Touching down at Lourdes Airport was the start of my very own pilgrimage, not the normal one that six million people a year take part in, but my annual pilgrimage to the snow covered slopes, this time in the Pyrénées of southern France.
About an hour’s drive from the airport is Domaine du Tourmalet, with a ski area of around 100km of pisted runs, set beneath the magnificent Pic du Midi de Bigorre.
The Pic, as the locals call it, is at an altitude of 2,877 metres above sea level and has been an observatory since 1880, offering visitors the chance to admire the views of the Pyrenees and to learn more about astronomy from its high vantage point. There are also several legendary descents from the Pic du Midi observatory. It has been listed since 2003 as a national natural site for the beauty of its scenery and from the summit you can see the entire Pyrenean mountain range.
Spending the night at such an awe-inspiring place was an experience I will never forget; the thought of sleeping at nearly 3,000 metres above sea-level in a building that was built 130 years ago was mind-blowing. What surpassed this was dragging myself out of bed at 7.15am and getting all togged up to watch the sun rise over the mountains. Even the extreme cold couldn’t detract from the stunning views from such a great vantage point.
After descending from the summit, the plan was to meet our ski guide and go back to the top and ski one of the many off piste routes down to the base of the mountains.
Unfortunately the conditions were such that only the really experienced skier would be up to the challenge. So we decided as it was our first morning skiing and we hadn’t got our ski legs just yet that the sensible option would be to stay on the well-groomed pistes and enjoy getting a good day’s skiing under our belt before being a bit more adventurous the following day.
After a good first day on the slopes we packed up and headed off on the second leg of our mini Tour de Pyrénées for the resort of Peyragudes. The resort is divided over two mountains, Agudes and Peyresourde. Peyregudes has 60kms of great wide open well-looked after runs with a large number of snow cannons to guarantee snow cover.
A real treat on our arrival that evening was to go up the mountain in a piste basher, quite a surreal feeling, pitch black, a very steep incline and Elvis playing on the driver’s radio – bizarre but enjoyable, nonetheless.
We opted to have dinner in the Cosy Casa restaurant, which was situated under the Serias residence apartments, which we were staying at, and at the foot of the mountain we were to ski the next day.
Although not the biggest resort I have skied, it did cater for all ages and abilities. There are snow parks, boardercross and freeride areas, as well good nursery slopes for the little ones. One thing that did impress me and which I have never seen before, and as my own son will be coming to that age where he will be old enough to ski, was on a four-man chairlift where one seat had magnets on it, this coupled with a pack you can strap onto the back of your child, locks them into place with no chance of them wriggling free.
By the end of day two the old leg muscles were beginning to complain so a visit to the spa centre of Balnea was in order. Situated on the banks of Lake Genos it was a chance to have a good soak and sauna and recharge my batteries for the last days full on ski-a-thon.
The final leg of our mini tour was the picturesque town and resort of St Lary where we stayed at a Mercure hotel.
Offering all the activities of a larger resort it remains family-friendly and has that nice feel to it that you only get in a smaller resort.
From the village the new cable car takes you to Pal d’Adet, one of three ski areas. From this point the three ski areas merge to form one very large resort, once again with lots of snow cannons to ensure good snow coverage.
A full on day’s skiing was only interrupted when we stopped for lunch at the famous Le Refuge. After refuelling it was back on the slopes until late afternoon when with a heavy heart I handed back my skis at the rental shop, that was it for another year.
Although doing a tour of numerous resorts rather than staying in one place can be tiring, it is something I would strongly consider doing again as every new day provides a completely new adventure.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here