European Ski Resorts A-Z
Grand Tourmalet, France
Resort height: |
Barèges 1250m La Mongie 1800m |
Slopes: |
1250-2500m |
Pistes: |
100km |
With the slopes reaching a respectable height of 2500m, snow cover is reasonably reliable in Grand Tourmalet.
But, with its proximity to the Atlantic, there are greater fluctuations in temperature in the Pyrenees than in the Alps, and snow quality can be variable. Snowfall is also more erratic here, but is often heavy when it does arrive.
La Mongie is one of the highest resorts in the Pyrenees with very reliable local cover for most of the season. Barèges is much lower, but the runs home here are shady and hold on to their snow better than you might think.
Where to ski in bad weather:
The Barèges sector has lots of trees and affords plenty of shelter in bad weather.