Ski
In the valley above Bagnères, the mountain road forks east at Sainte-Marie de Campan toward the Aspin pass and west toward the Tourmalet pass. These famed Tour de France mountain passes are wrapped in snow and unpassable in the winter. In their nook, two spectacular ski resorts open up: Payolle for cross-country skiing and the Domaine du Tourmalet for downhill, the largest ski area in the Pyrénées.
Barely 20km from Bagnères, these ski resorts are easily accessible by car. Come discover how beautiful our mountains are in the wintertime. If skiing is for you an extreme sports, be advised that these slopes are where the Théaux brothers and Mathieu Crépel hone their skills: if the terrain is challenging enough for these world-class champions, it should be a pretty good rush for you too! Click below and start waxing your boards:
Ski in the Pyrenees…
Cycling
The Aspin and Tourmalet mountain passes have been the ‘pièce de résistance’ of numerous stages in the fabled Tour de France. But you don’t need to be Federico Bahamontès or Richard Virenque to defy gravity and tackle these mythical passes. Get a few motivated friends together and climb at your own pace. Another pin-turn or two and it’s the summit already!
The bicycle is justly celebrated in Bagnères. The Laurent Fignon Center was developed recently on the outskirts of town to offer camps and further showcase our love for all things cycling. Bagnères is often a host town for the Tour, and in years when it’s not, the race route always passes nearby. The immediate surroundings of the Monlôo are perfect for cycling and numerous mountain bike trails have been setup in the region for those who prefer to pedal off the beaten path.
Cycling in the Pyrenees…
Rope Courses
The Chiroulet, 10km up from Bagnères in a wild and enchanting valley, is known as the base camp for many mountain hikes in the region, but with the accro-branches Aya course, it’s now also the place to be for high-wire rope adventures up in the trees.
It’s a web of wires, nets, swings, beams, suspended bridges, and rope ladders arranged for vertigo-inducing acrobatics high in the century-old forest. In Artigues further up in the Adour valley, another course is setup across spectacular waterfalls, with a via ferrata to spice it all! Bring the kids and watch them fly through obstacle courses that are giving you feats. Humbling, and quite the rush! Click below and get a fix of adrenaline.
Extreme pointers…
