Beautiful mountain scenery at La Mongie, fantastic snow conditions, no lift queues, challenging skiing in the Pyrenees for all abilities and half the price of the Alps! With the new N'PY resort alliance, you can ski over 300km of pistes via 220 lifts
The Skiing at La Mongie-Bareges - (Approx 25mins drive from Villa Tamerza)
Not only is La Mongie-Bareges the largest ski-area in the French Pyrenees - with over 125 km of runs and around 65 lifts - but it also has the most technical skiing of the massif.
Altogether, there are 38 ski resorts along the French side of the Pyrenees as wwell as several on the Spanish side. At La Mongie-Bareges the top slopes climb to 2450m (8100 feet) with over 1100m of vertical drop if you ski right the way down to Bareges village.
There are some really challenging black pistes but generally the runs are more family-orientated reds, blues and green runs. There's extensive and safe off-piste areas everywhere with some beautifully scenic areas over in Bareges.
Here in the Hautes Pyrenees you get all the advantages of a skiing holiday in the Alps, but without the crowds or the Alpine prices! And there's a double whammy - the air fares are unbelievably cheap from Gatwick to Toulouse!!
If you haven't tried skiing in the Pyrenees, you must try La Mongie-Bereges ! For borders and experts, the powders great, and it doesn't get skied out before breakfast, like it does in the Alps!
La Mongie-Bareges is situated almost midway along the length of the Pyrenees mountains which form the border between France and Spain and stretch some 270 miles between Perpignan in the east and Biarritz in the west.
La Mongie is a modern, purpose-built ski station situated at 1800m on the east-facing slopes of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre. Bareges on the other hand is an older, more traditional mountain village situated at the foot of the west face of the Pic du Midi. Access to La Mongie is slightly easier.
The nearest main towns are Bagneres de Bigorre - about 20 minutes drive from La Mongie and Lourdes which is about 40 minutes drive from either La Mongie or Bareges.
If you're looking for a Pyrenees ski chalet to rent - Find out about Villa Tamerza - the best sports chalet in the Pyrenees.
You can choose to ski or snowboard, both on and off piste, and the variation is huge. You can stay for a week and not do the same run twice! The area is very well-connected, lift-wise, and you can ski down to La Mongie and down to the resort village of Bareges on the other side of the Pic du Midi.
If you stay at Villa Tamerza you can also try some of the other local resorts such as Les Cauterets and St Lary, which are both under one hour's drive from the house. Cauterets has some fantastic runs and always gets masses of snow. Last year there was over 3m at the top at one stage in the season !
CLICK HERE to see the latest improvements to the resort during last summer.
La Mongie and its sister resort Barèges have a fantastic snow record too. In 2009 there were again record snow falls - the best for 25 years - with fantastic snow beyond the end of April. More photos of La Mongie
The resort is well supplied with restaurants, bars, and ski shops and the lift system is well-designed with fast six-man chairs to major summits. There is a constant improvement program with new runs and areas being opened up or improved each year.
All in all this is a skiing gem which really hasn't been discovered by the masses.
La Mongie is a modern apartment village with some nightlife while Barèges is a more traditional Pyrenean village. They are great resorts for families with children or for people who just want to ski.
This is the place in the Pyrenees where the skiing most resembles the Alps. If you want a Pyrenees ski chalet to rent, click Here
The ski school offers classes for both advanced skiers and beginners. There are off piste tuition weeks for those who want new challenges. For intermediate skiers, private lessons with Ecole de Ski Francais are available.
Check out the following links for a really great self-catering chalet - the Villa Tamerza - which is ideal as a base for 10 to 12 people and great value too at only about £95 per person per week. Villa Tamerza is the Pyrenees ski chalet to rent if you want an enjoyable family sking holiday at affordable prices. A great value sports chalet.
