Long time known only for its cheap, duty-free skiing in high-rise Andorra, the Pyrenean mountain range is undergoing a welcome boom in winter sport visitors due to low cost airline penetration.
Thanks to Ryanair, Esayjet and the others, ski-enthusiasts from all over Europe are discovering the charms (and drawbacks) of Pyrenean pistes.
The villages are more authentic, equipped with old-style bakeries and cafés with real people living in them all year round, than their alpine equivalents. But its more southern location means that there is sometimes less snow.
Not this year though. The resorts opened this weekend, ahead of their alpine rivals, with 30 or 40 centimetres of the white stuff. Activity Breaks, product suppliers for Ryanair, report a surge of interest in their holidays out of Biarritz, Pau, Carcassonne and Perpignan.
Despite this flood of new customers it’s unlikely that names such as St Lary, la Mongie or Font Romeu will replace their illustrious alpine cousins: global warming may well erase any hopes of a Pyrenean Olympic venue any time soon.