Ski and snowboard Bareges, something for everyone …

The fabulous Grand Tourmalet ski area has wonderful skiing and snowboarding for all levels.

Ski and snowboard Bareges

BEGINNERS — Each of the five interlinked ski areas has easy slopes for the beginner. The ski school will use the sunny cruising runs which link the different areas to move you around the lift system so there is no need for repetitive practice up and down the same slope. And what better way to gain confidence than on the longest run in the Pyrenees, 13 kms of blissful easy descent on a green run from the Col du Tourmalet along the river back to the village. The Barèges beginners’ areas have user-friendly ‘moving carpets’ to help with those first steps.

INTERMEDIATES — Intermediate skiers will love exploring the network from one end to the other with a choice of blue or red runs linking the areas. Start on the pretty tree lined runs at La Laquette before moving towards “La Plage”, a glorious south-facing run beneath the Pic du Midi, then over the Tourmalet to the wide sunny pistes of La Mongie to take the fast chairlift  to “Quatre Termes”, a gorgeous twisting descent in dramatic high mountain scenery from 2450 m. The new panoramic piste is just that, a gorgeous winding blue from beneath the Pic du Midi, over the Tourmalet ridge and down into the Bareges valley.

ADVANCED — The tree-lined pistes of the Ayre must rate with the most beautiful runs in Europe, a variety of red and black descents through the forests of Le Lienz. Further into the network the various red runs and acres of off-piste at Caoubere offer an excellent practice ground before attacking “Coume Lounque” and “Coume Lyse”, two adrenalin-pumping descents from beneath the Pic du Midi. The World Cup course in La Mongie is reserved for the excellent skier whose technique will be tested on its vertiginous slope. We particularly recommmend the ski school to the expert skiers as its instructors excel in getting advanced groups off-piste at every opportunity. Not to be missed is the wonderful off-piste run from the top of the Pic du Midi at nearly 3,000 metres (10,000ft), favourably compared with the great alpine off-piste runs. A weekly lift pass gives unlimited access to the top of the Pic du Midi for an amazing off-piste run from nearly 3000 metres. Sensational!