Cauterets, Pyrenees

Universaltraveller
Cauterets, Pyrenees
Unjustly perceived as the bastard ginger son of the European winter-resort family The Pyrenees has often been dismissed out of hand at the
start of the destination selection process. On hearing any mention of the Pyrenees most people think ‘Andorra’ and remain blissfully ignorant
of the fact that, unless you make the long-haul trek to California, no other Northern Hemisphere resort can offer you fresh powder in the
morning and world class waves in the afternoon (without having to dodge icebergs). So, if you can’t make up your mind between first-tracks
and a dawn-patrol surf, stretch your imagination past a camping weekend at your local Dendix mecca or a winter paddle-out at everybody’s
fave Cornish ‘secret spot’. Think ‘The Pyrenees’ - Give the kid a chance.
WHITELINES 16
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Photo: Caurterets Tourist Board
Where is it?
The Pyrenees is located in south-western Europe. Older
than the Alps, the Pyrenees form a natural divide between
France and Spain. At about 270miles long the chain
extends from the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) across to
the Mediterranean Sea and cover an area of 21,380 square
miles. The highest peak in the Pyrenees (Aneto Peak)
reaches 3,404m (11,168ft). This article will be focusing
on the village resort of Cauterets which lies due south of
Lourdes and around 2 hrs from the world famous surfing
beaches of the Basque coast.
How to get there
Several options are available to you including getting a
ferry to Northern Spain (Portsmouth to Bilbao (P&O)) which
operates twice a week, takes 35hrs and hauls you across
the notoriously vomit-inducing Bay of Biscay. Coach travel
from the UK is also available but sitting on a bus for 12+
hours or turning green on a boat for a day and a half holds
little appeal when you consider the flight options. The
plethora of budget carriers that offer cheap and cheerful
access to the Pyrenees is a god-send to those who may be
constrained by a budget and time. Invariably flights from
London will take just under 2 hrs and you could fly into any
of the following places and you’ll be within a short (1-3hr)
drive of the white stuff: Biarritz, Pau, Toulouse, Carcassone,
Perpignan or Lourdes. At the time of writing Ryan Air were
advertising London Stanstead to Pau for as little as 7.79
each way (+taxes), Having said that, we booked up only 2
weeks before flying and paid about £60 each (inc. taxes).
What’s the town like?
This is likely to split you into 2 groups and you’ll know
which group you need to be in so I’ll let you decide for
yourself. Group 1 will be made up of those of you who
enjoy traveling to foreign countries as much for getting
away from our piss-awful weather as getting away from
any stereo-typical ‘Brits-Abroad’ travellers and their lagerswilling après-ski antics. Group 2 will be made up of the
remainder, who’s complete holiday itinerary encompasses a
self-imposed ritual of forcing oneself up the mountain each
morning after an evening diet of 15 tequila/Jaegermeister
chasers, epileptic dancing to ear-assaulting Euro-pop and
a maximum of 3 hours sleep, safe in the knowledge that
the fresh mountain air will blow any cobwebs away (just in
time to start over again).
Group 1 – this could be a little slice of heaven for you.
Group 2 – steer well clear, there’s nothing for you here (for
the next 3 or 4 years anyway). This is a beautifully sleepy
unspoilt French spa-village. Cauterets, and the other
resorts in this area have remained a closely guarded secret
of the French. This can almost certainly guarantee you 3
things – the slopes are super-quiet from Monday to Friday
(except during French holidays); the locals have yet to be
over-exposed to foreign holiday makers and as such have
not developed the xenophobic hostility that you might
have come across in past visits to French alpine resorts;
and thirdly the area has not become solely reliant on the
wintersports tourist trade which makes for a considerably
smaller dent in your wallet than the Alpine equivalent.
Despite being the opposite end of the party scale from
Meribel, Cauterets has its fair share of bars, cafes and
restaurants and claims to have a Casino (the cheek of it
- the ‘Casino’ incorporates a cinema, gallery, restaurant
and a handful of fruit machines in a smoky bar area. The
one gaming table bore a striking resemblance to roulette
but had only 9 numbers and used a ball the size of a tennis
ball! This is no threat to Las Vegas). Pyrenean resorts often
boast natural spa facilties and Cauterets is no exception. In
addition to the municipal pool/spa the Hôtel-Balnéo Aladin
has its own spa at it’s guests’ disposal, perfect for soothing
your aching joints and you can get away with farting your
ass off without getting a dead-arm from your other half!
What’s the mountain like?
Well, its kinda small at the moment. The ski area of
Cauterets is served by a brand new 8 man telecabine lift
that takes you from the village at 980m upto the slopes
at 1850m in about 10minutes. From the main lift station
an array of 4-man and 2-man chairlifts and some drags
ferry you around the ski area which has over 36km of
pistes and is pretty much entirely above the treeline. The
lifts take you up as high as 2350m. The areas between
the pistes are wide open and asking for attention from
anybody with a propensity for a bit of powder. There is a
small but fun snowboard park with a selection of kickers
and rails that runs under one of the main lifts, no pipe as
yet but that’s on the Christmas wish-list of the local riders
for future seasons. Tuition and kit hire is readily available
and Off-piste expeditions/guiding with the option of an
overnight stay in a soldier cabin were on offer from our
hosts at French Fusion. With plans for future links to
other neighbouring resorts Cauterets’ potential is great
but at present it is more suited to beginner-intermediate
riders. The largest ski area of the Haut Pyrenees is shared
by the linked resorts of Barèges and La Mongie. With
around 120km of pistes it is less than an hour away from
Cauterets.
The cost of a Cauterets lift pass reflects the cost of living
here and the size of the ski area, with a 3 day pass costing
71 Euros (high)/59 Euros (low), a 6 day pass just coming in
at under £100; 133 Euros/109 Euros and a season pass, if
purchased before 15th November, was only 260 Euros!!
Where to eat and drink
As mentioned earlier the village has several restaurants and
café bars, there’s no nightclub to speak of so this may be
more suited to those who want to direct all their energy to
slope-time. The one thing that will rapidly become apparent
is that you’re not paying alpine prices. On the mountain
you’ll be able to get a baguette, fries and a beer for about
8 Euros!! Perfect riding sustenance. Once you’re down in
the village the restaurant opposite the Casino does great
steaks and fondues for no more than 20 Euros and that’s
classed as expensive here.
What’s the weather like?
Cauterets has the best snowfall record of the Pyrenees.
The season generally runs from late November until the
end of April. The temperatures are generally slightly higher
than the Alps due to the maritime climate provided by the
Atlantic so it is unlikely (but not impossible) that you’ll be
able to ride all the way down to the village at the end of the
day. If you’re planning to take advantage of the nearby surf
then Mar/April would offer the best conditions.
Need to know
Currency: Euro (£1= 1.47 Euros)
Time: GMT+1hr
Int. Direct Dial: +33
Contacts: www.cauterets.com ; www.ryanair.co.uk
French Fusion offer apartment accommodation in
Cauterets (from 4-12 people per apartment) from just
£150 per week (low season). They can also arrange
airport transfers, guided off-piste powder trips, daytrips to nearby resorts and a variety of ‘flat-light day’
activities. For more info on their winter and summer
packages on offer go to www.frenchfusion.co.uk ■