72hoursin Baqueira-Beret

KatieBamberjets off in searchof some Pyreneanpow in Spain's largestski resort-and times her trip just right to catchthe 2023 FreerideWorld Tour seasonopener

Friday

18:40 Land in Toulouse-Blagnac, grab my cheapo car rental and, after a typically French-to-English exchange, head for the Spanish hills. Destination: Baqueira-Beret, Spain largest ski resort, located in the Val d'Aran on the northern side of the Pyrenees. Host to the 2023 Freeride World Tour season opener competition.

21:50 Pulling into Salardu -a small historic town 10 minutes' drive from Baqueira (and a popular base for skiers) -I dump the car and jump into a waiting taxi, restaurant-bound to join my merry crew of friends who are getting stuck into beers and tapas. Hooray for Spanish dinner time!

Saturday

10:00 Late to bed, late to rise -Spanish style.

10:05 The car battery's flat. Roadside assistance is closed for the weekend. We cut our losses (it's been snowing for 24 hours solid -it's a powder day up there) and order a taxi to Baqueira. Seems there's only two in the entire Val d'Aran and we pay €35 for the 10-minute drive. It doesn't take long to learn that a car is essential for skiing here. There are dozens of car parks (around €15 a day) but no real public transport network, or transfers from the airport. It's a surprise for the modern skier, with the resort extending beyond Baqueira and Beret to a string of villages down to popular Vielha, 20 minutes away.

But this is not the Alps and it's how the Spaniards do it. A bus goes every hour, though we didn't manage to catch it or sight of it over the weekend, and a €6 locker under Baqueira's lift station means you can dump skis and more easily thumb a ride.

10:20 We've just found out that the Freeride World Tour competition has been postponed to tomorrow, with low visibility forecast all day. It leaves me free to ski the area and get my bearings. Or not ... Forget the judges not being able to see the riders from a few hundred metres awayit's a full-on whiteout and I can't even see my feet.

10:45 The lift ticket queue is more every man for himself, and I get into the swing of it remarkably quickly. To avoid the hustle, a hack here would be picking up an electronic BaqueiraTICKET from any ski hire, hotel or shop that lets you top up/buy online. While the reputation ofBaqueira is that it's expensive for the Pyrenees, it's not in Alps terms: a one-day ticket in Baqueira is €62, and eating and drinking is considerably less than at its Alpine counterparts. On the slopes it's pretty much exclusively Spanish that you hear, and there's half the amount of people skiing on 165km of piste almost entirely above 2,000m in elevation (with 1,100m of skiable vert) on mountains pummelled by snowstorms. It's also (unsurprisingly, with the Tour stop here), great for freeriding. But today is definitely not the day to be venturing beyond the ropes.

11:15Up the 'huevos' (gondolas) and on to the slopes. Visibility is nada and it's impossible to get a feel for the place. What you can get a sense of is fear for your legs as a hundred skiers use each other as piste markers, as we blindly find the same few metres to turn in. It's survivalmode skiing, and I'm not sure we're even on a piste.

11:45 Out of nowhere, the Mirador lift appears -a four-man heading to the heights ofBaqueira. We get on, pleased with ourselves for escaping the bubble of chaos.

11:55 "Have we died?" says my buddy's voice from the other end of the chair, who's just a blur, as we levitate through the mist, on and on. Are we even moving?!

12:05 At the top of Mirador, I couldn't feel any more like an idiot, standing there waiting for someone, anyone, to appear and point the way. Ten minutes later two do, and we scramble down the mountain together, sacrificing the front runner if we're headed for a cliff. The snow is beautiful underfoot, but thank God no one can actually see me ski this.

13:00 Like a mirage, the Moet & Chandon bar appears through the clouds and we bump into half our crew. Within minutes the other half appears. DJ, cava, overpriced food -this isn't the Baqueira I've been expecting but we're buzzing.

Historic towns and villages pepper the Val

14:00 Ready to call it a day, I'm pressed into doing an infamous 'one last run', which turns out to be a winner, heading over to Beret with its mellow blue cruisers that are wide, uncrowded and, miraculously, the sun is starting to break through.

15:30 Vis has improved and the tree run under the chair from Baqueira 1500 has a foot of soft powder, if you don't mind an audience from above.

15:45 Reaching our fill of wayward skiers, we skirt apres at Baqueira 1500 at the base of the home run that's pumping out tunes, and head down the hill 100m to cafe-bar Croack. Jackpot.

16:00 Within minutes it's heaving and, prioritising beer (rookies), the tortillas sell out so it's gildas (green pickled chillies), butifarra (sausage) papas bravas (spicy potatoes) and albondigas (meatballs in tomato sauce). Local skier Bruno at the bar hears our English, offers up some tips -I note down the itinerary route to Mont Garri refuge for both skiing and food -and orders his friend working the bar to fire up another tortilla. Top marks for friendly locals.

22:00 Taverna Eth Bot might be the ultimate mountain restaurant. A barn, beautifully (barely) converted, it has icy mountain water running through a trough cooling drinks and a small, very local set menu for €40 a head, all in, with free-flowing table wine.

Sunday

9:05 The clouds have lifted, the sky is piercing blue, and it's a whole new world here in Baqueira. This is the 'rough gem' of a resort I've been hearing whispers of the past few years (but scrap the 'rough'). Enter a top day on the hill and barn! -Hello new favourite ski resort.

11:00 It's comp day, and all the Freeride World Tour action is taking place on the face ofTuc de Baciver (2,644m), the crown of the Beret area. Hooning over to Beret, we make it to the top of Reina lift for 12pm, right on kick off. Already a decent crowd has set up; it's a beach day with a massive Spanish contingent, many with dogs, beers and tunes (the more serious fans with binoculars and cowbells).

12:12Snowboarding women open the event: Canada's Katie Anderson finds a playful line, linking multiple airs to stack up points, cruising through the lower powder apron with style to take first.

13:00 It's hard to spot the riders dropping in, so high up they are on the menacing face, and those with binoculars seek them out. The miniature form of USA rider Michael Mawn threads the needle at the top of his run, airing into a tight couloir, clinching victory at the end of the round. "Bueeeeenooooooo!" comes through the speakers to what must be 2,000 spectators.

14:00 The biggest cheers so far are reserved for local skier Elisabet Marina, but it's USA'.sAddison

42 skiclub.co.uk

Raiford who claims top podium on her first ever Tour. Impressive.

15:00 The backflips start from the stacked field of male skiers.

15:42 It's nearing the end of the day and we haven't seen Val d'Aran local Aymar Navarro. Counted in by the commentator, it takes a while for anyone to spot him. Eventually he's clocked, having traversed the entire cirque to take on his 2022 line, when he crashed out. This is a redemption run. No tricks, a straight line through sketchy terrain, and he nails it, carving out onto the apron to wild cheering. Shortly after, he announces his retirement from the FWT. The live appreciation for this Spanish hero is huge.

16:00 Local skier Abel Moga is crowned Pro Rider of the Day by the public, pulling off a front flip, with Swede Max Palm taking first for the second year running. Skis litter the Torn de Baciver piste and the crowd thins as spectators race to make it back before last lift.

Monday

10:00 Looker's right from Baqueira is the Bonaigua ski area. Runs are steeper, winding round the mountain, and whether it's Monday or the area, it's dead quiet. The views in every direction are powerful -these are big mountains -as !take stock of this world-class resort.

13:00 Bruno from the bar comes to jump-start the car, and it's over and out. Baqueira-Beret, we've had a blast. The reality ofBB by far outstripped the group's expectations, with great people, food and atmosphere (you could only be in Spain). And with its vast terrain, of which we barely scratched the surface, good bang for the buck, and zero pretension (if it's good enough for the king of Spain ...). We'll be back soon for our own backcountry powder day.