Ski Resorts
Aragón – Pyrenees Ski Resorts
By m.p. - Nov 15, 2007 - 5:24 PM
email this article |
The high valleys of the Aragonese Pyrenees are home to five ski stations and some of the best skiing in Spain.
The Candanchú resort, near Canfranc, is in Huesca province, in the valley of the River Aragón, and is one of the longest-running ski stations of the Pyrenees, with 59 kms of skiable area, and 51 ski runs of varying difficulty - 10 green, 11 blue, 18 red and 12 black runs – equipped with a system of 18 ski tows and 6 chair lifts.
It also shares an international cross country ski circuit with the Somport resort, just over the border in France.
Candanchú’s ski school, founded in 1960, is the oldest in Spain.
There are ample facilities here, as well as accommodation on site, although many prefer to stay in the nearest big town, Jaca, 28 kms away. The provincial capital, Huesca, is at a distance of 111 kms, and the international airport in Barcelona, 385 kms.
Astún, just 4 kilometres away and 33 kms from Jaca, opened in the 1970s, and is now equipped with 14 ski lifts and 49 pistes – 5 green, 13 blue, 22 red and 9 black – providing a total skiable area of 41 kilometres. There are two ski schools here, plenty of on-site accommodation, and seven bars and restaurants. It’s one of the most modern resorts of the Pyrenees and is host to a number of national and international championships..
Moving over to the valley of the River Tena, in the centre of the Aragón Pyrenees, we find two resorts, both run by the Grupo Aramón.
Formigal, or to give it its official name, Aramón Formigal, is near Sallent de Gallego, just eight kilometres from the border with France, and is one of the largest resorts in the Pyrenees with its extensive area of 83 ski runs split up into four areas - Anayet, Izas-Sarrios, Tres Hombres, and Portalet – each with varying degrees of difficulty, and is ideal for both beginners and expert skiers.
Formigal ski school has been running for almost four decades, and now employs 100 instructors.
Extensive facilities on site in the ski village, where there is accommodation for more than 2,000 people.
Aramón Panticosa lies near the town of Panticosa, just 85 kilometres from the nearest airport in Pau, over the border in France, and 153 kms from the nearest Spanish airport in Zaragoza.
There are 38 ski runs here (4 green, 14 blue, 16 red and 4 black), which are split up into two sectors, Valle de Sabocos and Petrosos, covering a total area of 34 kilometres. They are serviced by 15 ski lifts, with a system of 110 snow cannons able to provide 12 kms of artificial snow. Panticosa’s one ski school opened in the same year as the ski station itself, in 1970.
Accommodation for around 600 people on site, with another 6,500 beds in the surrounding area.
The fifth and highest resort in the Aragonese Pyrenees, Cerler, is also part of the Aramón group. It is near the town of Benasque – just 15 minutes by car - surrounded by the majestic peaks of the Benasque Valley, in the northeast of Huesca province.
There are 56 pistes here (8 green, 16 blue, 21 red and 11 black), split into the three separate sectors of Cerler, Ampriu, and Rincón del Cielo, serviced by a system of 18 ski lifts. There is also a snow park, and a snow mobile circuit, and a system of 353 snow cannons capable of providing 32 kms of artificial snow.
More than 150 instructors at the resort’s nine ski and snowboard schools, with accommodation for more than one thousand people on site, plus another 5,000 beds in the surrounding area.
MORE RELATED ARTICLES :
• Three skiers die in an avalanche at the Formigal ski resort - Jan 4, 2008 - 2:21 PM
• Sierra Nevada ski season starts on December 1 - Nov 25, 2007 - 12:45 PM