Roger Moss wrote:

Having skied a lot around the Alps (and Auvergne), we're now keen to
discover just what the French Pyrenees offer in the way of intermediate
downhill terrain. Travel to and from is not a big issue, as we'd be driving
from within France.

Anyone recommend somewhere 'special' combining great natural scenery,
dependable snow and reasonably extensive terrain? We can visit more than
one station during our visit. Barrèges and Les Ongles look like possible
contenders, but we'd welcome comments.

Oooooh! At last!

Makes Sign of Holy Ski Boots

Barèges-La Mongie (www.tourmalet.fr) used to be the biggest ski area in
the Pyrenees, but since they've linked Andorra up, it ain't any more.

Some 60-odd lifts, spread out across three valleys, so if you ski from
one end to the other you have two peaks/ridges to cross, one being the
Col du Tourmalet which is a famous stage of the Tour de France.

Barèges is an old spa town, and at the top end the volcanic thermal
baths (les Thèrmes) were built in Napoleonic times. Hot eggy water at 38
degrees C or thereabouts - utterly fantastic after a day's skiing, and
only a few quid for 45 minutes or so in the pool. Other spa treatments
sort of involve rubber hoses and stainless steel fittings and husky
peasant women wiv whips, and I wot not of those.

Barèges is rather cute as it's all old. La Mongie, at the other end of
the network, is purpose-built, slightly higher, and has the advantage of
your being able to ski back to your hotel door. This is only possible in
Barèges if you stay in the Igloo: otherwise you have to walk through the
town or use the ski bus. OTOH, no thermal baths in La Mongie!

Upside: amazing value. Half to two-thirds the price of the Alps for
everything. family lift pass for seven days (not the usual six), two
adults, two kids, this year is 418 euros. Utterly charming place. A lot
of investment has gone into new lifts in recent years, with more
planned. Cheap flights to Toulouse or Carcassonne. Lourdes is the
nearest airport (30 miles away) but nobody seems to fly there now.

Downside: a shorter snow season than the Alps. Can be iffy at Xmas (I've
had fabulous snow, and I've had rain), or can be fantastic - but then
that holds good for much of the Alps these days. Jan-Feb March is fine.
April can be like Xmas. Nothing very taxing: only two or three blacks.
Mostly blue, with maybe 25% reds.

Recommended hotels: Igloo in Barèges and Le Taoulet in La Mongie

Then there's St Lary/Pla d'Adet. Not as big, but still 40-odd lifts. The
Pla is the bit at the top, where the skiing is. St Lary village is at
the bottom. Stay at the bottom and you have to take the cablecar up and
down every day, so in this respect it's like Courmayeur or Chiesa in
Italy. So pay the extra and stay in Pla d'Adet rather than St Lary. St
Lary also has thermal baths, and very nice they are too.

Again, superb value (as with Barèges/La Mongie, you're effectively
paying eastern European prices), charming, fun. Also as above, shorter
snow season and nothing very taxing. The lift network has not really
been upgraded in recent years, and there are one or two bottlenecks.

Again, Toulouse or Carcassonne for the flights. Recommended hotel in Pla
d'Adet: Christiania.

Puy St Vincent - smaller than St Lary. Supposed to be some more taxing
stuff there, though, but as I've never been I can't comment. Ditto
Piau-Engaly. Never heard of Les Ongles.

Ace will be along in a minute ;-))


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