| Port del Comte | |
|---|---|
Port del Comte from d'Estivella | |
| Location | Port del Comte,  |
| Nearest city | La Coma i la Pedra |
| Coordinates | 42°10′22″N1°33′43″E / 42.17278°N 1.56194°E |
| Vertical | 700 m - (2297 ft.) |
| Top elevation | 2400 m - (7874 ft.) |
| Base elevation | 1700 m - (5577 ft.) |
| Runs | Black: 5 Red: 13 Blue: 11 Green: 7 36 Total (40km) |
| Lift system | 15 Total (5 Chairlifts , 8 Platter lifts, 2 Carpets) |
| Lift capacity | 15,460 per hr. |
| Snowmaking | partial |
| Website | portdelcomte.net |
Port del Comte (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈpɔrd dəl ˈkɔmtə] ) is a ski resort in located in the Port del Comte mountain range, in the pre-Pyrenees, at the north of the Serra de Querol, in Catalonia, Spain. The ski area has a summit elevation of 2400 m (7874 ft.) above sea level and a base of 1700 m (5577 ft.) with a vertical drop of 700 m (2297 ft.).
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes and a ski lift system. In North America, it is more common for ski areas to exist well away from towns, so ski resorts usually are destination resorts, often purpose-built and self-contained, where skiing is the main activity.
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between Spain and France. Reaching a height of 3,404 metres (11,168 ft) altitude at the peak of Aneto, the range separates the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe, and extends for about 491 km (305 mi) from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea.
Catalonia is an autonomous community in Spain on the northeastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula, designated as a nationality by its Statute of Autonomy. Catalonia consists of four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. The capital and largest city is Barcelona, the second-most populated municipality in Spain and the core of the sixth most populous urban area in the European Union. It comprises most of the territory of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is bordered by France (Occitanie) and Andorra to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, and the Spanish autonomous communities of Aragon to the west and Valencia to the south. The official languages are Catalan, Spanish, and the Aranese dialect of Occitan.
The resort is divided into two sectors: the first includes the Querol and north of Serrat de la Bòfia. It has all of the service centers and parking, as well as the lifts with greater capacity. Three chairlifts have been recently added, as well as snowmaking on some of the runs. The other sector is located in an area between the highest Pedró dels Quatre Batlles and Estivella. It has no road access: access is by a double chairlift from a south-southwest orientation of the runs, which often suffer from lack of snowpack. This area of the resort, which lacks snowmaking, is often closed when the other areas are open.
Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun," also known as a "snow cannon." Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliability of their snow cover and to extend their ski seasons from late autumn to early spring. Indoor ski slopes often use snowmaking. They can generally do so year-round as they have a climate-controlled environment.
