Friendly and welcoming family sky resort. The village is delightful and charming, with a good…read morechoice of bars, restaurants and shops for those days when the bad weather doesn't allow skying. I liked the fact that it is not at all "snobbish" (unlike some sky resorts in the Alps) but open to everyone who likes to have some fun on the snow. Very easy to reach from Toulouse airport, just a couple of hours relaxed driving on the motorway. Alternatively there is a "navette" from Lourdes Train station that goes directly to Cauterets for about EUR10 one way. Ideal for families, but maybe not challenging enough for consumed proficient skiers.

As Gayle and I were driving out of the Val d'Aran, we climbed up and up and on our way passed a few…read moresections of the Baqueira-Beret Ski Station. Yes, my pictures show bare hills and lonely chair lifts ready for the next Ski season. We stopped to look around, inspect the piste map, and figured that this might be a good reason to come back to this area. The road was pretty steep and I also wondered how folks actually arrived here in the Winter. However, snow routes are usually markedly different than road routes and I'm sure it all fits together nicely. Baqueira-Beret is actually the biggest resort in the Pyrenees and because of the Atlantic exposure, gets a lot of snow. At the same time, it's supposedly not a huge resort, but size does matter (and 1010 vertical meters "long"). There are also 72 pistes and trails, which translates to ~104 km of ski runs and more than 4700 skiable acres (heavily weighted to Intermediates). Famous fans of the resort include Luis Arias (former Spanish National Ski Champion), King Juan Carlos and other members of the Spanish Royal family. Someday I might join them as we move around the three valleys that shape Baqueira-Beret. Then afterwards is the regional cuisine....