqui.es - Official resort site. * http://www.madrid-guide-spain.com/madrid-ski.html ENG - Directions and prices for Skiing in Madrid {{DEFAULTSORT:Valdesqui Ski areas and resorts in Spain Sports venues in the Community of Madrid