Ordino, July 5, 2021 . Since this summer Ordino has a spectacular new attraction that allows you enjoy the views over the majesty of its valley, named a Biosphere Book by UNESCO. It is the Solar de Tristaina Viewpoint , which has 360-degree panoramic views and offers the visitor a new and privileged perspective of the entire Tristaina glacial cirque and the three lakes.
The Tristaina Solar Viewpoint will open to the public on July 9 with an open day in which there will be free access with the Tristaina Gondola and the Creussans chairlift to get to know this new attraction. El Mirador is located in the conca de Creussans , specifically in the Pico de Peyreguils, at an altitude of 2,701 meters, within the Ordino Arcalís ski areaand a few meters from the border with France.. The access is made mainly with the two ski lifts of the resort and the last section is done on foot, by a properly adapted and prepared path.
The new attraction in Ordino Arcalís was presented today on the terrace of La Coma Restaurant in Ordino Arcalís and was attended by the Minister of Tourism and Telecommunications, Jordi Torres, the consuls of the Ordino Community, Josep Àngel Mortés and Eva Choy, the president of Grandvalira Resorts, Joan Viladomat, the director of Marketing of Grandvalira Resorts, David Ledesma, and the co-authors of the project, Sergi Riba and Toni Riberaygua. In addition, the presentation has included a visit to the Mirador with the promoters of the project.
All of them have highlighted the magnitude and importance of the Tristaina Solar Lookout project, which was born in 2018 from conversations between the president of Grandvalira Resorts, Joan Viladomat, and the engineer Sergi Riba Porras. Its objective was to place a viewpoint on the Pico de Creussans to take advantage of a route that uses the cable lifts ( Tristaina gondola and Creussans chairlift) and requires some section on foot. This route had to have characteristics that made it accessible to as many people as possible. “ The promoter has been me, but there is a work of a very big team. We have made a great effort in five weeks ” , stated Viladomat during the presentation. For their part, Riba and Riberaygua have explained how the assembly process has been, highlighting that "it has been a great challenge that we have worked on three main lines ". In this sense, Riba has detailed that "first we see that it had the minimum impact on the environment, secondly, that it was a spectacular viewpoint and, finally, that the structure was an icon of the parish" . For his part, Riberaygua has indicated that "the work has not been easy, especially because the deadlines have been short and because we were at 2,700 meters of altitude , which complicates everything a bit".
From here, a project began to be proposed that, on the one hand, would allow us to see the maximum name of the surrounding mountains and, on the other hand, would be a sundial that paid homage to the meaning of Pico de Arcalís as a solar mountain . In fact, the viewpoint is a new point to enjoy a natural spectacle that occurs every August 7 at 7:37 a.m. when, at Pico de Arcalís, the sun is visible for three minutes through a hole what's on the rock. An exceptional phenomenon discovered by Bonaventura Adellach during night expeditions to Pico de Arcalís and who has wanted to honor with this work.
A sundial at 2,700 meters altitude
The Mirador Solar de Tristaina project is the work of the Andorran engineering studio SRP and the architecture studio TREA, by Sergi and Pere Riba and Toni Riberaygua, who have had the collaboration of the structural consultant Lluís Moya, who is also responsible for renowned projects like the Torre Agbar in Barcelona among many others.
The viewpoint, an annular metal structure through which visitors can walk, is a large sundial with the central gnomon, 27 meters long, inclined at 42.55º , which is the exact latitude of the point where the viewpoint is located according to its Geographical coordinates. The ring has a diameter of 25 meters and a total weight of 32 tons anchored on the ground with only four points of contact. The circular shape of the viewpoint offers a 360º panoramic view that allows access to the west as far as the Tristaina glacial cirque, to the south and east over the entire area of the Ordino Arcalís resort, and to the north through the Auzat valleys, with views of emblematic peaks such as Pica de Estats.
A great attraction for Ordino and Andorra
The Solar de Tristaina Viewpoint is a new attraction in the tourist offer of the parish of Ordino , as well as all of Andorra. "We face the summer with enthusiasm and with the honor that the parish of Ordino is one of the 701 regions, and the only Andorran, which has been declared a Biosphere Book by UNESCO," said the Consul Major of Ordino, Josep Àngel Mortés, who has highlighted that its location, overlooking the Tristaina lakes, "one of the must-sees in Andorra." For her part, the minor consul, Eva Choy, stressed that "the Tristaina gondola is one of the attractions of Ordino Arcalís in the summer, which will be complemented perfectly with the new Solar Lookout".
Minister Jordi Torres has expressed himself in the same sense and has pointed out that "initiatives of these characteristics are fantastic for the parish and for the country" and has assured that "it will attract many tourists , I think it will be very successful and that will be complements very well with what we want to offer as a country ". In addition, he congratulated Ordino Arcalís and Grandvalira for "the commitment to quality" they make.
