Introduction
Steve and I had previously crossed the Alps from the Mediterranean to Vienna over 4 winters. We used the experience gained on that journey to plan the Pyrenees trip. However neither of us had made any ski trips in the Pyrenees. We used the available maps and guidebooks to plan the route and identify suitable accommodation. I planned a route of approximately 50 stages plus about 10 alternate options. For each of these stages I spent 3—4 hours researching the route in detail: comparing information in the guidebooks with the paper and digital maps and drawing a detailed GPS track. I also studied and recorded all the available information on the accommodation options for each stage, noting the location and condition of every refuge, cabane and hut that we might have to use. In total this required well over 200 hours of work.
Planning: Guidebooks
I used the Minelli book as my main source of information about this trip. This is an excellent book detailing the journey of his team in 2010. He provides lots of information to help others thinking of making the same trip. The route is divided into 9 sections, 2 on foot and 7 ski sections. Each of these starts and ends at a town or village with road access. This provides a practical framework for planning supply drops or pick-ups. The downside of this book is that there is little discussion of alternative routes, and this team resorted to taxi transport on several occasions. The Breuil guidebook is much more comprehensive. It describes a primary route but gives many alternatives together with optional summits and detours. For someone unfamiliar with the Pyrenees there is almost too much information. The Breuil route is very ambitious, staying high wherever possible, avoiding towns and villages. For visitors who are not familiar with Pyrenean winter travel this will create problems, particularly with regard to collecting supplies. Most of my trip was based on the more conservative Minelli route, although we changed to higher-level options where possible to find snow and minimize low altitude valley travel.
Jean-René Minelli - La traversée des Pyrénées à skis en 66 jours
Editions du Belvedere, October 2014, ISBN 978-2884-19339-9
La Travesìa de los Pirineos en Esquìs – Marc Breuil
Desnivel, November 2005, ISBN 84-9829-007-4
(The original version of this book was published in French in 2004. The French version is out of print but the Spanish version is still available)
Planning: Maps
I purchased all the available 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 maps for the route. The French IGN maps are generally good, although some sheets in circulation have not been updated for several years. Some ski routes are shown. Spanish maps are not available at 1:25,000 for the whole route. There are some sections where the 1:40,000 or 1:50,000 maps are the best available. Ski routes are not shown on the Spanish maps. There are several digital maps available. Rather than buy the digital mountain maps for France and Spain I used the free Topopyrenees map. This had all the relevant footpaths marked, but the trails are not ‘routable’. While the basic topography is similar on all maps, there are several inconsistencies in place names and footpath designation. As more digital mapping resources become available I expect that future parties will come to rely on these for planning and executing similar trips in the future.
Planning: Other Resources
For French and Spanish speakers (not to mention Catalan and Basque!) living in the Pyrenees and skiing regularly there are many sources of information. There are many ski touring guidebooks available, often concentrating on quite small specific areas. There are also online resources such as websites and discussion groups concentrating on ski touring. The vast majority of this information relates to single day outings from a roadhead or hut to mountain summits. It is possible that there could be some information about valley approaches or passes that would be helpful for planning a ski traverse but it could take a long time to track this down. There are some accounts written by teams who have made complete ski crossings of the Pyrenees available either online or in magazine articles. Searching for these and contacting the writers if necessary is likely to be a more productive use of time than hunting through the other available material.
Pyrenees-refuges.com is an excellent resource with fairly accurate information about the location and condition of almost all of the Refuges, Cabanes, Huts and Shelters in the Pyrenees.
Support
We would not have been able to complete this journey without the help of several people who assisted by transporting supplies of food, fuel, and equipment for us. Claire Marvin drove with all the supplies from the UK to the Ariège at the start of the trip. She also provided daily car support in the first few days of the trip when the planned accommodation was all closed. Graham Wallis was a great help during section 2, helping us to get going again after Storm Gloria and delivering the resupply to Font-Romeu. Ian Storey, living in Vicdessos, delivered most of the supply drops to remote locations, provided us with a base at the start of the trip, and skied with us for 3 days from Gedre to Gavarnie. Carles Lluch provided transport close to his home in Vielha, and shared his detailed knowledge of the route.
Accommodation
The total number of nights was 47. This includes 2 ‘bad weather’ days spent in the mountains, but excludes 17 ‘bad weather’ days spent in valley accommodation.
We used four types of accommodation on the trip.
18 nights were spent in valley accommodation, comprising of hotels, gîtes, hostels and one private house. This was probably the most problematic category. Hotels in several key locations (mostly away from winter sports areas) were closed for the winter season. Others wanted confirmed bookings with advance payment several days ahead, which we could not give with any certainty. There was always the likelihood that hotels would be closed during the week and full at weekends. In small villages with a single hotel, this was a cause for concern.
5 nights were spent in staffed huts. These were generally agreeable with helpful staff and few other guests. However the ‘weekend problem’ existed here too and we had to change plans once to avoid a fully booked hut at the weekend.
14 nights were spent in winter rooms in well-maintained huts. Some were equipped with mattresses and blankets, others had only metal or wooden bunks. A few had usable fireplaces and a supply of firewood. All were adequate and we were usually the only guests.
10 nights were spent in basic shelters with few facilities. All were dry with a roof and a door. Some were larger and more comfortable than others, and a few had usable fireplaces.
In general we found significantly fewer gites and refuges open in winter than was suggested by the Minelli and Breuil books. Some gites and hotels may have been willing to open for a larger group but would not open for 2 people (Chalet de L´Albère, Hotel Trabucayres in Las Illas), some only accepted group bookings (Refugio in Alos d’Isil, Refuge Jeandel), some are apparently no longer open in winter (Gîte de Batère, Refuge Mariailles, Refuge de Bouillouses, Hotel Pasturia), some are permanently closed (Hospital de Vielha, Rifugio Respomuso), some only open intermittently or at weekends (Refugio Ull de Ter, Refugio Vallferrera), and some are undergoing major renovations (Refugio Belagua). Among the basic cabanes listed at least two have been destroyed in recent years (Cabane d’ Aspé, Refuge la Gela).
Supplies
We purchased and packed all supplies of food and fuel in advance. This was packed, together with maps and batteries into 9 bags, one for each stage. These were each delivered to the start of the stage by one of our support team, or send by mail to a hotel or tourist information office.
Many of these ‘pick up’ points had no shops, so purchasing supplies along the way would have been difficult. We carried dinner and breakfast food for all days in unstaffed huts & basic shelters (24 out of 47 nights). We also carried lunch & snack food for most of the 46 stages as we were unsure what would be available on route. This probably meant that we carried slightly more food than was strictly necessary, but meant that we didn’t have to bother trying to buy lunches from huts, hotels and shops along the way. With average stages requiring 2-4 dinners & breakfasts plus 4-6 lunches the average weight of food and fuel at the start of each stage was around 4-6kg per person. We learned that locally based skiers attempting similar trips often make pre-season trips to key locations and deposit supplies in advance, but this was not an option for us.
Communications
We carried a Garmin InReach satellite communications device. We used this to display a track of our progress, and also for 2 way communication with our support team. It also has an SOS function. I carried a small (5,000mAh) powerbank as a back up power source. There were few places in the mountains with a mobile phone signal.
Weather and snow conditions
We hiked the 4 stages from the coast to the Batere Refuge in mostly dry, snow-free conditions. Then a rare Mediterranean storm deposited a large amount of snow on the Eastern Pyrenees in mid-January. This caused a 6 day delay to our onward journey, but meant that we had more than average snow coverage for the first ski stages. However there was no further snowfall of any significance for a further four weeks. This meant that the central sections of the trip from Font Romeu to Cauterets had less than average snow cover. However we were able to travel with generally good weather for 33 days, albeit on a rapidly diminishing snowpack. Local skiers told us that the snow cover we experienced in February was less than in a ‘normal’ or ‘average’ year. We then encountered a prolonged period of poor weather (rain / snow with a freezing level around 2000m) and were ‘stuck’ in Cauterets for 8 days waiting for suitable conditions to continue. This new snow created reasonable conditions for the next few days of the journey, but mild temperatures in mid-March meant that this snow was wet, heavy and melting fast. This situation continued into the last few days of the trip into the Basque mountains with a rapidly reducing snowpack.
Dangers / Hazards (and equipment considerations)
Due to the generally thin snow cover and prolonged period of good weather we encountered very little perceptible avalanche risk. The one exception being wet snow on warm afternoons on south-facing slopes, especially towards the end of the trip. Clearly in a year with more snowfall the avalanche risk would be very different. On the Alpine crossing I carried a lightweight rope (33m x 6mm), harness and a light selection of climbing equipment (carabiners, slings, ice screw and snow stake). This was necessary for glacier travel plus several passes that required a degree of technical climbing on ascent or descent. There are far fewer technical passages on the Pyrenees traverse and a capable team could make a case for not carrying any of this equipment. I carried and used a rope for the descent of Canigou. I carried this again on the Gedre to Gavarnie section but did not use it. In good weather and good snow conditions all the passes on this route can be crossed using ice axe and crampons alone without the need for a rope. However this requires perfect navigation (to find the optimum route) plus a fairly high level of competence. Carrying a short, light rope may enable passes to be crossed in less than ideal conditions, and this is a decision that each party must make for themselves.
Other people in the mountains
In the Alps in winter almost everyone travelling above the snow line uses skis. There is some use of snowshoes, but this is generally confined to lower altitudes and is rare above the tree line. In the Pyrenees it seems that there are many more people travelling in the mountains on snowshoes or on foot. So much so that in most areas the non-skiers outnumber the skiers. This has implications for the types of tracks seen in the mountain areas.
Comparison: Alps / Pyrenees
There is a huge irony here. In almost every respect it is more logical to plan and execute a ski crossing of the Alps than the Pyrenees. The Alpine hut network enables long-distance ski tours without the need to carry sleeping bags and bivouac equipment. There are far fewer low level (snow-free) valleys to be crossed. Altitudes are higher and therefore it is easier to plan a fairly snow sure route. Winter sports facilities exist in most areas, therefore valley accommodation is widely available. Despite all of this, full ski crossings of the Alps are relatively rare, yet several people cross the Pyrenees on skis each season. I think that there are two reasons for this. Firstly, the summer crossing of the Pyrenees is a fairly common activity with several hundred people making the trip each year. Therefore the concept of a ‘full’ crossing is well known and skiers can think of attempting a winter version of the summer route. It is far less common to hear of people attempting a full summer crossing of the Alps, either as a single year or multi-year project. The other significant difference is that the winter Pyrenees crossing can reasonably be completed in a single season. To make a crossing of the Alps in ‘traditional’ ski touring style is likely to require more than one winter. To complete the Alpine crossing in a single season it is logical to adopt a ‘fast & light’ racing style, and this is a different activity.
GR10 / GR11 / HRP
These are the 3 popular summer footpath routes that traverse the Pyrenees. The optimum ski route combines elements of all three trails and often takes an entirely different route. For the sections that coincide with the summer trails the route markers (posts and paint marks) can be helpful. Many of the paint markings on rocks will be buried in snow but the markings on trees are generally visible. Care has to be taken when following these routes for a number of reasons. All 3 of the routes have changed with time. The exact routings can be slightly different on different maps (French / Spanish, or old / new versions), and the reality on the ground can differ from all the maps. This is less relevant in the high mountains but can be an issue in the lower sections particularly regarding trails in and out of villages or around farmland.
Place names and Language
Five different languages are in use along the Pyrenees. Place names may be in French, Spanish, Catalan, Basque or Occitaine. Features on the frontier (Peaks and passes) will normally have different names in different languages.
Finance
Individual travel to and from the Pyrenees cost around GBP £400 each. The total amount of ‘team’ expenditure was GBP £7,160. We received grants totalling GBP £1,300 from the Eagle Ski Club, The Alpine Ski Club and the Austrian Alpine Club (UK section). Therefore this trip cost approx GBP £4,000 per person. This was reduced to approx £3,350 per person when the grants are taken into consideration.
Postscript
For first time visitors to the Pyrenees I think that we made the correct choice in opting for a ‘conservative’ route that visited villages and roadheads every few days to collect supplies. The more ambitious route described in the Breuil book is very attractive as it stays high wherever possible avoiding the low level valleys. This has the advantage of avoiding many trails below the snow-line that have to walked on foot. However this route often involves more technical terrain and would be more difficult to follow if weather and snow conditions were not ideal. There would also be significant difficulties in collecting supplies. It would be necessary to spend more days between resupply points and this would lead to heavier pack weights. For a team experienced in Pyrenees winter travel and able to overcome these difficulties (by pre placing supplies, or having a dedicated support team) the Breuil route would be a challenging objective only achievable with exceptionally good weather and snow conditions. A party wishing to maximize their chances of completing this journey would be wise to have contingency plans for less than ideal conditions, and this may mean having to avoid some of the more ambitious sections of the Breuil route.