{"id":11008,"date":"2018-11-27T12:04:57","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T11:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/winter\/?p=11008"},"modified":"2019-05-07T11:43:32","modified_gmt":"2019-05-07T09:43:32","slug":"snow-shoeing-with-a-guide-in-the-pyrenees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mountainpassions.com\/winter\/winter-activities\/snow-shoeing-with-a-guide-in-the-pyrenees\/","title":{"rendered":"Snow shoeing with a guide in the Pyrenees"},"content":{"rendered":"
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T<\/span>he Pyrenees are neither as high nor as glamorous as the Alps, the ski stations are smaller and the nightlife is generally harder to find, but as a summer or a winter holiday destination<\/strong> they really do still have so much charm and authenticity. We take a look at how snowshoeing with a guide in the Pyrenees<\/strong> can give you the freedom to explore these magnificent peaks alongside a small group of people who share your sense of adventure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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…if you want a break from grey skies this winter but you don\u2019t fancy downhill skiing, why not give snowshoeing in the Pyrenees a try?\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Simple way of walking, even in deep snow. Image \u00a9 OT Cauterets\/M.Pinaud<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Explore off the beaten track. Image \u00a9F Breitenbach <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Immerse yourself in local culture<\/h2>\n

The atmosphere in the Pyrenees is relaxed and low key, so as soon as you touch down you\u2019ll feel as if you\u2019re \u2018abroad\u2019 and refreshingly away from it all. Every day, whether you\u2019re in France or Spain, tourists still rub shoulders with locals. In the villages or the mountains you\u2019re much more likely to hear the local language than English or Russian, and it\u2019s very easy to find locally produced cheese, meats, honey and other tasty delights. In fact, local life in its calm and understated fashion is still thriving \u2013 in summer you\u2019ll never have to go far before you come across a shepherd with his trusty Pyrenean Mountain dog.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The simple pleasure of walking in snow<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re considering the Pyrenees for a winter break then the ski slopes certainly aren\u2019t the only option. Snow-shoeing is a wonderful way to discover the full, snowy magnificence of the area. Trappers first used this mode of movement across the snow as they hunted in the winter, and it remains a simple but incredibly enjoyable and uncomplicated way of walking in winter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Benasque in Spain. Image \u00a9Frank Deleplace<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Leave the waymarked tracks behind and explore<\/h2>\n

The Pyrenees have hundreds of kilometres of way-marked snow-shoeing tracks. In the Hautes-Pyrenees there are possibilities in the Payolle, Cauterets and Gavarnie<\/strong>, to name but a few, while in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques you can find tracks at Somport<\/strong> and in the valley d\u2019Aspe<\/strong>. There are also free-to-access \u2018pistes\u2019 in the Haute-Garonne, the Pyrenees-Orientales and in the Spanish High Pyrenees, but why not make your trip more interesting and try snow-shoeing off the way-marked tracks?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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