La Mongie - Grand Tourmalet

La Mongie - Grand Tourmalet straddles both sides of the legendary Col du Tourmalet (one of cycling's most famous mountain passes), and forms the largest linked ski area in the French Pyrenees. La Mongie sits at 1,800m in a natural powder bowl beneath the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, purpose-built, compact and ski-in/ski-out. On the opposite side of the col, the traditional spa village of Barèges occupies a forested valley at 1,250m. Two villages, two characters, one ski area: and the charm is that you never ski the same landscape twice.

The ski area covers 100km of pistes across 68 runs between 1,250m and 2,500m. On the La Mongie side, terrain includes wide, sun-facing bowls and open alpine territory above the treeline, while the Barèges side drops through fir forests with a completely different feel. Gentle greens and cruising blues make up much of the area, with longer reds and testing blacks on the steeper upper sections. A cable car from La Mongie accesses the Pic du Midi at 2,877m, an entirely unpisted summit that draws freeride skiers from across Europe. Snowmaking backs up the natural snowfall throughout the area, and the season runs from early December through to mid-April.

Away from the slopes, you'll find a relaxed, unpretentious character. La Mongie's compact centre has enough restaurants and bars to keep evenings interesting, while Barèges adds thermal spas and a more traditional Pyrenean atmosphere. The Pic du Midi observatory is a highlight, with panoramic views and stargazing sessions that make the most of this high-altitude location, and the nearby town of Bagnères-de-Bigorre provides a change of scene, with a spa complex, cafés, and local markets.