The Pyrenees - for years, we have dreamed of making our tracks in the snow on the slopes of the border mountain range, which is up to 3400 meters high and separates Western Europe from the Iberian Peninsula. This year, it's finally coming true: seven days in four ski resorts in three different countries.
From Munich, it's a decent road trip down to the southwest of France. The sun is blazing down from the sky as we get into the car. Spring has arrived here in the Alps after the cold spell. Traffic reports of closures due to wet snow avalanches are doing the rounds. We've probably done everything right, let's get going. Passing Geneva - Lyon and Montpellier, we head into the mountains behind Toulouse. Around a thousand meters in altitude still have to be conquered on the roads of the Tourmalet Pass, one of the Tour de France classics. After fourteen hours of riding, we reach our destination: La Mongie, the small village below the top of the pass. Our Hotel Crete Blanche is quickly found - right in the center next to the Avalanche bar, where the party seems to be just getting started at two in the morning.
Despite the late arrival, the alarm clock rings punctually in the morning. We have an appointment with Jean-Michel at nine. He, who is now spending his twenty-fifth season up here, wants to show us around the ski resort. The largest of the French Pyrenean areas has 100 kilometers of pistes and, with the 2886-meter-high Pic du Midi, it also has probably the most impressive freeride mountain in the region.
Powder two weeks after the last snowfall
We start the day on east-facing slopes above La Mongie. The snow is still frozen on the first two runs, but by ten o'clock it's already starting to thaw out thanks to the power of the sun. After a few runs to the right and left of the pistes, we switch sides of the valley to the slopes of the Pic de Quatre Termes. Here we find what we are looking for. We still find powder on the shady slopes, even two weeks after the last snowfall. The area on the Pic de Quatre Termes is designated as a pure freeride area. There is no grooming here, but there is a lot of supervision. The many large and small rocks form a real playground for us.
Jean-Michel has skiing savoir-vivre in his blood. A lunchtime meal is simply part of skiing in the south of France. Louisette serves the best of traditional Pyrenean cuisine in her little hut. For this, however, we first have to go to the other end of the ski area. Crossing the Col de Tourmalet, we head for Barège, the second village of Grand Tourmalet. Here the slopes are wider and more comfortable. When it snows, freeriders like to come here to powder through the trees in the sparse forests on the Pic d'Ayré.
I could write for an hour about the food alone. But I'll keep it short: crispy duck with blueberries and a typical French fruit tart to finish. And a red wine, of course. It's simply a must here. Mercy!
It's a good thing that the afternoon has already progressed and clouds are rolling in. This means we can head back with a clear conscience and, after a final firn run, recover at the hotel from yesterday's long drive and the first day of skiing.
Day 2: Pic du Midi
Once again, the first thing our eyes see is the blue sky. As we step outside the door, we immediately notice that it is even warmer than the day before. Once again, we are drawn to the freeride area at Pic de Quatre Terme in the morning. Yesterday we had seen a spot for a shot with interesting rocks in the foreground. The area should be in the morning. And that's exactly how it is.
Pic time is at 11 am. The Pic du Midi was only opened to freeriders in 2002. There are no groomed pistes on its slopes. Instead, when the snow conditions are good, it offers couloirs in all directions, which lead out into long side valleys at the bottom and thus form the longest and best runs in Grand Tourmalet.
The observatory on the summit of the "Pic" dominates the entire surrounding area like a futuristic monument. No matter where you are in the ski area, the "Pic" is always the center of attention. Due to its location north of the main Pyrenean ridge, the astronomical observatory, which provided the first images of the moon's surface in the 1950s in preparation for the Apollo mission, can be seen from afar from the highway. Most of the more than 100,000 visitors a year come up here to visit the museum and enjoy one of the menus in the newly designed restaurant. Only a few dare to ski down.
The snow conditions and warm temperatures only allow us to ski down the "normal route" today. We carve our lines through the snow in butter-soft firn. There are two slopes, then we drift down the long valley to Barège.
Back in La Mongie, we take off our skis and take a seat in the deckchairs in front of the numerous bars and cafés and let our freerider souls dangle. With the warm temperatures and a cold beer, it almost feels like we're sitting on the beach promenade in Biarritz, a hundred kilometers away.
As the sun disappears behind the mountain peaks, we throw our skis back in the car and set off. Let's see what awaits us at our next stop in Baqueira-Beret. Definitely our first turns in a new country. Because we've never skied in Spain before.