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The Consellera of Territory, Housing and Energy Transition, Sílvia Paneque i Sureda, has announced the start, this February, of the processing of the special urban plan and the environmental assessment of the project to convert the Vallter ski resort, managed by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), into a sustainable tourist destination that offers activity all year round. The main action of this project, called Vallter 365, is the installation of a new gondola as the only access to the resort, allowing the restriction of vehicles that access the natural environment and promoting a panoramic trip to the 2535 m elevation, a claim for the whole year. In addition, a large part of the current ski lifts will be eliminated and the spaces of the Capçaleres del Ter i del Freser Natural Park will be renaturalized. Paneque made this announcement today during the central event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Ripollesa station, accompanied by the president of FGC, Carles Ruiz Novella, and in front of a hundred institutional and social representatives of the region.

With the start of the urban and environmental processing, the starting shot is given to a project that should allow Vallter to become a modern and sustainable resort. Once this processing and the corresponding public information are completed, the objective is to tender the project and work of the gondola next winter, so that it can enter service in mid-2027. The investment will be around 40 million euros. “The essence of Catalonia is the balance between the city, the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean. If Catalonia the city defines the nation, the mountain does so with the same force. There is no strength without balance; and there is no power without unity. "We are this, and we must promote this, if we want to continue being a leading and competitive country" the Consellera demanded in her speech. And in this sense, she assessed the transformational value of the most recent actions in Vallter: "Transformation and reform are only possible by maintaining the essence of the identity of the Catalan mountains. Investing resources means highlighting their value and it is also important that these investments establish a relationship that is as respectful as possible with the traditional and landscape assets of Vallter and with the Ter and Freser Headwaters Natural Park".

Consellera Paneque recalled that "the new Vallter 365 project aims to be with the people of the territory and to promote the assets that have shaped the identity of the mountains for centuries". For this reason, she explained that the objective is "to invest resources in the most respectful way possible with the traditional, landscape and environmental assets of Vallter". In this sense, she highlighted that "the impact of climate change has meant that ski resorts have to look for new offers". In this case, she added, "we recover the environment, improve the infrastructure and make it easier for the resort to be enjoyed 365 days a year". "These are opportunities for economic growth for the territory".

In the same vein, the president of FGC, Carles Ruiz, has pointed out that “we have the obligation to pave the way and seek solutions to the challenges of the ski resorts” and “this is the commitment that is reflected in the new Vallter 365 project”. Ruiz added that “we think about the whole year and how to bring people closer to the territory, being more careful with the environment and maintaining jobs; we make the gateway to nature as less invasive as possible”.

Sustainable and controlled access to the Natural Park

The new gondola will have 3,420 m with a vertical drop of 627 m and an average slope of 18.25%. It will be equipped with 10-seater cabins that provide a transport capacity of 2,000 people/hour and an approximate journey time of 12 minutes. It will have its base at an altitude of 1535 m, where some of the vehicle parking and the minimum necessary services will be moved, and will reach an altitude of 2162 m. This facility will have an intermediate station, at an altitude of 2000 m, which will serve the El Xalet slope, the customers of the Pastuira hostel and the refuge of the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya, while also allowing the replacement of the Enric Planella chairlift installed in 1979.

Next to the arrival station of the gondola, there will be the lower station of a new combined ski lift, which will replace the current Jordi Pujol Planella chairlift, and will be equipped with cabins and chairs to allow the most expert skiers to use it during the winter without taking off their skis and the youngest and pedestrians to be able to go up with cabins. 

This configuration will be flexible thanks to the interconnection of the two facilities through a shared automated garage, so that a user on foot will be able to go up by cabin from the lower level, at 1535 m, to the upper level of the station at the 2535 m elevation of the station, where the new Les Marmotes grill is located. This double configuration will allow the upper facility to operate according to the needs of the operation at any given time. That is, only with cabins, only with chairs or a mix of chairs and cabins.

The new gondola, which will operate with guaranteed energy of 100% renewable origin free of CO2 emissions, will replace the current access to the station which is made by a high mountain road owned by the Setcases City Council crossing the Natural Park. The road will be closed to general traffic and will be used only as a service road, compatible as a path for cyclists.

The elimination of vehicle access within the Ter and Freser headwaters Natural Park leads to a significant improvement in the landscape impact and the reduction of the carbon footprint since it prevents the access of the 85,000 vehicles that each year go up to the resort via the Setcases road. And, in addition, it allows for access control to the Natural Park.

In parallel, current infrastructures of the resort will be eliminated such as the car parks located at elevations 2000 and 2170. The Bac Barquins I and II ski lifts, the Xemeneies ski lift and the Enric Planella and Jordi Pujol Planella chair lifts will be dismantled. The beginner area will be maintained.

Recovery and regeneration of spaces and improvement of biodiversity

Once all these infrastructures have been eliminated, actions will be carried out to regenerate the natural environment and increase natural capital both in the car park platforms and in the Xemeneies sector. The aim is to follow the European trend of “rewilding”, which consists of restoring the environment through natural processes in order to obtain a resilient and self-sustainable ecosystem. This action will be carried out jointly with the Natural Park of the Ter and Freser Headwaters.

Activities all year round

Vallter 365 is a project that will allow the Ripoll resort to become a modern and sustainable nature and outdoor sports destination, 365 days a year. Thus, in addition to the current skiing and snowboarding activities, the new mountain nature concept called ECO FAST TER will encompass all activities in both summer and winter. Snowshoeing, ski touring, mountaineering, trail running and hiking excursions will be promoted and new ones will be offered, both in their more sporty aspect, such as mountaineering and high mountain courses, and those aimed at discovering nature with photography workshops, flora and fauna or yoga at altitude. There will also be more recreational ones for all ages, such as tree parks, zip lines, descents with non-motorized cars and offers for family activities, such as guided tours and hiking.

All activities will focus on a double aspect: the natural one, aimed at getting to know the environment and the Natural Park, and the sporting one, which seeks activities with more emotion, integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into its operational management.

In the gastronomic field, Vallter's commitment is to promote local products by offering a varied tasting of products from the region in each establishment of the resort. The Gastro Vallter concept also includes different experiences to enjoy high mountain gastronomy.

50 years of Vallter

All these new features have been announced as part of the celebration of the institutional event for the 50th anniversary of the Vallter resort, which kicks off different commemorative activities that will take place in the 25-26 season. These activities will be of a sustainable, sporting, cultural, fun-festive and gastronomic nature. The most significant will be the torchlight descent, the end-of-year party, the 70s/80s ski race, the Volta a Catalunya or the festival of the Ski Clubs of Catalonia with the parallel race. On the other hand, different cultural activities will be held such as the old photography competition or the travelling exhibition of 50 years of Vallter.

The history of Vallter is strongly linked to hiking and skiing, which were already practiced at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1909, the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya built the first mountain refuge in Spain near the source of the Ter River, promoting sports and tourism activity in the area. The idea of ​​creating a ski resort in the Camprodon Valley was born in the early sixties thanks to the founder Josep Pujol Aulí. Finally, in 1968 the company Vallter SA was established with the support of local residents and holidaymakers.

The first ski lifts, “Morens I” and “Barquins I”, were inaugurated in January 1975 in Pla de Morens. This first step was followed by other facilities such as the Xemeneia ski lift (1978) and the Enric Planella chairlift (1979).

During the following decades, Vallter became a pioneer in technology and services. In 1985, it installed a small snow production system with its own technology and became the first resort in Spain to use low-pressure technology to guarantee snow on the slopes.

In 2006, it expanded its skiing offer with recreational activities, with the creation of a sled park and conveyor belts. In 2009, in response to changing visitor habits, the Puja-Baixa concept was created, to combine mountain skiing, downhill skiing and gastronomy. In 2012, Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya acquired the majority of Vallter's shares, which allowed significant improvements to be introduced.