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Why come cross country skiing?

If you are a complete beginner and know nothing at all about the activity, or want a reminder about the types of cross-country skiing and what you might need for it, you may find it useful to have a quick read of our xc skiing article, which explains a bit more about how the sport works, the equipment etc.  This will give you a better idea about whether you think it might be for you (we know it will be!).  Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you might have regarding the sport generally or our holidays in particular.

Why come to the Pyrenees with Marmot Tours?

The area around our centre (Ax les Thermes) is the perfect base for our holidays, offering the best dedicated xc ski stations in the Pyrenees, with over 130kms of groomed pistes, where they have excellent facilities in terms of cafe's, parking, water etc,  and where they maintain their dedicated cross-country ski areas beautifully.  They also happen to be situated in stunning locations with panoramic mountain views.

Guiding/Instruction: The holiday is led by James Thompson, who is a qualified Snowsport England XC ski instructor and offers 'top tips' to both beginners and improvers in either 'classic' or 'skating' styles of skiing.  Beginners are also encouraged to do a formal class on their first morning, with the resident XC ski instructors at the Plateau de Beille (cost is about 34E/hr and is divided between those in the group having a lesson).  As the director of Marmot Tours, James has been leading skiing holidays for over 7 years and has been in the leisure industry for even longer.  He knows what makes a good trip and is approachable, energetic and enthusiastic.

Both cross-country ski domains that we use (Plateau de Beille and Chioula) are easy to orientate around, allowing us to run this week so flexibly.  Within a couple of days you will have a feel for where you are going so can then have the confidence to head off independently to either get some km's under your belt, or to practice some of the techniques you have just learnt.  James will suggest various routes for various members of the group, depending on your skills, and you will be sure to find others in the group at a similar level, and with similar aspirations to yourself. He will also lead groups on some xc ski tours at different speeds and for different distances during the week, as well as being around for individual input if you need it.

Then, at the end of the day, or whenever you have done enough skiing, you can grab your book and sit on the sun baked terrace with a vin chaud or a beer and rest up before the group heads back to the hotel - it is a holiday!

We include a rest day in our weeks itinerary so that you can, as it suggests, rest up for a day (there is a lovely new spa centre in Ax opening in Febuary 2009), or so that you can try some other local activities such as downhill skiing or snowshoeing, or do a spot of sightseeing.

If you are an intermediate skier who wants to travel some distance and explore a larger area of the Pyrenees, or an experienced skier then you may be more interested in our Nordic Highlights holiday.

HOLIDAY DATES

HOW MUCH DOES THE HOLIDAY COST?

This price includes:

NB: The price above is based on sharing a room. If you would like your own room for the holiday there is a supplement of £120 - this must be arranged on booking.

WHERE DO WE STAY

FOOD

MASSAGE SERVICE

GETTING AROUND

CLIMATE

CROSS-COUNTRY SKI HIRE

XC Ski / boot / pole hire is not included in the cost of the holiday to allow different people to hire kit to suit their skill levels and many people bring their own kit. The basic package for ‘classic’ skiing is €49 for 6 days. Skis can be exchanged throughout the week as your confidence / ability increases. Good quality skating gear can also be hired for an additional €10 per day. The classic skis have ‘fishscale grip’  with NNN (Rossignol / Rotterfella) bindings - these are not compatible with SNS boots. It is not necessary to pre-book these.

NB: You are welcome bring your own skis on this holiday. However, the ski areas are not suitable for wide skis with metal edges and 3 pin bindings. Grip-wax skis can be used but are not recommended (apart from in January) due to range of snow temperatures that can be experienced within one day.

WHAT TO BRING

HOW DO I GET THERE?

For our tips on more environmentally friendly travel (the train is a very possible alternative to air travel for this holiday), please see our Green Travel pages.

For this cross-country skiing holiday the airport transfers are scheduled to tie in with the British Airways flights from London Gatwick. If this flight is delayed then the transfer will naturally be rescheduled.

OUT: Flight BA7953 departs LGW at 1515, arrives LGW at 1755.
IN: Flight BA 7954 departs TLS at 1835, arrives LGW at 1930. 

Alternative flights can also be found with Easy Jet (LGW to TLS) and from various regional airports with KLM, flying to Toulouse via Paris or Amsterdam.  If you are not intending on using the group flight, please discuss your travel arrangements direct with us before booking. 

XFA I07 - This is half term week, so our usual flights are ridiculously expensive. Consequently we have decided to offer transfers to coincide with the following BA flights. We appreciate that the hours are not very sociable and as you arrive late on the Sunday night missing dinner, all the subsequent evening meals will be included.

OUT: Flight BA7955 departs LGW at 1930, arrives TLS at 2210.
IN: Flight BA7950 departs TLS 0700, arrives LGW at 0800

XFA I09 - British airways change their timetable half way through this week, so the transfers will be made to tie in with the following flights:

OUT: Flight BA7953 departs LGW at 1515, arrives TLS at 1755.
IN: Flight BA7950 departs TLS 0700, arrives LGW at 0800