La Molina (ski resort)

La Molina is a ski resort in the Pyrenees mountains of northeastern Spain, in the municipality of Alp in the comarca of Cerdanya in Girona, Catalonia. Together with Masella, it forms the Alp 2500 resort.

La Molina
La Molina ski resort
La Molina ski resort
La Molina is located in Spain
La Molina
La Molina
Location within Spain
La Molina is located in Catalonia
La Molina
La Molina
La Molina (Catalonia)
La Molina is located in Pyrenees
La Molina
La Molina
La Molina (Pyrenees)
LocationPyrenees mountains,
Catalonia,
 Spain
Nearest major cityBarcelona
Coordinates42°20′37″N 1°57′22″E / 42.34361°N 1.95611°E / 42.34361; 1.95611
Vertical   745 m (2,444 ft)
Top elevation2,445 m (8,022 ft)
Base elevation1,700 m (5,600 ft)
Trails52
Websitelamolina.com

It is the site of the first ski lift in Spain, opened on 28 February 1943, and Spain's first ski school, which opened a year later.[1]

It is served by a RENFE / Rodalies train station.[2]

Sport and recreation

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The area hosted World Cup alpine races in December 2008 (women's technical events) [3] and hosted the Snowboarding World Championships in January 2011. In 2013 the resort hosted the 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships. New facilities such as a new track with a lift in the area of Pla d'Anyella have been built.

On 23 March 2016 the resort was the finishing point for the third stage of the road cycling race the Volta a Catalunya, which was won by Dan Martin of Etixx–Quick-Step.[4]

Climate

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La Molina has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb), bordering on a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb). It is characterized by cool winters and cool to warm summers, with precipitation being constant throughout the year. Temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F) occur during winter and nights below −5 °C (23 °F) are common.[5] Snow is also quite common, being a tourist attraction during winter.[6]

Climate data for La Molina altitude 1703m (1991–2020), extremes (1932-present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 17.0
(62.6)
20.0
(68.0)
19.5
(67.1)
22.0
(71.6)
27.2
(81.0)
30.6
(87.1)
31.9
(89.4)
31.5
(88.7)
29.0
(84.2)
26.4
(79.5)
20.0
(68.0)
17.0
(62.6)
31.9
(89.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 4.4
(39.9)
5.7
(42.3)
8.3
(46.9)
9.9
(49.8)
13.7
(56.7)
17.7
(63.9)
21.4
(70.5)
21.3
(70.3)
16.8
(62.2)
12.8
(55.0)
7.9
(46.2)
4.9
(40.8)
12.1
(53.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 0.7
(33.3)
1.1
(34.0)
3.5
(38.3)
5.2
(41.4)
8.8
(47.8)
12.6
(54.7)
15.8
(60.4)
15.8
(60.4)
11.7
(53.1)
8.2
(46.8)
3.9
(39.0)
1.4
(34.5)
7.4
(45.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.1
(26.4)
−3.4
(25.9)
−1.3
(29.7)
0.4
(32.7)
3.8
(38.8)
7.4
(45.3)
10.2
(50.4)
10.3
(50.5)
6.5
(43.7)
3.7
(38.7)
−0.1
(31.8)
−2.0
(28.4)
2.7
(36.9)
Record low °C (°F) −20.0
(−4.0)
−19.6
(−3.3)
−18.0
(−0.4)
−11.8
(10.8)
−7.0
(19.4)
−3.4
(25.9)
0.1
(32.2)
0.6
(33.1)
−4.4
(24.1)
−11.0
(12.2)
−13.6
(7.5)
−18.0
(−0.4)
−20.0
(−4.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 69.3
(2.73)
30.5
(1.20)
64.1
(2.52)
102.0
(4.02)
108.5
(4.27)
91.0
(3.58)
72.4
(2.85)
74.2
(2.92)
98.7
(3.89)
106.4
(4.19)
90.0
(3.54)
74.2
(2.92)
981.3
(38.63)
Source: Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia[7]

References

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  1. ^ "El Xalet de La Molina - The Chalet at La Molina" (in Spanish). 2005-12-08. Archived from the original on 2009-05-03. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
  2. ^ "Rodalies Timetables and Prices". Rodalies. Retrieved 2015-02-03.
  3. ^ FIS.ski.com Archived 2011-03-19 at the Wayback Machine - La Molina events - 2008-12
  4. ^ Clarke, Stuart. "Dan Martin times it right to win stage three of Volta a Catalunya and take race lead". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  5. ^ "AEMET OpenData". Aemet.es. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  6. ^ "La Molina". lamolina.cat. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  7. ^ "AEMET OpenData". Aemet.es. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
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