Candanchú is a

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

situated near the town of Canfranc in the High Aragon of the western

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

, in the province of

Huesca Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The name of the area is an adaptation of the French "Camp d'Anjou", as it was originally the site of a military camp of the French Angevin dynasty. This is also located near the road on the historical

Camino de Santiago The Camino de Santiago (, ; ), or the Way of St. James in English, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tra ...

. Candanchú is 1 km from Puerto del Somport, on the border with

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The neighboring Astún ski resort is located 27 km north of the city of

Jaca Jaca (; in Aragonese language, Aragonese: ''Chaca'' or ''Xaca'') is a city of northeastern Spain in the province of Huesca (province), Huesca, located near the Pyrenees and the border with France. Jaca is an ancient fort on the Aragón (river), ...

. On the right bank of the river Aragón, near the bridge of Santa Cristina, are the ruins of the Hospital of Santa Cristina of Somport, a hospice for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago.

The resort

Candanchú was one of the first developed ski resorts in the Pyrenees. With 59 km of marked

piste A ''piste'' () is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. This European term is French

s, it is known for its very difficult, steep pistes such as ''Tubo Zapatilla''. The highest point is ''La Tuca'' peak, 2400 metres

AMSL Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level v ...

, with a vertical drop of 900 metres. The base of the resort is a purpose-built town which includes several hotels and apartments and is situated at 1500 metres AMSL. From there the main

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers. They are the primary on-hill tran ...

s provide access to the resort. The resort itself occupies two different high mountain valleys, defining two sectors: ''Pista Grande - El Tobazo'' and ''La Tuca''. The first one is the lower sector where the main town and the parking are situated, while the upper ''La Tuca'' valley is accessed from there using a chairlift. Candanchú offers a joint ski pass with the neighbouring resort of Astún.

Lifts

Almost all of the resort's lifts are modern and of high capacity. The resort has six chairlifts and 18 ski tows.

Pistes

The resort offers 51 pistes of different difficulties: * 10 beginner * 11 easy * 18 intermediate * 12 expert In addition there is a 35-km

cross-country ski Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

circuit shared with the adjacent Somport resort, in

Services

* 6

restaurants A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in app ...

* 1 skiing school, Spain's oldest * 1 snow garden for children * 1

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

* 5 ski hiring stores

External links

* http://www.candanchu.com - Official resort site. * http://www.candanchu.info {{DEFAULTSORT:Candanchu Ski areas and resorts in Aragon Pyrenees