Skiing the Planet

Monday, April 13, 2026

Catalonia Caves II

It was a hard days night, a long day of skiing but I was NOT satisfied. I also wanted to visit a cave. Grottocenter gave me multiple hits within a half an hour's dive from the hotel and fairly close to the road, but ... it was a challenge. I couldn't be sure I had found the first one, or maybe I did but then it didn't match the description. And the second one I did find but it was an easy but unnerving and unsecured climb away, 4-5 meters up on a cliff face.

The first cave, Balma de la Paret in El Compte, was supposed to be right by the road. Close to the designated coordinates there was a small but intriguing hole too high to reach, another unnerving climb and also blocked by thick and sharp bushes. Several other candidate hole-like things may have also been on the wall higher up.

But these holes also didn't match the map and description from Espeleoworld, as it was supposed to be covered by a man-made front wall. Some 50 or 100 meters down the road there was an intersection with man-made rock walls that I investigated on second pass through this area, but it also didn't seem to have any cave hole.

The coordinates for this cave were expected to be N 42.3337385 E 1.0654971. More information here.

Photos of the location and my main suspected cave hole, the one I couldn't reach:

The second cave was Cova del Mirador de l'Infern in Solduga-Esplugues. It is easy to find, you can even see it from the hike up. But closer to it I actually missed the cave initially, passing right under it first as I kept trying to find it on my level rather than looking high up enough. I ended doing a sketchy climb on steep animal path until I realized I must have passed it and returned.

There's a small parking lot by the road and even a sign for the cave and other hiking paths through the area. There's a good path leading up, maybe a 10 minute climb from the parking lot to the cave. When you get close to the massive cliff wall, turn right to head towards the cliff face. There you find some climbing spots and even some ropes left by climbers.

The first thing you''ll notice is about a two meter deep shelter cave under the cliff. The actual cave is above it, on the right side. However, to reach it one has to climb about four meters on the cliff face. There's some hand holds and a ledge to step on, but ... it is high and the consequences of falling down on bushes and the steep hill are severe. Plus I was alone and the night was coming.

Oh well, enough excuses. I was afraid. The coordinates for this cave are N 42.2852392 E 1.0357393. Read more about the cave here and here.

One photo of this cave is in the opening picture of this article, others below:

On the same path you could also reach a more famous nearby cave, Forat del Serpent (cave of the Serpent). The coordinates for this cave are N 42.280975 E 1.034601. You may alternatively (and that's probably the recommended approach) access it further south from the pedestrian road that bypasses the next tunnel. In any case, this cave is much higher and requires at least half an hour hike. More information about this cave here, here, here, and here. Note that I have not been to this cave and there seems to be some confusion about the location of the cave. Google and Grottocenter give a different location, and in addition there may be two different caves, Forat del Serpent and Cova del Serpent.

Sign from the same parking lot as from the previous cave:

This article has also been published at Planetcaver.net here. Read the full Planetskier series at planetskier.net, urban exploration stories from theurbanexplorer.net, and other underground stories from planetcaver.net, or all blog articles from Blogspot. Photos and text (c) 2026 by Jari Arkko. All rights reserved.

Port Ainé and Espot Esquí

I've already been to multiple ski resorts in this corner of the world, in Andorra (alt. link), and also here on the Spanish side: Port del Comte (alt. link), La Molina (alt. link). But now I had an opportunity to take a day and a half off after my meetings in Barcelona, could I score some more ski resorts?

I was able! Actually, one day was just about enough to visit two ones close to each other, Port Ainé and Espot Esquí. I had never heard of them before, but both are in the kilometer-of-vertical (or almost) class so not at all insignificant. Massive, I would say. And overall a super nice experience, particularly due to the snow that had fallen on the night before my visit. I got to ski fresh powder! ... Maybe a bit wet but still.

Magnificent slopes, both resorts. Both also had good restaurants and facilities on the slopes, and at least on that early March day, I was able to get up there without chains. And found parking close to the lifts in both cases. Both resorts have a bottom lift and some of the biggest restaurant and other facilities are on the middle mountain. Both go pretty high up, to about two and half kilometers.

Both also have a lot of terrain that you can ski outside the prepared slopes: trees, open space, cliffs... just be careful out there. Just because you are in Spain doesn't mean that the mountains are mellow. Avalanches, hidden obstacles, and, as mentioned, cliffs are a danger. Or visibility. I experienced severe fog in Port Ainé in the morning for instance.

There are wonderful views in both, e.g., the opening picture above and the one below are from Espot:

A view from Port Ainé:

I really loved the skier's right side slopes in Port Ainé, e.g., Barranc de Comalforn (17) or Messegué Utge (18). As well as El Tub de l'Olla (20). Well, those are the black ones... also liked the red ones. Barranc de Comalforn was particularly nice black slope, as it was through the woods, far away from the main resort. Also happened to have powdery fresh snow on the sides quite a bit. Very nice. A picture from those sides:

In Espot Esquí, I really liked Tub de la Pala (black) and La Dos, both steep slopes coming straight down from the top. Sustained, fun, straight. A picture from La Dos:

And in both ski resorts, skiing down from the top to the bottom is a lot of fun, even if the bottom slopes are not typically in the best condition in the afternoon.

Here's the basic information about the resorts:

Port Ainé, in Rialp. Vertical difference 790 meters, and highest point 2440 meters. The coordinates are N 42.428408 E 1.212051, home page here. Ski are map:

Espot Esquí, in Espot. Vertical difference 1000 meters, and highest point 2500 meters. The coordinates are N 42.563875 E 1.094009, home page here. Ski area map:

To ski these places I stayed at the Hotel Pessets Restaurant & Spa, which I wrote about separately here (alt. link).

Pictures from Port Ainé:

And pictures from Espot Esquí:

My lift tickets:

Sunday, April 12, 2026

Last day of lift-assisted skiing in Southern Finland

On April 3 I was wondering if I'd done my last lift-assisted turns in Southern Finland. But no, they were done today on April 12, at Vihti Ski. I was on the tail end of a flu, so only showed up half an hour before they would close (at 12!) and was one the last lifts up. Wonderful skiing though.

Golfers were already out ... and outnumbered the skiers. Still a lot of skiers, kids and adults and even hard core racers.

The spring is at least a month ahead, on several years there's been skiing in Vihti or Hyvinkää in early May. Sigh. Global warming or just this year?

Sadly, my flu prevented me from joining Jarmo at Vihti on the previous day. The next day I had recovered enough to manage a couple of runs. Still, writing this in the evening, I wonder if I should have gone... illness has not gone away or has gotten back...

According to ski.fi there's one more ski resort open though, but that's 200 km north from where I am. Sappee. I was there few years ago, after they had closed... and was chased by an angry snow cat. Perhaps rightly so, I shouldn't have been there when they were closed. Still.

Hong Kong caves at the Cape d'Aguilar

Are there caves in Hong Kong? With the mountainous region this small place has, one would assume there are some. I found a handful on my search through the interwebs, but most of them were not easily accessible, beach caves on islands that would require a boat trip, caves that can only be accessed from the sea, etc. However, the Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve hosts two wonderful caves that can be reached relatively easily. Both of these are beach caves.

To get to the marine reserve, one has to first get to the Shau Kei Wan train station, then take bus 9 to Windy Gap (not all bus nines stops at that though, see more detailed instructions here), and then walk four kilometers through the park to the reserve on the south end of the peninsula. We opted taking a taxi from my hotel in Hong Kong city center, all the way to Windy Gap. That is the easiest option, and not particularly expensive either (25-30€).

The walk from Windy Gap to the is very nice, along a gently sloping asphalt road among lush forests and hills. At the some point you hit some radio station areas, which you'll have to go around (don't go to fenced areas). Once past that point you will continue again on an asphalt road, until you arrive at the marine research building and the whale skeleton displayed in front of it.

Here's an overview of the marine reserve area, with the research building on the left.

And the whale:

Just before the marine research building there's a depression on the left, with a clearly visible large crack on the other side rock. This is the first, and more spectacular cave. It is a crack through the small hill, you enter from the land side/depression into the crack. The crack goes all the way to the sea on the other side of the hill, and waves crash inside the cave as well. Be careful, don't get drawn in the water by the waves!

A spectacular cave!

Then if you go around the research building, just behind the whale skeleton there's another cave, a rock arch. Also here the waves crash through the hole, be very careful here as well. Spectacular arch, but not as cave like as the other cave.

The crack cave, Cape d'Aguilar Sea Cave, is at N 22.208416 E 114.259597, and the arch cave, also Cape d'Aguilar Sea Cave, is at N 22.208037 E 114.260739.

More pictures from the crack cave:

And from the rock arch cave:

And from the marine reserve:

I did this on the way in on my conference trip to China (flights were most convenient to Hong Kong), and on the way we managed to look (but not visit) at yet another cave, the Dragon Claw Cave. See the other article (alt. link).

After the cave excursion, I continued on the high-speed train to China's Shenzhen. The trains were wonderful, see below for a view of what kind of accommodation one needs for the the very long 12 minute trip. (Lower class tickets were sold out.)