Whoever said skiing in the Pyrenees was tame compared to the Alps had clearly never spent a hot March day pursuing the pistes of Barèges-La Mongie. It is a wonderful ski station situated about 30 minutes from Lourdes, 45 from Pau and 2 hours from St Jean de Luz. It offers everything any skier could want, including the longest blue run in Europe at 14 kilometres, easy but exhausting!
The sun was high in the sky, sun terraces full but not busy and by mid afternoon avalanches were rife. It is quite a sight to see a tsunami of snow disappear beneath your chairlift. Keyword for today was simplicity. We got to the slopes easily, hired the comfiest boots I've ever enjoyed, took the free bus from Barèges to the slopes, lunched in leisure, didn't experience any queues despite the glorious weather and were often the sole occupants of the wide pistes. Quite fabulous! We are hoping to return in a couple of days for some more powder fun, but only if my sunburn fades...
Basque of the day:- ski :: eskiatu
