The ski season kicks off: Formigal, Cerler, Astún and Candanchú open

Skiers are back on the Aragonese slopes this Friday, with the (expected) start of the 2024-2025 season. A start that has been possible thanks to the abundant snowfall last weekend that left up to 80 centimetres of accumulated snow, and the low temperatures recorded, which have provided the conditions to open. Thus, the resorts of Formigal and Cerler (Aramón) and Astún-Candanchú are kicking off, and on Saturday Panticosa and Valdelinares in Teruel will join in.

According to the snow report issued by Aramón, in Formigal (Tena valley) there are 39 skiable kilometres, 31 open runs (4 green, 15 blue, 7 red and 5 black) and 16 lifts (11 chairlifts, 1 ski lift and 4 conveyors). The snow depth is between 20 and 55 centimetres and the quality is powder-hard in the different sectors (Sabocos, Petrosos, Tres hombres, Izas-Sarrios, Anayet and Portalet). The temperature will be around 0ºC.

In Cerler, located in the Benasque valley, there are 25 skiable kilometres, 19 open runs (7 green, 8 blue and 4 red) and 10 lifts (5 chairlifts, 1 ski lift and 4 conveyors). The snow depth is around 25-60 centimetres and the quality is powder in Castanesa, Cerler and Ampriu. In addition, the temperature at the station is expected to be -2 degrees throughout the day.

On the other hand, in the Aragón valley, according to the Astún-Candanchú report , both resorts, which have a skiable area of ​​100 kilometres, start the season with 40 skiable kilometres (23.5 km in Astún and 16.5 km in Candanchú), 55 open runs and 21 lifts. The snow depth is between 50 and 100 centimetres and the quality is powder. As for the temperature, it will be -2ºC.

AFTER THIS WEEKEND, ONLY JAVALAMBRE WILL BE LEFT FOR THE ENTIRE ARAGONESE OPERATION TO BE UNDERWAY

This Saturday, the resorts of Panticosa and Valdelinares will join forces , the first resort in Teruel to open its slopes. Aramón has not yet issued the snow report for Panticosa, but the Gúdar-Javalambre resort will open with 10.2 skiable kilometres, 5 open slopes (2 green, 2 blue, 1 red) and 8 lifts (4 chairlifts, 1 ski lift and 3 conveyors). The snow depth will be between 30 and 90 centimetres. 

Thus, after the weekend, only the Teruel station of Javalambre will remain for the entire Aragonese operation to be up and running. The Aramón Group has assured that  the teams are working to be able to inaugurate the season “as soon as conditions allow ”.

Last year, the only Aragonese resort that was able to open its doors on the Constitution long weekend was Valdelinares, while the Pyrenean resorts had to wait until Saturday 16 December, a date similar to this season. The resorts had already announced the impossibility of opening at the beginning of December , as the slopes were bare before the snow fell heavily on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, leaving more than 80 centimetres in the Pyrenees and more timid thicknesses in Teruel, but which have allowed the season to start with low temperatures and artificial snow.

THE SEASON WITH THE HIGHEST INVESTMENT IN ARTIFICIAL SNOW

This is how one of the seasons with the highest investment in artificial snowmaking begins . The Government of Aragon announced, within the Pyrenees Plan and with the funds from the FITE, an amount of 78 million for the Aragonese resorts to modernise the cannons, renew the machinery, rehabilitate the buildings necessary for maintenance and hire staff. More than 80% of this aid will go to the Huesca resorts, which have already begun to work in this area. In the case of the Aramón Group, they have presented the largest investment in produced snow in their history, with a project for which they have allocated more than 20 million and which will be undertaken in several phases.

In the first phase, the resorts have focused on optimising and improving the existing snow network. 609 snow makers have been installed, of which 230 are optimised and 379 are new. This increases the number of installed snow makers to 1,680, which is a growth of 28%. All this translates into a total of 78.5 kilometres of snow covered area with the latest generation of systems.

Since last April, progress has also been made in the conditioning of the electrical installations and water storage facilities, in addition to the projects and studies necessary to carry out the next phases of this large snowmaking project. When the entire project is completed, which will be undertaken by shortening execution times, the objective is to achieve a 65% increase in the snow-covered kilometres over the current surface and increase the water storage capacity by 96%.