Alto Campoo

The Alto Campoo ski resort and the mountain on the same name are located in Cantabria, 24 kilometers from Reinosa, the head of the Campoo valley, hence its name. Brañavieja, apart from referring to the winter ski resort, also gives its name to the village where it is located. In 2012 it had 19 living in the village.

It is managed mainly by concession to the tourism promotion company CANTUR, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Government of Cantabria. It is the only ski resort in Cantabria, and is one of the most importants in the northern peninsula. Due to its proximity to communities such as Castilla y León or the Basque Country, it receives many visitors from these regions.

Location of ski resort Alto Campoo

The village of Brañavieja is located on the mountain that bears his name at more than 1.600 meters altitude. The old valley of glacial origin dominates the area of La Calgosa (the parking area) and ski lifts of the resort, from where the characteristic “U” shape is visible, together with the tongue and very eroded side walls slid can still be seen.

In the surroundings of the Brañavieja village and the area of La Calgosa, we find large areas of heaths and shrebs, and especially during summer, pastures are an important feed for horse and beef farming, for meat pourposes, in which it still has great importance the famous cow “Tudanca”, native breed with excellent meats.

The privileged location of the resort, placed in the Campoo Valley, allows you to enjoy magnificent views that include land, sea and air. From the Tres Mares Peak, you will see the wide lands of Castile, the Picos de Europa and the Cantabrian Sea in the background.

What can offer Alto Campoo?

At the base of the Alto Campoo resort, the hotel La Corza Blanca takes place, also managed by the public company CANTUR. Its 5 ski lifts manage to transport up to 8.250 passengers per hour and 7 additional ski lifts, more than 4.500 passengers per hour. With more than 30 kilometers of tracks, ensure a magnificent weekend to enjoy its 500 meters of vertical drop. It is worth to mention the “Los Asnos” red track, which offers magnificent views of the entire valley.

Alto Campoo is located in an environment with an outstanding landscape and cultural interest, which makes it an attractive destination for sightseeing after skiing.

With dimensions ranging between 1650mts and 2172mts, we will find a wide range of 23 trails suitable for all levels. In 2009 the ski and mountain resort of Alto Campoo achieved the quality certification (UNE 188002:2006) specific for ski resorts, guaranteeing a level of service and maximum customer satisfaction.

• 23 trails (4 green, 10 blue and 9 red)
• 12 ski lifts (5 chairlifts and 7 ski lifts)
• 2,7 km cross country circuit
• Snowpark

These characteristics have made Alto Campoo ski resort one of the best in the Cantabrian Mountains. Another positive factor of Alto Campoo, is the orientation of its slopes to the North and Northwest, ensuring good snow conditions, when the weather conditions are good enough for the practice of alpine skiing.

Its two approved competition tracks stand out, where many anual ski and snowboard competitions  are held. Freestyle fans will find in this small Snowpark a place to have fun and practice their tricks and jumps.

Full list of services available

At the resort, the list of services is as follows; parking, information office, lockers, equipment rentals, ski schools, emergency services, medical services, indoor and outdoor playground, hotels, bars, cafes, lodges, public telephone, sauna, disco and chapel.

In the surrounding area we find; hotels, restaurants, bars, pizzerias, cafes, discos, pubs, gyms, solarium, post offices and telegraphs, tourist office, exhibition halls, bus and train station, gas stations, banks, heated pool, shops, sports hall, climbing wall, churches, hospital, ambulatory service, supermarkets, cinemas, libraries, and a golf course with 18 holes. In total it has 100 ski teachers distributed in 5 schools.

History and activities in Alto Campoo

The history of Brañavieja is very short, since its origin dates back to the late fifties when the Ski and Mountain Resort – Alto Campoo is created, and later different mountain shelters, urbanizations of Apartments and the most unique buildings of the hotel and the multi-purpose chapel-school started building.

The Alto Campoo ski and mountain resort recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. More than a dozen activities were held in the Campoo Valley. The station offers magnificent facilities for skiing and a unique landscapes for mountain lovers.

The activities began during the month of September, before the beginning of the winter season, with hiking trails and information about the glaciers, orientation and safety courses and “la pasá de Campo”; a mountain bike route. The first snowfalls meant the opening of the ski resort, night ski crossings, popular snow raquet routes and mountain safety and nivology courses were taught, among others. All this activities was accompanied by theme parties and dinners with the characteristic Spanish festive atmosphere.

Before visiting the resort

One of the drawbacks of the Alto Campoo ski resort is that closes depending on the snowfall, or when expierencing technical problems. These forfaits cannot be refunded or exchanged for another date, a negative point to consider in this ski resort. This has caused many visitors to how complaints, so it is recommendable to check the weather information and the state of the slopes before planning the trip.

Nowadays, Brañavieja is already a consolidated village with a marked tourist character with a maximum occupation during the ski season. Although summer tourism is being promoted in an area, it brings out many natural attractions to enjoy.