Refugi Joan Ventosa i Calvell

Refugi Joan Ventosa i Calvell is a mountain refuge in the Spanish Pyrenees, situated at 2,220 metres above sea level beside Lago Negro in the Vall de Boí, in the Alta Ribagorça comarca of the province of Lleida, Catalonia. It lies within the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park and is owned by the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya (CEC), Catalonia's historic hiking and mountaineering club. The refuge is named after Joan Ventosa i Calvell, a Catalan politician and mountaineering figure associated with the CEC. The refuge was built in 1955 and was enlarged and renovated in 1979. It currently offers 70 staffed places and 8 unstaffed places outside the main season. Facilities include cold water in the toilets and showers, electric lighting generated by solar energy, stoves, bunk beds, mattresses and blankets, rescue equipment, breakfast, lunch and dinner service, and guide services. Guests are required to bring a sleeping bag. The unstaffed section has blankets and a wood stove. An emergency refuge is attached to the main building, with its entrance on the south facade; it is equipped with an emergency radio transmitter that puts users in contact with the fire brigade, making it an important safety element in bad weather or in the event of an accident. The refuge sits in a granitic area full of glacial lakes, including Negro, Travessani, Clot, the half-dozen Colieto lakes, la Roca, the Tumeneia lakes (de Dalt and de Baix), Monges, Mangades and Cloto. To the northeast are the Agujas de Travessani (2,585 m); to the south are the peaks of Comalespada (2,830 m) and Punta Alta de Comalesbienes (3,014 m). The easiest access is from Boí and Caldes de Boí, from where a vehicle can reach the Cavallers reservoir at 1,780 m. From there, following yellow marks, the ascent to the refuge takes about two hours along the Río del Lago Negro and the barranco de los Llastres. The refuge lies on the Carros de Foc route, a 55 km traverse linking all the refuges within the national park. To the north it is reached from the Refugi de la Restanca, and to the south from the Refugi del Estany Llong after a long stage crossing the Collado de Contraix, the highest point on the route. As a commercial offering, the refuge operates as a hospitality and mountain-services brand under the CEC umbrella, providing accommodation, meals and guiding to hikers and climbers in one of the Pyrenees' most protected landscapes. Its website, refugiventosa.com, presents the refuge, its emergency annex, its kitchen and practical access information to the public.

The Refugi Joan Ventosa i Calvell was built in 1955 in the Vall de Boí, in the Alta Ribagorça comarca of the Catalan Pyrenees, at an altitude of 2,220 metres beside Lago Negro. It was established as a mountain refuge to serve hikers and climbers exploring the glacial lake district that would later form part of the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. The refuge takes its name from Joan Ventosa i Calvell, a Catalan politician and mountaineering figure linked to the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya (CEC), the historic Barcelona-based hiking and climbing club that owns the refuge. In 1979 the refuge was enlarged and renovated, expanding its capacity and improving its facilities. Today it offers 70 staffed places and 8 unstaffed places outside the main season. Its infrastructure includes cold water in the toilets and showers, electric lighting generated by solar energy, stoves, bunk beds, mattresses and blankets, rescue equipment, breakfast, lunch and dinner service, and guide services. Guests must bring a sleeping bag; the unstaffed section provides blankets and a wood stove. An emergency refuge annex was added to the main building, with its entrance on the south facade. This installation is described by the refuge as a very important safety element in case of bad weather or an accident, and it includes an emergency radio transmitter that connects users with the fire brigade. The refuge lies on the Carros de Foc, a 55 km traverse that links all the refuges within the national park. It is reached from the north from the Refugi de la Restanca, and from the south from the Refugi del Estany Llong after a long stage crossing the Collado de Contraix, the highest point on the route. The easiest access is from Boí and Caldes de Boí, by vehicle to the Cavallers reservoir at 1,780 m, then about two hours on foot following yellow marks along the Río del Lago Negro and the barranco de los Llastres. The refuge is set in a granitic landscape full of glacial lakes — Negro, Travessani, Clot, the Colieto lakes, la Roca, the Tumeneia lakes, Monges, Mangades and Cloto — and is surrounded by peaks such as the Agujas de Travessani (2,585 m), Comalespada (2,830 m) and Punta Alta de Comalesbienes (3,014 m). It remains owned and operated by the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya and presents itself to the public through its website, refugiventosa.com, which details access, the emergency refuge and its kitchen.

• 1979

  The refuge is enlarged and renovated.

• 1955

  The refuge is built beside Lago Negro in the Vall de Boí at 2,220 m.

A high-mountain refuge and hospitality brand within a protected national park, owned by Catalonia's leading hiking club and integrated into the Carros de Foc circuit.

• Staffed mountain refuge accommodation (70 places)

• Unstaffed places outside season (8 places)

• Emergency refuge annex with radio transmitter

• Breakfast, lunch and dinner service

• Guide services

1. 1Inicio - Refugi Ventosa i Calvellrefugiventosa.com
2. 2Refugi Joan Ventosa i Calvell - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Refugio Ventosa i Calvell - Wikipedia (es)es.wikipedia.org