CRT ALTITUDES 2012- GB:Mise en page 1 07/11/12 13:13 Page15
ALTITUDES PYRENEES CERDAGNE PUIGMAL 2900
Aresort at the top
A
fter doubling the number of slopes (15 in 1998, 30 today) and installing 15 kilometres of slopes using artificial snow, the resort of Puigmal, created in 1974, is now home to the highest skiable area in the Pyrenees. At an altitude of between 1,800 and 2,700 metres, the resort has spared no effort to satisfy the expectations of an ever-increasing number of winter-sports enthusiasts – all this while still respecting the natural environment. It offers a total surface area of 320 hectares, of which 80 are off-piste. Making the most of its forests and open spaces, the resort has gone allout to cater for a wide-range of
sliding sports. Each zone has its own dedicated sport – free ride, snowboard-cross, moguls, snow park, ski-school, panoramic and slalom runs, and, for each of these, there are appropriate levels from beginner to expert. Half-way between free ride and freestyle is the wood park, with its five nature routes through the forest: increasing the various options to try out the ski-jumps and moguls. The resort is also famed for the expanse of its free ride area which spreads out in a circle from the summit of the slopes at some 2,665 metres and offers a plethora of slopes and drops. In fact, every March the Puigmal Derby takes place here - the Pyrenean stage of the Derby Trophy.
A hot bath in the snow
1,800/2,900 m
Fancy admiring the ridge of snow-capped mountains of the Canigou over to the Sierra del Caldi from an altitude of 1,450 metres (4,750 feet) while luxuriously bathing in a pool of water naturally heated to 38°C (100°F)? Yes, it’s possible! And a long session is an ideal way to round off a day of skiing or hiking. The outdoor pools carved out of the granite from the Dorres are supplied with warm sulphurous waters which seep from the rock at 41°C (106°F). In bygone days, the waters were believed to have curative properties against aches and pains. Everyone can appreciate a moment of relaxation like this, an unusual way of unwinding. In the village, one of the chapels of Saint Jean’s Church is dedicated to an enigmatic black virgin. The Pyrenean region contains a cache of important Roman statues which are occasionally interpreted as representations of ancient goddess mothers.
Area: downhill skiing, 30 ski runs: 6 black, 14 red, 5 blue (1- 9 km), 5 green, 2 snowboard cross tracks, 1 snow park, 1 wood park. Beginners’ area at the foot of the pistes. Ski school. Children’s area for those aged 3 and over Ski-lifts: 8 ski-tows; 2 chair lifts; 2 teleropes, 1 rope tow. ISO Certification 9001 V2000. Picnic rooms.
Even higher The Puigmal d’Err, at 2,910 metres, is the second highest summit in the Pyrénées-Orientales. Historically, the area was crisscrossed with rural paths. A professional accompanies you along this great classic of cross-country ski-routes. From the summit, your gaze is drawn across the Cerdagne and the Spanish Sierra right over to the Montserrat massif to the north of Barcelona. 12 km of artificial snow ski-runs. Resort information: Tél : 33 (0)4 68 04 70 15 et 33 (0)4 68 04 72 94 www.puigmal.fr The “Neiges Catalanes Season-long Pass” allows you ski throughout the winter season at Neiges Catalanes’ 8 ski resorts: Cerdagne Puigmal 2900, Espace Cambre-d’Aze, Font-Romeu, Pyrénées
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In the foothills, surrounded by an amphitheatre of high peaks at an altitude of around 3,000 metres is the Nuria Valley whose eponymous river finds it source at the sides of the Puigmal. Cradle of the sanctuary of the virgin of Nuria, a pilgrim shrine, its new church, erected at the start of the 20th century, houses a Roman-style wooden sculpture of the Virgin, seen as the patron of fertility.
2000, Formiguères, La Quillane, Les Angles, Porté-Puymorens and Puyvalador. There are plenty of options for downhill skiing, Nordic skiing as well as many pricing formulas (e.g., prices from €190 for 6 days downhill skiing, or a €40 freedom pass for 5 days cross country skiing). www.sunfrance.com/montagne