The 10 best ski resorts in the Pyrenees

Where to go to ski in the Pyrenees Mountain this winter 2018-2019? Here is our top 10 ski resorts in the Pyrenees!

The Pyrenees peak at 3,404 metres above sea level and constitute a geographical barrier separating Spain from the rest of Europe as well as a natural border of the same country with France. The area of the massif is 19 000 km2 – the surface of Slovenia or New Caledonia – and crosses landscapes of unspoilt and wild nature in two regions (Occitania and New Aquitaine) and six French departments as well as four autonomous communities in Spain (Catalogne, Aragon, Navarre, the Basque country.

There are 39 ski resorts in the French Pyrenees, 34 stations in Spain and 3 stations in Andorra. There are also world-renowned thermal resorts – Ax-les-Thermes, Luchon, Louron Valley, Cauterets and Saint-Lary – and three mountain areas: the Atlantic Pyrenees (or Pyrenees), the Central Pyrenees (with the Aneto Pic, the highest point of the massif at 3,404 metres), and the Eastern Pyrenees (known as the Catalians of Caniga),

Do you like skiing and planning to go to winter sport? Are you looking for stations where to hike on the snow? Here is a top 10 of the best ski resorts in the Pyrenees.

1. Grandvalira

Station juchée sur la France et l’la Andorra Grandvalira is the largest ski resort in the Pyrenees, composed of six villages (Canillo, Encamp, Grau Roig, Pas de la Case, Soldeu, El Tarter), 132 alpine ski slopes for a total length of 210 kilometers. The slopes begin at an altitude of 1,300 metres and peak at 2,610 metres. Among other things, there is a funicular, 3 cable cars, 30 lifts, 18 ski lifts – or pull-outs – and rather attracts family skiers.

Count between 42 € and 48 € per day, choosing a pass during the day or week.

2. Aramón Formigal

Aramón Formigal is the second largest ski resort in the Pyrenees, located on the Spanish slope at the level of Formigal and Sallent de Gállego, in the province of Huesca (1h30 road south of Pau). The resort has 97 alpine ski slopes and 2 cross-country ski slopes, for a total length of 137 kilometres: 39 black slopes, 33 red slopes, 18 blue slopes and 7 green slopes. There is therefore for all levels of practice, with 11 chairlifts and 5 pull-fesses. Free shuttles are available in Panticosa, a spa village.

Again, it is a rather family atmosphere. The prices of the packages range from 31,50 € to 45 € per day.

3. Saint-Lary-Soulan

Referred to in all guides, this station is very popular with the French public: it is one of the most frequented. Located in a small mountain village, the resort consists of 56 slopes for a ski area of 700 hectares spread over three areas, from 1,700 to 2,515 metres above sea level and for a total length of 100 kilometres. It is located in France, in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées, in the town of Eponym. There are 9 black tracks, 14 red and 26 blue, and 7 green tracks: it is a beautiful station for intermediate levels.

From 37 € to 43 € per day per person and from 188 € to 221 € per week per person (depending on age).

4. The Angles

This station is located in the Capcir valley, in the Pyrenees-Orientales, from 1,650 metres to 2,400 metres above sea level. The Angles, a former agricultural village in prey in the economic desert (submitting the rural exodus and the loss of its young workers), found by the rise of skiing an out-of-pair revitalization in the 1960s. Today, the resort has 45 55-kilometre trails, two ski schools and a network of 40 kilometres of trails to enjoy snowshoe rides.

For the price, count between 35,50 € and 39,50 € per day per person and from 195 € to 210 € per week.

5. Tourmalet

The Tourmalet is the other must for French skiers. Located on the communes of The Mongie and Barèges, the resort is located in the centre-south of the Hautes-Pyrénées, on the "gradients" of the famous Pic-du-Midi-de-Bigorre and in the Pyrenees National Park (in the south of Tarbes). The ski area ranges from 1,400 metres to 2,500 metres at the Col du Tourmalet and attracts 600,000 visitors per year. The station, it, counts 69 tracks of 100 kilometers long.

The prices are 38,50 € to 44 € per day, from 206 € to 234 € per week.

6. Ax 3 Domains

Ax 3 Domaines, in Ariège, is one of the ski resorts in the Pyrenees closest to Toulouse: 37 slopes and 83 kilometers of slip spread over 28 hectares of nature. The resort was built only 8 kilometres from Ax-les-Thermes, on three ski areas: Bonascre at low altitude, Saquet at medium altitude, and Campels at high altitude. The station begins at 1,400 metres and peaks at 2,400 metres.

The prices range from 28,50 € to 33 € per person per day and from 144,50 € to 186,20 € for 6 days.

7. Font-Romeu Pyrenees 2000

Font-Romeu is often cited among the best ski resorts in the Pyrenees. Located in the Pyrenees-Orientales, it is the resort of the premises of the former Languedoc-Roussillon and the Perpignanais. With Bolquère-Pyrénées 2000, the two resorts form a 40-track ski area for a total length of 111 kilometres, between 1,700 and 2,213 metres.

From 34 € to 39,50 € per day and from 169 € to 199 € per week per person.

8. Piau-Engaly

Located in the Neouvielle massif, on the commune of Aragnouet (Hautes-Pyrénées), Piau-Engaly is the highest ski resort in the French Pyrenees. Its altitude is 1,400 metres from the start, and it peaks at 2,528 metres. The resort has 41 alpine ski slopes – 7 black, 11 red, 19 blue and 4 green – with a total length of 68 kilometres.

From 32,50 € to 37,50 € per day and from 162,50 € to 187,50 € per week (6 days).

9. Peyragudes

Where to ski in the Pyrenees? When we come from Toulouse, the Peyragudes station can be a good choice. On horseback between the Haute-Garonne and the Hautes-Pyrénées, Peyragudes is one of the best ski resorts in the Pyrenees to start: there are 6 green and 23 blue slopes among the 51 tracks in total that it offers, more than half of its ski area dedicated to beginners. Between 1,610 and 2,261 metres above sea level, 60 kilometres of slopes are available.

The resort offers packages ranging from 35 € to 40 € per day and from 185 € to 210 € for 6 days.

10. Luchon-Superbagnères

The station of Lychon-Superbagnères is not mentioned in the guides, less frequented, quieter. Located on the commune of Saint-Aventin in Haute-Garonne, it has "only" 30 tracks and 32 kilometers of ski area.

Count between 31 € and 35 € per day and from 156,50 € to 179,50 € for 6 days.