# Tena Valley Skiing at Formigal-Panticosa from 27 November, sledges, snowshoes and marked ski touring; where to sleep and eat in Sallent and Formigal. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/tena-valley · Revisado: 2026-11-12 The Tena Valley is that of the River Gállego in its highest stretch, between Biescas and the French border at the Portalet. In winter it is filled by Formigal-Panticosa, the Aramón resort: 182 km of pistes in two sectors linked by a free bus. Sallent de Gállego, a stone village next to the Lanuza reservoir, is where you eat; Formigal, the resort's development, where you sleep at the foot of the pistes, and Panticosa, with its gondola, is the other gateway. ## How do you get there from Huesca and Zaragoza? From Huesca, the A-23 climbs to Sabiñánigo and the A-136 continues through Biescas, the Búbal reservoir and Sallent to Formigal: allow about an hour and a half. From Zaragoza, add the motorway to Huesca, about two hours and a quarter in all. From Pamplona you come in via Jaca and Sabiñánigo. On snowy days the A-136 requires chains, and the Portalet, towards France, may close. ## What does the resort have? 182 km and 147 pistes, plus 5 itineraries: 11 green, 40 blue, 50 red and 41 black, between 1,145 and 2,265 metres. It is a resort for skiers who are already past the beginner stage: more than half the pistes are red or black. At Formigal there are several bases, Sextas, Anayet, Sarrios and Portalet; at Panticosa, the gondola leaves from the village. The 2026-27 season starts on Friday 27 November. Aramón sells the lift pass by date, with a variable price: in 2025-26 the adult day pass started from €51.90 on the website or app and €61 at the ticket office. Buy online. The resort's rental charges €21 for an adult set of equipment and €15.50 for a child's. ## And if you don't ski? The resort has more than pistes. In the Portalet valley NieveAventura runs a park with sledges, marked snowshoe trails and snow games, for €15.80 for adults and €12 for children. At Panticosa, Petrosos Park has sledges at the top of the gondola. On Thursdays and Saturdays, from age 12, you ride down at night by sledge on a 2.5 km lit run from Cantal to Sextas, with a snack, for €46. And to try ski touring without risk, Panticosa has three marked routes beside the pistes, with a lift pass and rental for €40. ## Where do you sleep? In Formigal, at the foot of the pistes: the Hotel Saliecho has its own shuttle to the pistes and a swimming pool, and the four-star SNÖ Villa de Sallent admits pets. If you are looking for quiet and hot water, the Gran Hotel del Balneario de Panticosa is at 1,636 metres, at the head of its valley, with its own thermal area. Sallent and Panticosa have more houses and apartments. ## What do you eat? The olla tensina, the valley stew, and ternasco lamb. Cambium, on the square in Sallent, listed in the Michelin guide, prepares an olla tensina menu to order and is open Tuesday to Sunday. On the pistes, the Asador Montañés at Sarrios serves chargrilled meats, ternasco and shepherd's migas. ## Dónde está - Zonas: Pyrenees - Cerca: Canfranc, Candanchú and Astún (a 12.9 km), Cauterets (a 24.2 km · France), Ordesa Valley (a 28.3 km), Cirque de Gavarnie (a 30.4 km · France) ## Qué hacer - **Skiing at Formigal-Panticosa** (7 h · All levels · Plenty of red and black runs · Desde 51.9 € adult day lift pass on the website or app, 2025-26 season): Formigal occupies the head of the Tena valley, below the Portalet pass, and Panticosa is a few kilometres lower down, in a side valley. Together they add up to 182 km, with many more red and black runs than green ones. Slopes, altitudes and lifts 182 km and 147 slopes: 11 green, 40 blue, 50 red and 41 black, plus 5 itineraries. There are 38 lifts, including an eight-seat gondola, an eight-seat chairlift and five six-seat ones, and 800 snow cannons. The altitude ranges from 1,145 to 2,265 metres. At Formigal there are several bases: Sextas, Anayet, Sarrios and Portalet; at Panticosa, the gondola leaves from the village. How much it costs Aramón sells the lift pass by date and the price changes according to the day. In the 2025-26 season, the adult day pass was from €51.90 on the website or app and from €61 at the ticket office; in mid-November there was still no 2026-27 table published. Buy online in advance: it is the cheapest. The resort's rental charges per day €21 for adult ski equipment, €31 for the high-end, €15.50 for children's and €23 for snowboard; a helmet, €5. You collect it at Sextas, Anayet, Sarrios, Portalet or Panticosa. Lessons The Formigal sector has the Escuela Española de Esquí de Formigal: private lessons from €65 an hour and weekend courses of €100 for the two days. At Panticosa the Escuela Española de Esquí de Panticosa operates. Getting there and getting around From Huesca, take the A-23 to Sabiñánigo and the A-136 through Biescas and the Tena valley to Formigal; from Zaragoza you add the motorway to Huesca. A free bus runs every day between the Formigal development and Sextas-Anayet, and another links Panticosa, Sallent and Formigal, with a stop at the Panticosa hotels. Off-piste Outside the pistes and marked areas, check the Navarre and Aragon Pyrenees avalanche danger bulletin from AEMET beforehand, which is published daily in season on the European scale of 1 to 5. - **NieveAventura at the Portalet: snowshoes, sledges and snow games** (4 h · Families · Non-skiers · Desde 12 € per child per day (adults €15.80)): NieveAventura is the snow park the resort sets up in the Portalet valley, in the Formigal sector, for those who do not ski or want a different day out with children. The resort presents it with its "Snowy gang", snow characters that mark each zone and suggest a different way to play. You pay per day and book online. The four zones Explora, from age 6. A snowshoe route over the NieveAventura hillocks, waymarked with the Snowys so you do not lose the way, with a series of obstacles to get past. It is the sportiest part: you walk, get some exercise and see the Portalet landscape. Descenso, for all ages. Slopes prepared for going down in ways other than skis: snowbike, snowscooter, classic sledge and skisledge. Children under 6 have to ride in the same sledge or tube as an adult. Tirabolas, from age 4. A circuit by levels in which you make snowballs and throw them at different panels; it tests the aim of the whole family. Play area, recommended for under-12s. Tools for modelling snowmen, castles or an igloo step by step, mounds to slide down with a sledge shovel, a mini tirabolas, tunnels to crawl through and a carousel. What it costs €15.80 for adults, from age 12, and €12 for ages 4 to 12, per day. Booking is done on the Aramón website by choosing the date, or it is added when buying the lift pass online, and it can be cancelled free up to 48 hours ahead; after that it is charged in full. The resort also offers, as an extra, on-piste health assistance insurance. How to organise the day The price is per day, so you can spread the day among the four zones. Bring waterproof snow clothing, spare gloves and sunglasses. The 2026-2027 Formigal-Panticosa season was announced to start on Friday 27 November; check the Aramón website for which zones open each day. If an adult wants to ski in the meantime, see skiing at Formigal-Panticosa. For the youngest there is another sledging zone in the Panticosa sector, Petrosos Park. And with children aged 12 or over, the night sledge run is another plan. - **Night sledging from Cantal to Sextas** (3 h · 2.5 km · From age 12 · Groups and couples · Desde 46 € per person): On Thursdays and Saturdays, once the resort has closed, Formigal starts up the eight-seat Sallent chairlift again just for those who sign up. It climbs to Cantal, serves an afternoon snack at the Cantal Panoramic and brings the participants down on wooden sledges, or on their skis, along a lit 2.5 km run to Sextas. It ends at the après-ski of Marchica. What the evening is like You meet at the Sallent chairlift, next to the Sextas building. At the top, in Cantal, the resort serves what it calls a "gourmet tardeo", a snack in the panoramic restaurant as night falls. Then, after a brief explanation, the descent begins along the lit Río run. If you prefer, you can ski down it, as a night descent. The last stop is Marchica, with music and a DJ at the foot of the slopes; entry is included for over-18s. Schedule 17:15, meeting point at the Sallent chairlift. 17:30, ascent. 18:00, snack in Cantal. 19:15, descent along the lit run. 20:15, arrival at Marchica. About three hours in all. For it to go ahead at least 45 people are needed, and the maximum is 80. What it costs and who can take part €46 per person, with health assistance included; ski equipment is not included. A helmet is compulsory. Under-12s and over-64s cannot take part. Under-16s need their guardians' permission and an adult who accompanies them and is responsible at all times. Book online until 18:30 the day before; after that, ask on 974 498 282, where they also deal with large groups who want another day of the week. Until that sales cut-off you can cancel at no cost; after it, it is charged in full. If the minimum number of participants is not reached, the weather is bad or the snow is not in good condition, the resort cancels it and refunds the money. What to bring The resort recommends a hat, gloves, thermal trousers, an anorak, après-ski or mountain boots and snow goggles: at night, in Cantal, it is cold. If you are skiing that week, the free bus to the slopes links the Formigal development with Sextas, and the page on skiing at Formigal-Panticosa has the rest of the resort. - **Sledging at Petrosos Park, above the Panticosa gondola** (2 h · Families with small children · Desde 18 € per child per day with gondola (adults €20.50)): In the Panticosa sector, where the gondola that climbs from the village to the resort ends, Formigal-Panticosa has Petrosos Park: an area for sliding down on different types of sledge and another for playing in the snow and making snowmen. It is designed for families, although the resort says people of all ages enjoy it. The sledge run opens from 11:30 to 15:30. What there is There are two separate spaces. The sledge run is an area exclusively for sliding, and the play area is for touching the snow, building and making snowmen. It is a plan for those who do not ski or for a restful morning with children. The good thing about its location is that you do not have to drive to another base: you take the gondola from Panticosa and when you get out you are already in the park. Price and booking The resort sells two packages per day, with the gondola ride included: Gondola + sledges: €20.50 for ages 12 to 64; €18 for ages 6 to 11. Gondola + sledges + meal: €29.50 for ages 12 to 64; €27 for ages 6 to 11. Book online, on the Aramón website, by choosing the date; when buying the lift pass online it can also be added. It can be cancelled free up to 48 hours ahead. The resort also offers, as an extra, on-piste health assistance insurance. With children There is no minimum age, but the resort recommends that under-4s go down with an adult. Bring waterproof clothing, gloves and sunglasses, as for any day in the snow. The 2026-2027 Formigal-Panticosa season was announced to start on Friday 27 November; check the Aramón website for which zones are open on the day you go. For the rest of the day, see skiing at Formigal-Panticosa or, in the Portalet valley, the NieveAventura snow park. The free bus to the slopes links Panticosa with Sallent and Formigal. - **Waymarked ski touring routes at Panticosa** (3 h · Introduction to ski touring · Desde 40 € skimo lift pass with rental): Panticosa has three waymarked routes for climbing on touring skis alongside the pistes, without leaving the resort's controlled terrain. It is the way to try ski touring without venturing into open terrain, with its own lift pass that includes two uphill lift rides. How it works Grupo Aramón created a ski touring lift pass for this area and waymarked and prepared the routes. The routes are designed to coexist with the alpine pistes: you climb on your signed route while others come down the pistes, with no risk of getting lost. With climbing distances of 1 to 6 km, they suit everyone from beginners to experienced ski tourers. The routes can be followed on the Aramón app, which also measures your climbing times. The three routes Petrosos, easy: 1.14 km and 170 m of ascent, from 1,765 to 1,918 m. It is the beginner's one. Yandel, moderate: 2.5 km and 332 m, from 1,519 to 1,803 m. La Bandera, hard: 6 km and 819 m, from 1,519 to 2,207 m. It is the longest and the one that reaches highest. To start, Petrosos is the sensible choice; with some stamina, Yandel; and La Bandera once you know how to put on skins, do kick turns and pace yourself on a long climb. What it costs The skimo lift pass includes two rides on any Panticosa lift except the Fobas chairlift. With the rental of skis with touring bindings and boots, it costs €40 per person. The rental is at the Panticosa shop, next to the gondola access. Book on the Aramón website; the resort offers, as an extra, on-piste health assistance insurance. The rest of the equipment the resort rents, with prices, is on the page for equipment rental. For piste skiing, see skiing at Formigal-Panticosa. ## Dónde comer - **Cambium del Pirineo** (Restaurant, Sallent de Gállego, €€€). Qué pedir: the ingot of Aragón ternasco lamb and, if you order two days ahead, the olla tensina menu (€48, in winter) - **Asador Montañés** (Restaurant, Formigal, €€€). Qué pedir: the ternasco or the shepherd's migas; at the bar, tapas and raciones from the valley ## By car: The Tena valley by car The Tena valley can be reached by car from Huesca in about an hour and a half, and from Zaragoza in a little over two hours. Once there, the resort's free bus links Panticosa, Sallent and Formigal, so you can leave the car parked. The budget includes lift pass, food and a shared hotel. Presupuesto orientativo: 110–200 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Saliecho** (Spa hotel): The Saliecho is in the Formigal development, the one that grows beside the ski resort, in the municipality of Sallent de Gállego: on entering the development, it is on the left. It is a building of wood and slate, from the EcoHoteles group, which presents itself as the hotel closest to the lifts. For the 2026-2027 season it opens from 4 December. The turret and the attic rooms There are six types of room: Standard. Standard with valley view. VIP, attic rooms. Deluxe. Premium "Fermín Arrudi", in the turret. Turret Suite, also in the tower, with all-round views. The website does not say how many rooms it has or its official category. There is wifi throughout the hotel. A pool half indoors, half outdoors The spa is included in the room price. Its main feature is a heated pool that begins under cover and extends outdoors, with views, a neck-massage jet and a lounging area. It opens from 9:00 to 21:00 for adults; children up to 12 can use it until 19:30. The spa also has a gym, sauna, UVA tanning beds and a health and beauty treatment room. From the morning buffet to the Ondarribia Breakfast is a buffet. There is a snack bar and, for dinner, the Ondarribia restaurant, with regional and Basque signature cooking, open from 20:00 to 22:30 with a short menu of three starters, four mains and three desserts. The hotel recommends half board if you want to dine there every night. The bar-lounge and the terrace complete the common areas. Winter without a car What is practical for skiing: Free transfer to the slopes in the hotel's own transport. Ski storage. Equipment rental with a special price 100 metres from the hotel. Help with the lift pass and a television channel in the room with the snow report and resort activities. Garage, covered and spacious; the website does not give its price. If you prefer to get around on your own, the free Formigal-Panticosa bus links the resort's sectors. For a different evening, in Formigal there is night tobogganing, and in Sallent, a few minutes by car, Cambium is there for a meal outside the hotel. In summer Outside the ski season, the hotel organises free guided excursions around the valley from Saturday to Wednesday, gives free access to the development's pool in July and August and a discount on tickets for the Pirineos Sur festival. Getting there From Huesca, take the A-23 to Sabiñánigo and the A-136 through Biescas to Formigal. Aramón includes it in its hotel and lift pass packages for the Formigal-Panticosa resort. - **SNÖ Villa de Sallent** (Hotel): At the Formigal resort The SNÖ Villa de Sallent is in the Formigal development, on Avenida de los Pirineos, within the Formigal-Panticosa resort itself. It is a mountain hotel of the SNÖ chain, with two wings in the same complex: the four-star one, with a traditional air, and a three-star one inspired by Scandinavian architecture. Check-in is at 14:00 and check-out at 12:00. The rooms In the four-star wing there are doubles and Turret Suites for four adults. All have a double door, designed for privacy, wifi, heating, telephone, minibar, hairdryer, safe, background music and welcome touches. In the three-star wing there are doubles, triples (two adults and one child), superiors and junior suites for two adults and two children, with wifi, television, hairdryer, safe and heating. Pets are accepted in both buildings, subject to availability and conditions: let them know when booking. Aramón lists it as adapted for people with reduced mobility; confirm the room when booking. Spa and services It has a spa with an indoor pool and outdoor jacuzzi, a small gym, lounges with a reading area, restaurant, bar-café, ski storage, lift and garage; parking is subject to availability and conditions. In summer, the development has an outdoor pool and tennis courts free to use near the hotel, and the hotel declares itself cyclist-friendly. To get up to the slopes, the resort's free bus links the development with Sextas and Anayet every day of the season. Equipment is rented at the bases of the resort rental. Prices and offers The website does not publish fixed prices. If you book at snohotels.com they give a 5% discount, wifi and late check-out subject to availability. It publishes offers of 5 nights paying 4, from Sunday to Friday, and 7 paying 6, except in August. Aramón also sells it in hotel and lift pass packages. Who it suits For skiers and families who want to sleep at the resort itself, with a spa for after skiing, and for those travelling with a dog. In winter, in the evening, night tobogganing and NieveAventura at the Portalet are close; for dinner out, Cambium is in Sallent de Gállego. Bookings on 974 94 74 27 or at reservas@snovilladesallent.com. - **Gran Hotel del Balneario de Panticosa** (Spa hotel): The Gran Hotel is one of the two four-star hotels of the Balneario de Panticosa, the spa complex that occupies a mountain cirque at 1,636 metres, at the end of the road that climbs 8 km from the village of Panticosa. The other is the Hotel Continental. It opened in 1896, in the heart of the belle époque, and was restored together with the Casino building by the architect Rafael Moneo, who kept the original facade, listed as of national tourist interest. Forty-two rooms in three sizes Standard, of 25 m², with a king-size bed or two beds, for one or two people. Superior, of 30 m², with the same equipment. Junior suite, of 45 m², with a mountain view, sitting room and sofa bed, and a bathroom with shower, bath and a guest toilet. All have television, heating and air conditioning, a full bathroom, a coffee machine and tea, and Anne Semonin toiletries; the minibar on request. If you have booked the thermal circuit, you will find the bathrobe in the room. Besides the El Lago restaurant and the café, the hotel has a reading room and a billiards room. Its Thermal Area is adults only The Gran Hotel has its own thermal area, in dark marble, with mineral-medicinal water: a vaporarium, a large pool and another with a waterfall of warm water, a cold-water plunge and a rest area. The circuit lasts around an hour and the house also serves the water to drink. It opens every day from 11:30 to 20:30, with last entry at 19:30, and costs from €54. You enter with a booked session and the minimum age is 18. Massages and treatments are requested by email. Several spa packages include the circuit: stays with half board, with a massage, for over-60s with full board or with a tasting menu at El Lago. Termas de Tiberio and the Quiñón, for going with children If you are travelling with children, the Gran Hotel's area is no use to you. The Termas de Tiberio, in the same spa, admit children from age 3 in all their facilities during family sessions, and sell a swimming cap (€4) and swimsuit (€22) in case you forget yours. The Balneario del Quiñón operates in sessions from 10:00 to 13:00, from 14:00 to 17:00 and from 18:00 to 20:00. The outdoor summer pool, for guests only, is at the Hotel Continental. Check-in, check-out and the dog Check-in at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00. Child rates are for ages 3 to 11. Animals are admitted in the hotels with prior booking and under their pet policy. Parking is free: you take a ticket at the machine and validate it at reception. Getting up and down in winter The spa is 8 km above the village on the A-2606. If the roads authority closes the climb because of snow, the spa lets you change the date or refunds your money. To ski at Formigal-Panticosa you have to drive down every morning to the gondola, in the village; above it are the Petrosos Park sledges and the Panticosa ski touring routes. Aramón has sold hotel and lift pass packages with the Gran Hotel for December 2026, but the spa's website does not publish opening dates: confirm them when you book. ### Servicios - **Free bus to the Formigal-Panticosa slopes**: Free and every day · Formigal development–Sextas and Panticosa–Sallent–Formigal ## As a family: Snow with children in Tena Formigal-Panticosa has room for those who do not ski yet: a snow play park at the Portalet and a sledging area above the Panticosa gondola. ### What works best NieveAventura at the Portalet: sledges, tirabolas from age 4 and snowshoes from 6 Petrosos Park, sledges from 11:30 to 15:30, no minimum age Weekend courses at the Formigal school, €100 for the two days ### Where to sleep Hotel Saliecho, with transfer to the slopes and a pool SNÖ Villa de Sallent, with an indoor pool ### Where to eat Cambium, in Sallent, if the children can sit through a meal The resort's self-service restaurants, at Sextas, Anayet and Petrosos ### Bear in mind Children's ski equipment: €15.50 a day NieveAventura costs €12 for ages 4 to 12 Under-4s on the Petrosos sledge, with an adult ### Qué hacer as a family - Skiing at Formigal-Panticosa - NieveAventura at the Portalet: snowshoes, sledges and snow games - Sledging at Petrosos Park, above the Panticosa gondola ## With teenagers: Reds, blacks and night sledging With 91 red and black runs across the two sectors, Formigal-Panticosa is for those who already ski well. And for those who want something more: night sledging and waymarked ski touring routes. ### What works best The ski area's 41 black runs, for anyone who can already handle them The night sledge run from Cantal to Sextas, Thursdays and Saturdays, from age 12 Panticosa's skimo routes, with lift pass and rental for €40 ### Where to sleep Hotel Saliecho, with its own transfer to the slopes ### Where to eat Asador Montañés, on the slopes, with a tapas bar ### Bear in mind The night sledge run requires a guardian's permission for under-16s Off-piste, always check the AEMET avalanche bulletin ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Skiing at Formigal-Panticosa - Night sledging from Cantal to Sextas - Waymarked ski touring routes at Panticosa ## Consejos ### Leave the car in one place The free bus links Panticosa, Sallent and Formigal all day. ### Buy the lift pass online and early The price changes by date and is cheaper on the website or app. ### Book a table in Sallent Cambium closes on Monday and fills up in season. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### When does Formigal open in 2026-27? On Friday 27 November 2026, according to the resort. ### How much does a day at Formigal cost? The lift pass changes by date. In 2025-26, from €51.90 online and €61 at the ticket office. Rental, from €21. ### How long does it take from Huesca? About an hour and a half along the A-23 and the A-136. From Zaragoza, about two hours and a quarter. ### What is there to do in Formigal without skiing? NieveAventura at the Portalet, the Petrosos Park sledges at Panticosa or the night sledge run. ### Are Formigal and Panticosa linked? By a free bus that runs back and forth between the two sectors during the day. ### Where do you sleep to ski at Formigal? In the Formigal development, at the foot of the pistes, or in Sallent and Panticosa, with the free bus.