PYRENEAN SKI SAFARI
Great off piste skiing with a two day mini-tour
READY TO SKI ?
This is a classic Pyrenean off-piste ski safari, based in the pretty village of Luz St Sauveur with a half board accommodation in a hotel in the centre of the village. During the week you will use your skins a little, but the idea is mainly to use the lift systems in the valley (Grand Tourmalet, Luz Ardiden, Gavarnie) to gain height and tackle some interesting and challenging off-piste descents. The fixed accommodation base allows a flexible itinerary, to best adapt to weather and snow conditions. The highlight of the week is an overnight tour across the Néouvielle Nature Reserve to the Oule Refuge above St Lary, where we stay the night, returning the next day via a different route.
• Off piste skiing from three different ski resorts in the French Hautes Pyrenees
• A simple two day tour through the Néouvielle Nature Reserve
• Great atmosphere and plenty of variety !
• Improve your skiing and learn about snow and avalanche safety
BUDGET
1295€pp
This price includes :
• 6 days guided ski touring with a qualified UIAGM high mountain guide
• 6 nights at Hotel Les Templiers
(Hotel in double/twin room. Single supplement at the hotel 25€/night)
• 1 night in a refuge above St Lary
• All dinners & breakfasts
Extras:
• Lift passes
• Hire gear (210€/week + 80€ avalanche pack)
• Lunches (bakery and shops close by, fridge in lounge to store food, eating options on-piste)
• Transfers from/to Lourdes station or airport
BOOK NOW AT sian@pyrenees-mountains.com or +33(0)5 62 92 81 52
ITINERARY
DAY 1
Arrival at Lourdes airport or train station. Transfer to Luz via local bus or shuttle. We meet up early evening in Hotel Les Templiers’ lounge for a briefing with the guide and to collect any hire gear that you have booked.
DAY 2
We spend the first day exploring the Luz Ardiden ski area. After a short piste warm up we head to the top of the lift system to access the long off piste itinerary of the Bernazaou. This is a great North East facing descent down to a small hamlet of farms. Our minibus takes us back up to Luz Ardiden where we use the lift once more to gain height before another off-piste descent.
DAY 3
We head up to the Grand Tourmalet ski area and use the lifts to ski over to La Mongie and the Quatre Thermes… we make the most of a variety of off-piste slopes as we go. Then after a climb through a narrow gulley and a small natural tunnel through the rocks we access the lovely Aygues Cluses valley for the long ski back down to Bareges where we meet our minibus and head back to Luz.
DAY 4
We head off on a big day out that ends with a ski descent from the highest ski lift in the Pyrenees – the Pic du Midi at 2900 metres. First we re-trace our tracks to the Quatre Thermes lift system and climb on foot to the Contade. From there we traverse around a steep slope to access a secluded valley and a long ski down into the village of La Mongie. From here we catch the two stage cable car to the Pic du Midi – this is only accessible with a mountain guide as the skiing is steep and exclusively off-piste.
DAY 5
Transfer to the Gavarnie ski station – high up just before the Spanish border. We begin climbing for an hour and a half to the Peak St Andre – fantastic views of the Vignemale from here. Then we ski on very secluded slopes to the Ossoue valley inside the Pyrenees National Park and back out to the Gavarnie road to meet our minibus back to Luz.
DAY 6
We need skins today as we head off on a two day trip to St Lary Soulan. Again we use the Quatre Thermes ski lift and climb once more to the Contade. Then we ski down through the protected Neouvielle Nature Reserve to the Lac d’Oule reservoir. We spend the night in a refuge above St Lary.
DAY 7
We head back to Bareges today via the Col des Bareges. We use one ski lift to gain altitude and then from the Lac d’Oule we climb on skins for two hours to the Col des Bareges and then ski over to the Col des Madamette before skiing back down via the Escoubous dam to Bareges. We meet our minibus and head back to the Hotel Templiers in Luz St Sauver where we spend the last night of the tour – knackered no doubt but very satisfied after a very full week of skiing!
DAY 8
Transfer to Lourdes airport or train station for your return transport.