Choose from four week long snowshoeing holidays led by local winter mountain guides

Snowshoeing 2008
Skiing isn’t the only way to get around in the mountains in winter ! We are always surprised by how few people seem to have discovered snowshoeing. If you like the outdoors, love mountains and silent, snow filled landscapes and are reasonably fit, you really should give it a try. You can access the most amazing places on snowshoes and it’s not really a technical sport. You just put them on and walk to wild valleys, cols and summits others can’t access.If you like summer walking, you will certainly like snowshoeing.

We have four different options for snowshoe based holidays:

“Brilliant week ! Thanks so much for all the organising and hard work.”
- David Booth

Discover the serenity of the winter landscape of the Pyrenees mountains and valleys, led by a local French guide. During this week we head off from the hotel on day trips, aiming to see as much local wildlife as possible on our journeys to the area’s most spectacular sites. The routes vary slightly from week to week but we have a snowshoe outing every day except on Saturdays. The groups are made up either of just our UK customers or of both French and UK visitors, depending on numbers on any day. If the group is mixed, the leader will speak both languages to explain the geography, wildlife and climate of this unique environment. The programme consists of three half days and three full days guided. If you want more independence, it is possible to book fewer days and have more free time in your week (it is also possible to book six full days snowshoeing) . You are welcome to reserve this holiday as a group, family or as a single participant. It is also possible to arrange this week just for your group and to have your own guide, although obviously this is a more expensive option..

Day 1: Fly to Pau Pyrenees and transfer to the old market town of Luz St Sauveur and the Hotel Templiers. We meet up for a briefing and to collect your snowshoe.

Day 2: A gentle start but with views onto the Col du Tourmalet, the Massif de Neouvielle and Pic du Midi de Bigorre. We walk along the Vallon d’Aoube to end up at the shepherds’ huts there.

Day 3: A visit to the lovely frozen blue Lac de Gaube. In summer you will find other tourists here but in winter it’s a site of splendid isolation.

Day 4: We walk into the massive stone Cirque de Gavarnie – a world protected heritage site - to see frozen waterfalls and track the wild animals, fox and izard by analysing their snowy footprints.

Day 5: This afternoon we walk through the silent pine tree forest of the Ayre and may be lucky enough to see deer, fox or a boar.

Day 6: We enjoy the superb landscape of the summit the Pic du Midi de Bigorre with its pine trees and its granite rocks - a real taste of adventure!

Day 7: From the snowy arretes of the Ardiden, you can gaze over the huge panorama of the Valleys des Gaves: valleys of Argeles, Luz and Cauterets.

Day 8: Transfer back to Pau airport for flight home to the UK.

This week of guided snowshoing is designed to take you to some of the most dramatic places in the French Pyrenees and it is one of our most popular snowshoeing week. Each day you discover a new site, and each evening come back to the comfort of a two star hotel and a nice French dinner. The range of possible routes is vast. We will climb to summits, wander along river valleys and track indigenous wildlife following their characteristic footprints in the snow.

The walks will take us to summits on some days– like the Bergons, the Ayre, the Madamette, with massive views over the vallleys below. On the way we look for signs of wildlife : deer, foxes and bearded vultures. During the week we will also cross famous passes on the French Spanish border, like the Bernatoire, Col de la Fache, Saugue or the Col des Bareges. We will find the Escubous dam following a chain of frozen lakes. And no snowshoe week would be complete without a visit to at least one of the three famous cirques of the Hautes Pyrenees : the Cirque of Garvarnie (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Cirque of Estaube or the massive and little visited Cirque of Troumouse.

This new snow-shoeing trek offers the delightful prospect of walking in some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the Pyrenees every day but still carrying only a light day sack. Each evening we go back to the Refuge Wallon, a lovely old building set by a semi frozen river and surrounded by red barked pine trees. The Guardian there will serve a cooked meal by the stove each evening and you can buy wine or beer. It’s an eerily romantic place to spend time. The stars at night are astonishing.

The refuge base for this week means we can get out onto our snowshoe routes directly every day with no driving. The valley of Marcadau was once the natural meeting place for traders crossing the Spanish French border in the summer. Our daily snow-shoeing itinerary bring us to summits and cols on the Spanish border, giving massive views over a large section of the Hautes Pyrenees.

Day 1: Fly to Pau airport for transfer to a first night in a two star hotel in old spa town of Luz St Sauveur.

Day 2: Meet up with your guide for the week and then head off on a gentle, warm up day of snow-shoeing in the valley of Luz, very possibly to visit the famous world heritage site, the Cirque de Gavarnie in all its winter glory.

Day 3: Today we walk in to the Marcadau hut (Wallon refuge) above the thermal town of Cauterets. There is little altitude gain (400m) but a fair distance to go on our showshoes. We climb through magnificent scots pine forests and alongside a river to reach this cosy refuge.

Day 4: We climb to the Col de Cambalès (2500m) via snow-covered lakes for an incredible view. We hope to enjoy our picnic lunch under a blue sky as we take in the panorama of snowy summits and valleys.

Day 5: Today we climb to the Col de la Fache (2500m) at the foot of the summit of the same name (3005m). Now we are on the Spanish border looking down on down on the valley of Panticosa and its « Pics d'Infierno ».

Day 6: In a southerly direction, we climb towards the western face of the Vignemale (highest summit on the French side of the Pyrenees at 3298m). We reach the Col d'Aratille (2500m) having passed the lake of the same name after about 3 hours climing. All efforts are worthwhile once we gain the view over the Spanish valley of Rio Ara.

Day 7: We may choose to walk down the same way as we came up, or, if conditions and energy allow, we will undertake the hidden « Tour des Lacs » which bring us around the summit of Cardinquère by a string of lakes and pine forest to meet up with the path back down to the Plateau de Cayan, reputed for cross-country skiing. From here, a short stroll brings us back to the car park.

Day 8: Time to check in the snowshoes and make our way back to the airport.

Discover theThe Encantats Nature Park on a six day hut to hut snowshoe trek. You'll find some of the most beautiful mountains in the Pyrenees, frozen lakes and waterfalls, lovely pine forests and solitude. Classified as Spanish National Parc, the Encantats (or Aiguestortes in Spanish) is a vast protected landscape. A series of 6 mountain refuges make it possible for us to trek here in winter.

Day 1: Fly to Pau Pyrenees and transfer to the old market town of Luz St Sauveur and the hotel Templiers. We meet up for a briefing and collect your hire equipment.

Day 2: Transfer to Spain, south of Arties - a little village in the Val d’Aran, where we put on our snow shoes for an easy start. We head up the valley of Valardies through a magnificent pine forest to reach the refuge de al Restanca(2010m) to spend our first night.

Day 3: Today we will encounter 8 lakes, one after another to arrive to our next refuge: de Ventosa I Calvell(2220m) via the Coret d’Oelhacrestada(2468m). It is a unique feeling to snowshoes through the ”Estany” (local dialect for lakes) which are frozen and covered with snow. An evening in an amazing site…

Day 4: An early start to head up, lake by lake, to the Val de Colietole and on to the Port of Colomers (2604m). From here we have a great vue of the Punta Alta. Then we head down towards the Cirque de Colomeres and the Colomers refuge (2130m)

Day 5: We travel to the Cirque de Colomers with its numerous lakes to reach the Port de la Ratera d’Espot at the beginning of the Garonne river. Optional ascent of the Tuc de la Ratera(2857m) if snow conditions permit.

Day 6: We leave the lakes d’Amitges to reach the Col du Lac Gele to enjoy a vertiginous vue onto the magnificent Val du Gerber. Then we arrive at the welcoming refuge de Saboredo(2310m)

Day 7: Leaving behind the Cirque de Saboredo via the Col de la Sendrosa (2451m) we arrive in the pretty valley of Tredos before reaching the valley de Valardies and meeting up with our minibus ride back to the Hotel Templiers in Luz.

Day 8: Transfer back to Pau airport for flight home to the UK.

EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING NEEDED FOR THIS TREK
We recommend that people joining snowshoe walks are equipped with the following:

Technical equipment
Lightweight plastic snowshoes
Ski Poles
Avalanche Transceiver
Snow Shovel

Clothing suggestions
Thermal underwear- 1 set as a base layer
Fleece
Waterproof jacket
Waterproof over trousers
Warm hat
Warm gloves
Warm walking socks
Sun hat or peaked cap
Sunglasses/Goggles

Items for Hut to Hut Weeks Only
40 litre rucksack
Head torch and batteries
Sun block for face and lips
Personal First Aid kit (plasters,compede, paracetamol)
Water bottle or Platypus
Penknife
Change of clothing to include: underwear,tracksuit bottoms/ long-johns,dry shirt, spare socks.
Camera and film
Paperback novel
Maps
Ear plugs(there is always one snorer)
Snack bars/dried fruit/chocolate
Sheet sleeping bag (if you like them...)

Please remember to carry as little gear as possible. A heavy rucksack will make the trip hard work and less fun.

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