Chalet le Chapeau Bleu rated "excellent" by 5 travellers

Winter Holidays in the Pyrenees

Winter in the Pyrenees is spectacular with white mountains and often bright sunny days. The chalet is situated in the middle of 4 very different ski resorts to satisfy all ability levels from beginner to seasoned skier.

Le Mourtis (1350m - 1860m)

Only 10km from the chalet, Le Mourtis is small, family orientated and pretty with 22km of mainly tree lined skiing ideal for beginners and intermediates. For seasoned skiers, the knee-trembling black beneath the Tuc de Pan chairlift will challenge the best mogul skier. There are 8 green, 5 blue, 5 red and 2 black runs. Le Mourtis also offers 45km of cross-country skiing, snow shoe trails and dog sled rides.

Superbagneres (1440m - 2260m)

Superbagneres is a lovely sunny resort where you can admire the beautiful Venasque and Cecire mountains. There are 27 km of runs with 4 green, 11 blue, 7 red and 6 black a snow park all serviced by 1 gondola, 4 chair lifts, 10 ski tows and 130 snow cannons. A 4km marked cross-country ski area is provided free of charge. Other activities include snow shoe walking, dog sleds and don's forget to visit the spa in the town of Luchon with its own indoor swimming pool.

Peyragudes (1600m - 2400m)

Many people will not recognise the resort of Peyragudes but chances are you have seen it! Peyragudes featured in the opening sequence of the James Bond film 'Tomorrow Never Dies' where the ski station was an arms bazaar close to the Russian border and 007 makes a dramatic escape. Only 20 minutes from Luchon, situated high in the Pyrenees, Peyragudes is an excellent alternative to the Alps. It has a relaxing, family feel and is right in the centre of the Pyrenees National Park. 50km of pistes consisting of 5 green, 20 blue, 18 red and 4 black runs serviced by 16 lifts. There is a snow park with half pipe and boarder cross and 200 snow cannons to ensure the quality of snow no matter what the weather. Intermediate skiers and families will love Peyragudes with its mainly red and blue runs. Expert skiers will find the steep moguls of the Faucons and Eperviers runs and the Pene Nere challenging. Off piste opportunities are superb with the open nature of the terrain. Snow boarders will enjoy the snow park and boardercross. The showpiece of Peyragudes is the Vallee Blanche. This is a 6km red run that goes down a hidden valley through the trees with a 1000m vertical that makes this one of the most enjoyable runs in the entire Pyrenees. Other activities include dog sleds, show shoe walking, hiking, paragliding and animal tracking walks for younger children. There are 15km of cross-country trails. Peyregudes is the only French resort currently offering heli-skiing.

Bourg d'Oueil (1350m - 1500m)

Bourg d'Oueil is a small cross-country ski area consisting of 4 pistes, 3 lifts and 2 snow cannons.

Nistos (1600m - 1800m)

A Nordic ski cross country resort, situated in the Neste and Barousse valleys. Nistos offers adults the use of a permanent snowmobile track and there is even a Biathlon shooting range. There are 8 trails covering 55 km consisting of 1 green, 2 blue, 4 red and 1 black and 3 marked trails for walkers covering 15 km, a sledge run and guided snow shoe hikes.

Baqueira/Beret (1500m - 2510m)

This superb ski resort is a favourite with King Juan Carlos and his family and is less than a 50 minute drive away in the Spanish region of Catalonia. Baqueira/Beret is the largest of Spain's resorts in the Pyrenees and the country's most exclusive winter sports centre attracting a mainly Spanish clientele. Baqueira Beret offers excellent skiing for all abilities with 104 km of marked pistes and 7km of cross-country skiing. Beginners may find some of the blues more challenging than usual and for experts the infamous Escornacrabes is a steep downhill plunge whose name translates as "the place where goats die"! There is 1 gondala lift, 20 chair lifts and 5 ski tows. The resort has 3 green, 38 blue, 25 red and 6 black runs. The resort offers four childcare centres for children from three months to eight years of age where they can take lessons or simply be entertained and fed whilst their parents have a day on the pistes. In addition to skiing, the resort offers helicopter skiing, dog-sled trips, paraskiing, snow racket walking and cross country trails.