What you can see on the La Molina webcams
Three of the cameras are 360-degree panoramas that you can turn round: at the top and the bottom of the Cap de Comella chairlift and in the wide valley of Torrent Negre. Between them they cover the nursery slopes among the pines, the bare rounded tops of the upper mountain and the lift stations in between. Three still cameras complete the set: one across a long run, another from the midstation of the gondola looking out to a range of mountains on the horizon, and a third over the resort's lake. In winter they show the snow cover and the people on the slopes; in summer, the green of the pastures and the walkers.
La Molina webcam at the top of Cap de Comella, 2,070 m
This 360-degree FGC camera stands by the top station of the Cap de Comella chairlift, at 2,070 m (6,790 ft), one of the main lifts on La Molina's upper slopes. Turn the panorama and you go from the chairlift station across wide, open ground to rolling grassy summits, with a dark wood filling the valley below and long lines of mountains fading into the distance.
From here you see the whole upper part of the resort at once, above the trees, where wind and fresh snow make the biggest difference. In summer the same ground is open walking country and the views stretch out across the Cerdanya.
The bottom of Cap de Comella, in the trees at 1,664 m
This FGC panorama turns 360 degrees around the bottom station of the Cap de Comella chairlift, at 1,664 m (5,460 ft). Around it you see a nursery area with a covered conveyor belt, tracks leading off between the pines, the apartments at the edge of the resort and, above the forest, the bare rounded tops where the higher runs begin.
Down here among the trees is where beginners and families spend their day, and it is the camera to check the snow cover at the lowest level of the resort and how busy the bottom of the mountain is.
Torrent Negre at La Molina, 360 degrees at 2,000 m
The Torrent Negre camera, one of FGC's 360-degree panoramas, sits on a building at about 2,000 m (6,560 ft), beside the bottom of a chairlift. In one direction it looks up a broad, grassy valley with patches of pine and the fence lines that hold the snow; in the other, along a track that climbs towards the upper slopes, with open hills all around.
The valley is wide and almost treeless, so it shows the depth of snow on the open slopes and how the wind is moving it. Red netting along the runs gives a scale for the snow.
La Molina's Pista Llarga, from a still camera
This FGC camera looks across Pista Llarga, one of La Molina's runs, from the edge of the piste. The broad slope fills the picture, with scattered pines, a row of snow cannons and a chairlift line on the left, the forest on the skyline and a building at the top of the slope.
It is the view for checking how well covered the lower main run is and how busy it gets. It is a still photo, not a video, stamped with the date and time in the corner: the reload button brings the latest one.
La Molina webcam at the Cadí-Moixeró gondola midstation
This still camera of FGC stands at the intermediate station of the Cadí-Moixeró gondola, the long lift that links La Molina with the top of the Tosa and Masella. It looks across a wide, open slope lined with snow fences to the far side of the valley, where a long range of mountains stretches across the horizon.
The distant range makes this the best camera for visibility: if you can see it sharply, the air is clear; if it has vanished, cloud or mist is coming in. In winter the open slope in front shows the snow cover. It is a small still photo, not a video: the reload button brings the latest one.
The lake at La Molina, from the waterside decking
This FGC camera looks down on the lake at La Molina, in the woods of the resort, from beside a wooden viewing platform at its edge. The water fills the top of the picture, with a path along the shore, pines behind and the decking and gravel in the foreground.
In a cold spell you can see whether ice has formed, and in summer the camera shows whether the water is calm or ruffled by the wind and how busy the decking is. It is a still photo, not a video: the reload button brings the latest one.
The first ski lift in Spain
The first ski lift in Spain opened at La Molina on 28 February 1943, and the country's first ski school followed a year later. The ski area climbs from about 1,650 m (5,410 ft) to the summit of the Tosa d'Alp, at 2,537 m (8,323 ft), where a mountain refuge looks out over the whole Cerdanya. A gondola links La Molina with Masella, and together they form the Alp 2500 ski area. The resort has hosted World Cup races and, in 2011, the Snowboarding World Championships.
When to watch La Molina
Spain is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. The season usually runs from December to Easter. Look in the morning, before cloud builds over the tops, and check the cameras on the open upper slopes for wind, which can close the highest lifts even on a sunny day.
Around La Molina
Below the resort lies the Cerdanya, a wide, sunny valley shared with France, with Puigcerdà, its capital, about 20 minutes away: see our Puigcerdà and Cerdanya webcams. The Cadí-Moixeró natural park, with its walking trails, is right next door.
Getting to La Molina
The nearest airports with flights from the UK and Ireland are Girona, about 80 miles (130 km) away, and Barcelona, about 100 miles (160 km). La Molina has its own railway station on the line from Barcelona to Puigcerdà, so you can arrive by train. In winter, carry snow chains.
