La Tuca
A Val d'Aran ski station across the valley from Baqueira Beret that lasted just fifteen winters before closing in 1989; its stripped lift lines and derelict buildings became a bike jump park in 2023.
- Region
- Catalonia
- Country
- Spain
- Status
- abandoned
- Year opened
- 1974
- Year closed
- 1989
- Reason for closure
- Economic and operating difficulties. After early success the station could not sustain itself and shut permanently at the end of the 1988-89 season, fifteen years after opening.
History
La Tuca sat above Betrén, in the municipality of Vielha e Mijaran in the Val d'Aran, on the opposite side of the valley from Baqueira Beret. It went by several names over its life - La Tuca de Viella, La Tuca Val d'Aran, Tuca Betrén, Tuca Mall Blanc, and Era Tüca in Aranese. Most accounts date the opening to 1974, though some give 1972, and all agree it closed for good after the 1988-89 season following economic and operational trouble. At its opening it had two chairlifts, three drag lifts and a baby lift, and it expanded during the 1970s and 1980s; individual lift names, piste names and the altitude range are not recorded in accessible sources. After closure most of the installations were removed, leaving the skeletons of some lifts and buildings on the hillside, and the site became one of Spain's best known abandoned ski stations - the four-star Hotel Tuca at its foot still carries the name. Former staff and skiers have held reunions there. In 2023 the old ski slopes were brought back into use as a bike jump park under the Era Tüca name, so the terrain is active again but no longer for skiing.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift | The station had two chairlifts in its early years; no names or manufacturers are recorded in available sources. Most installations were removed after closure | |
| Unnamed lift | Surface lift | Three drag lifts and one baby lift operated alongside the chairlifts; names and manufacturers are not documented |
Sources and further reading
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Tuca
- https://www.lugaresdenieve.com/?q=es%2Freportaje%2Fdoce-estaciones-espana-donde-no-volveremos-esquiar-nunca-mas
- https://www.nevasport.com/reportajes/art/31595/Historia-de-la-estacion-de-esqui-de-la-Era-Tuca-1-parte/
- https://www.nevasport.com/noticias/art/65034/era-tuca-renace-como-parque-de-saltos-para-bicicletas/
More in Spain
Location
42.6700, 0.8156