Visitor reviews for Gourette Ski Resort
Gourette Ratings
Snowsure: 3.4
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Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
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Is often closed due to a lack of snow
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Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
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Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
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Gourette is snowsure even in the poorest seasons
Variety of pistes: 3.6
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The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
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The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
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Gourette has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain
Off-piste: 3.4
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No off-piste worth mentioning
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Off piste is out-of-bounds
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Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
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A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days
Scenery: 3.9
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An ugly resort in a bland setting
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Average mountain views and resort
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A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town
Access: 3.8
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At least one overnight stop
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Requires a whole day
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Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
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Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
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There is a main airport within an hour of Gourette
Public Transport: 3.5
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There are no buses or taxis to Gourette
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There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
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Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections
Accommodation: 4.0
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No places to stay in/near Gourette
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A few places to stay in the resort
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A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets
Cheap Rooms: 4.0
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No budget accommodation available
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Just one or two hostels so book ahead
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Several cheap hostels and pensions available
Luxury Hotels: 2.0
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No luxury accommodation available
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Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
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Several up-market hotels in Gourette
Ski in/Ski out: 4.8
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The ski area is located far from any accommodation
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A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
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Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available
Childcare: 4.5
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There are no child care facilities at Gourette
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The resort has limited child-care facilities
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the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche
Snowmaking: 3.5
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Gourette relies entirely on natural snow
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There are just a few snow cannons
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There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes
Snow Grooming: 4.3
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There are no snow groomers at Gourette
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Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
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All the runs at Gourette are groomed daily
Shelter: 3.1
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There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
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There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
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Gourette is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close
Nearby options: 2.8
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If snow conditions are poor at Gourette, it will be poor everywhere nearby
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There are good alternatives within an hours drive
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Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions
Regional rating: 4.0
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Gourette usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
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Has average conditions for the region
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Usually has the best snow conditions in the region
Lift Staff: 4.0
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The staff at Gourette are rude or unhelpful
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Lift staff at Gourette are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help
Crowds/Queues: 4.0
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The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
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It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
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It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare
Ski Schools: 4.0
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No ski schools available
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One or two ski schools but local language only
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A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
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Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
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Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors
Hire and Repairs: 4.6
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Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
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There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
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Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible
Beginners: 4.2
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Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
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A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
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Vast areas of gentle terrain
Intermediates: 4.0
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No intermediate terrain at Gourette
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Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
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Vast areas of cruising runs
Advanced: 3.4
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Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
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Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
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Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week
Snow Park: 3.2
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Not even a kicker at Gourette
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Average sized park quite well looked after
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Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails
Cross-country: 2.8
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There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Gourette
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There are some cross country trails available
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The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails
Luge/Toboggan: 3.6
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No designated luge or toboggan runs
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There are toboggan runs that open quite often
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Gourette has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages
Mountain Dining: 3.7
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Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
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Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
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There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets
Eating: 3.9
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Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
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There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
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A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants
Apres-Ski: 3.2
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Nothing to do, not even a bar
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There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
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Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere
Other Sports: 3.1
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No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
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Resort has just a small public swimming pool
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Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool
Entertainment: 3.0
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Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
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The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
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The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports
Winter Walks: 3.1
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Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
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A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
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Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities
Ski Pass Value: 2.8
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A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
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The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
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Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area
Value (National): 3.1
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Overall, Gourette is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
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Overall represents average value for money
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Overall offers the best value resort in the country
Value (Global): 3.4
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Overall, Gourette is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
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Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
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Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money
Show all 35 ratings
March 10, 2015
Philippe
from

France
New in Gourette: a ski touring circuit in the middle of the resort. A loop of 2.5 km with calm in a wild nature.
March 08, 2015
Caroline ELLIOTT
from

France
A compact family resort in a stunning backdrop, close to the town of Pau, Gourette has to be the secret pearl of the Pyrennees. With 1000 metres of descent, a zone dedicated to beginners called 'Happy Place' and a snowpark, one has a variety of choices on offer, all of the mentioned feeding down to the main resort centre. If one lives in this region the resort is accessible on a daily basis, only a short drive away from the nearby towns and if you're coming from say the UK it's a perfect weekend getaway destination with the Lowcost provider airports of Biarritz and Lourdes/Tarbes only a stone's throw away. If one doesn't enjoy sliding over the white stuff there are a variety of other activities on offer; nordique baths, snow pods and igloos to sleep under the stars, snowshoeing, dog sledding, snaketobogganing to name but a few. And if one tires of the snow there are the surf beaches of the Basque country not that far away, or the 'tapas' over the Spanish border for that matter....so I would say, come and discover!
April 01, 2006
ERIC BASTIE
from

France
Gourette,incredible! 50 KM south of Pau, the French south-western British look town. You'll find Gourette and its super snowslopes between 1400 meter and 2500!
Gourette usually opens in November and closes the end of April!
The best "piste"; certainly "Penne Blanque" and "Cotch".
Prices are cool, but a lot of skiers during sunny week-ends and French February holidays.
Best hotel:"La Boule de Neige".
Try another skiing set, just behind Gourette, named Artouste; little skiing set in the Epiceas forest, with hard snowdowns in the National Park of Western Pyrennes, (bears,grouses,eagles...).No hotels and only one restaurant, but the bottom of the world!
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