Do you live in Toulouse or the surrounding area, do the photos of the snow-covered resorts and the mountains on the horizon make you want to put on your skis ? On the way to the snow, from the pink city!
sponsored content
Where to go skiing, quickly and not too far, from Toulouse?
Located in the Val d'Aran, just 1 hour 30 minutes from Toulouse (130 km), Le Mourtis is a very friendly and family resort. It stretches over 3 slopes, for skiing in the sun at almost any time of the day. It is a nature resort in the heart of a 500 ha forest where bears and other Pyrenean animals live in peace. If you like freeride and snowboard, you will have a beautiful playground for the day or the weekend!
Le Mourtis offers 23 km of slopes for all levels spread over 19 slopes (4 green, 5 blue, 7 red and 3 black), accessed by 10 ski lifts (1 chairlift, 10 ski lifts and 1 carpet).
There is an introductory airboard track, a kind of very fun snowboarding snowboard. For everyone and children from 7 years old.
The Ax Les 3 Domaines Station:
Ax les 3 Domaines is the easiest station to access from Toulouse and with various means of individual or public transport. It is 1h30 from Toulouse, about 140km. It is a resort with 3 independent ski areas (hence whose name, right?): The area of Bonascre, Saquet and Campels. From 1400 to 2400m above sea level, there is plenty to do on 80km of slopes, spread over 36 slopes (9 green, 10 blue, 10 red, 6 black), they are taken through 19 ski lifts (2 cable cars , 6 chairlifts, 10 ski lifts and 1 carpet).
There is a snowpark for riders! It is also the ideal place to try Speed Riding, a mixture of paragliding and skiing ... For real thrill seekers.
Guzet is located in the Haut Couserans , it is a really charming resort, with pretty little wooden chalets in the middle of the conifers. It enjoys a beautiful panorama and a fairly picturesque and authentic setting. Guzet is 140km from Toulouse, but it takes a little over 2 hours to get there.
Guzet offers 40 km of slopes, spread over 32 slopes, including 7 green, 10 blue, 9 red and 6 black. It is accessed with 15 ski lifts: 10 ski lifts, 4 chair lifts and 1 carpet.
If you come to Guzet, you absolutely have to stay in one of these little chalets, built in the 1960s by a lover of the resort, they are typical and at the foot of the slopes! Guzet offers 3 ski areas, which are suitable for all winter sports and all levels.
Saint-Lary is a resort with a proven reputation and very popular with families, winter and summer. It is a real small village, with a lively life, numerous shops and a lot of activities to do apart from skiing. Saint-Lary is 145 kilometers from Toulouse, you will get there in about 1 hour 45 minutes by car. The road is beautiful with pretty picturesque villages to stop over.
On the piste side, it is 102 km of descents available to you, with 56 pistes and 28 ski lifts (3 cabins, 10 chair lifts, 15 ski lifts).
You are only 20 km from Spain, via the Aragnouet-Bayonne tunnel).
The highest resort in the French Pyrenees, is a 2h20 drive from Toulouse (175 km), and only 25 minutes from Saint-Lary. It is a natural snow-covered resort, completely integrated into the magical mountain landscape. It is a car-free station, where you can get around with a free shuttle.
Piau-Engaly offers 65 km of slopes for all levels spread over 39 slopes (4 green, 19 blue, 11 red and 7 black), accessed by 8 ski lifts (5 chair lifts, 3 ski lifts).
The Edeneo baléno center, at the foot of the slopes, with 130m2 of thermal baths to recharge your batteries and avoid stiffness!
The Luchon-Superbagnères resort:
The Station is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Toulouse, 160 km. It is easily accessible from the town of Bagnères-de-Luchon , with a cable car that takes you to the foot of the slopes. Luchon-Superbagnères is spread over 4 slopes, on perched plateaus with breathtaking views. There are 32 km of slopes, on 28 slopes, with 13 ski lifts.
There is a great ski and spa package ... Including an entry to the Luchon Forme et Bien Etre Vaporarium, huuuuummmmmmm !!!
Peyragudes Station:
Panorama, peaks over 3000m, valleys and thrills in Peyragudes ! It is a popular resort because it is easily accessible from Toulouse. It is 160km (about 1h50) from the pink city.
60kms of slopes spread over 51 descents (5 green, 22 blue, 20 red, 4 black), enough to have fun all weekend without getting bored with 17 lifts (9 chairlifts, 5 ski lifts, 2 mats, 1 rope ).
There are 10km of ungroomed cross-country ski and snowshoe trails, and a dog sled course! Yeh! In addition, Peyragudes is modern and has 70% artificial snow slopes, enough to meet the vagaries of the weather, all season long. Read our report on the Peyragudes resort!
The cool resort when you love the mountains, but not downhill skiing: Beille
Beilleis a paradise for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, Nordic walking, sledding ... 1h30 from Toulouse, it is a plateau that offers magnificent landscapes, calm and a guaranteed Zen atmosphere. The vegetation is special in this place where you can imagine yourself in a distant Nordic country ... It is a children's paradise, with various and varied activities such as the construction of igloos and long toboggan runs. (with crouch so as not to get tired).
To save money on your trip to ski resorts, you have several solutions:
Fill the car with guests who share the travel costs, for example with Blabla car and other carpooling sites. Obviously, if you are a family of 4 or 5 people, it won't work :) Some resorts have partnered with co-rider.com, specializing in board sports, just to find passengers with whom to share lots of passions. common!
Learn about SkiRail is an offer offered by SNCF and the Occitanie Region.
You can benefit from a round trip by train from Toulouse, a transfer to the ski lifts, a 1 day or 2 days pass for a very advantageous price !! For example in 2017, count 45.70 for the 1-day package at Ax les 3 Domaines (compared to the 37.5 euros on average for the ski pass in the resort ... It's very interesting!)
From Toulouse, you can go to:
Ascou-Pailhères
Ax les 3 Domaines
Beille
Grandvalira
Guzet
Luchon / Superbagnère
Porte-Puymorens
Saint-Lary
Find out how to take a OuiBus : The SNCF subsidiary offers connections, only in season, from Toulouse and to 3 stations in the Pyrenees: Saint-Lary, la Mongie and Ax les 3 Domaines. The rates are really nice, but you have to book in advance to get the best rates.
Or look at the Flixbus side: Another operator offering very affordable prices for round trips during the day or at weekends by bus, from Toulouse. You can go to Saint-Lary.
To go to Peyragudes , there is a bus connection, with an independent operator , for 35 euros.
Good deals to save money on a ski holiday
For you students: Remember to take your card! You benefit from sometimes very significant reductions for ski passes, sometimes equipment rental or extra-ski activities. Ask your university , some offer à la carte weekends ... The same goes for job seekers , large families ... Take your supporting documents to benefit from reductions!
If you are a CAF beneficiary , you can surely benefit from the VACAF participation, that is to say that part of your stay, in particular the rental of accommodation, is covered. Many structures offer you to use these grants, but this is not always mentioned clearly, so find out more on the dedicated website and with the accommodation or the coveted service!
A simple tip if you are going for several days or a week: do the shopping at home or prepare lunch boxes, at least for lunch. Take advantage of the restaurants in the evening to treat yourself and invest in a backpack to store provisions and have a snack on the slopes (by taking your waste of course). You also maximize the use of your package!
Other loose tips:
- Share the ski instructor with friends or children from other families, if you need to learn or to warm up!
- Rent your equipment in Toulouse directly, it's cheaper than at the bottom of the slopes (well, you have to transport it then ...). - Purchase of used equipment, or rent it on the internet.