Domaine du Tourmalet
The Domaine du Tourmalet is the largest ski area in the French Pyrénées, and is located in the département of Hautes-Pyrénées in the Occitanie region.
Translated from the French Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA), machine translation.
Seven criteria rated from 1 to 5 stars, in half-stars, from this page's sourced data. A rating is a rank among the 322 French resorts we cover — 5 stars means “among the best in France on this point”, not “perfect”. Nobody types these in.
- SnowCan you count on the snow?4 / 5
Top of the ski area: 2,456 m · Bottom of the pistes: 1,460 m · Days above 30 cm per winter, measured: 133 days · Days above 30 cm, December to March, model: 90%
- Ski areaIs there enough to ski all week?4 / 5
Km of pistes at the resort: 65 km · Km of pistes across the linked area: 65 km · Lifts: 26 · Balance between piste levels: 91%
- ValueIs the lift pass reasonable for what you get?2.5 / 5
Adult day pass: €55 · Day pass price per km of pistes: €0.85/km · Adult 6-day pass: €294
- Families and beginnersIs it right for children and beginners?2.5 / 5
Share of green and blue pistes: 73% · Magic carpets: 2 · Sledging runs: 0 · Special prices out of 4 (beginner, child, family, free age): 2 · ESF ski school · Ice rink, pool, rail sledge…: 0
- AccessIs it easy to get to?2 / 5
Average drive time from 20 major cities: 7 hr 11 · Nearest railway station: 49 min · Station-to-resort shuttles per day: 0 · Nearest airport: 1 hr 00
- Atmosphere and après-skiIs there life in the evening and off the slopes?2.5 / 5
Bars and pubs: 3 · Nightclubs: 0 · Restaurants: 7 · Upcoming events: 0 · Collective tourist beds: 730 — index: what the map and the listings publish
- Luxury and comfortHow upmarket is the resort?1.5 / 5
5-star hotels: 0 · 4-star hotels: 0 · Share of hotel rooms in 4 and 5 stars: 11% · Spas and saunas: 0 · Jewellers, watchmakers, fashion boutiques: 0 · Adult day pass: €55 — index: what the map and the listings publish
“Atmosphere” and “Luxury” are indexes: they count what OpenStreetMap and the event listings publish within 2.5 km (bars, nightclubs, rated hotels, spas, upcoming events), not what you experience there. A zero means “nothing mapped”, not “nothing there”. Sources per criterion: snow (altitudes (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata), snow depth observed at the Météo-France station, ERA5-Land model) ; ski area (OpenStreetMap pistes and lifts, linked area (Wikidata)) ; value (the resort’s official price list) ; families and beginners (OpenStreetMap pistes, price list, ESF ski school, Famille Plus label, OpenStreetMap leisure) ; access (OSRM drive times from 20 cities, SNCF stations, GTFS shuttles, airports) ; atmosphere and après-ski (bars, nightclubs and restaurants within 2.5 km (OpenStreetMap), upcoming events (OpenAgenda), collective tourist beds (INSEE)) ; luxury and comfort (rated hotels within 2.5 km (OpenStreetMap) and by category across the commune (INSEE), spas and boutiques (OpenStreetMap), day pass price).
Open pistes and lifts will appear here during the season, as published by the resort. Out of season we show nothing rather than a misleading zero.
Avalanche danger
7-day forecast
Village 2,116 m · top 2,456 m
Forecast corrected for altitude; fresh snow = forecast total at the top; UV = peak of the day. Beyond 3 days, check the resort’s own report. Source:Open-Meteo.
Average snow depth by month
Good snow from December to March: a long, reliable season.
☀️ Average daily sunshine : Nov 6.3 h · Dec 5.8 h · Jan 5.9 h · Feb 7.4 h · Mar 8.1 h · Apr 9.1 h — 23 bright days in April (Open-Meteo estimate, 2015-2025).
- November—no record
- December72 cmGood skiing · 93%
- January74 cmGood skiing · 82%
- February94 cmGood skiing · 90%
- March88 cmGood skiing · 93%
- April—no record
- May—no record
30 cm on the ground: the benchmark for groomed-piste skiing. Bar = monthly average depth; percentage = share of time above 30 cm.
- Good skiing: 30 cm on more than 8 days in 10
- Variable: 30 cm on 5 to 8 days in 10
- Insufficient: 30 cm less than one day in two
Snow actually measured, winter by winter
23 complete winters measured, from 1999-2000 to 2025-2026 — on average 133 days a winter with at least 30 cm on the ground.
- 1-15 Dec71 cmGood skiing · 87 %
- 16-31 Dec85 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 1-15 Jan98 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 16-31 Jan130 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 1-15 Feb167 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 16-29 Feb187 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 1-15 Mar206 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 16-31 Mar211 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- 1-15 Apr215 cmGood skiing · 100 %
- Best winter of the series
- 2011-2012 — 137 days at 30 cm or more
- Worst winter of the series
- 2018-2019 — 123 days at 30 cm or more
Snowfall: no long enough record of fresh snow at this station. Rather than an estimate, we show nothing.
The ski area
Compare with another resort →67 pistes, by level — 65 km
- Skiable vertical
- 996 m (1,460 m → 2,456 m)
- Lifts
- 3 cable cars, 11 chairlifts, 9 drag lifts, 2 magic carpets
- Piste aspect
- N 28% · E 32% · S 16% · W 24% (descent direction of 58 OSM pistes, terrain model)
- Tourist office
- OFFICE DE TOURISME TOURMALET PIC DU MIDI · 3, allées Tournefort, 65200 · 0562955071 · [email protected] (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
- Piste map (PDF)
- plan-pistes-grand-tourmalet-2023-2024 (declared by the resort, ANMSM)
Resort data: declared by OFFICE DE TOURISME TOURMALET PIC DU MIDI and distributed by ANMSM · read on 18 September
Opening hours lift by lift (2)
| Lift | Type | Opens | Closes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TPH Pic du Midi | — | 09:30 | 17:30 | resort’s own snow report |
| TPH Taoulet | — | 09:30 | 17:30 | resort’s own snow report |
Hours as published by the source quoted, read on 18 September 2026. A lift missing from this table has no published time — no default is shown.
Pistes and lifts surveyed on OpenStreetMap within 4 km of the resort — for a resort in a linked area, the figure may include neighbouring pistes.
Lift passes (2026-2027) detail →
| Adult pass | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 day | €55 |
| 6 days | €294 |
| Season | €786 |
| Child, 1 day | €50 |
| Free | Free under 5 · free from 75 years |
Read on the official price list, full price, excluding promotions. Official price list ↗
The ski area in figures
Measured on 9 September 2026Measured on OpenStreetMap (altitudes: IGN RGE ALTI), not taken from the brochure. The vertical above is that of one piste, not of the whole ski area. Population: INSEE municipal population via geo.api.gouv.fr.
Source: national register of mechanical lifts (STRMTG, CAIRN), fleet as of 1 January 2025 — lifts attributed to Domaine du Tourmalet only (“TOURMALET”), magic carpets included.
Staying and hiring gear in Domaine du Tourmalet
We compare the partners that cover this resort. Some links earn us a commission — never at the expense of the price or of the data.
Stay & accommodation
Live webcams
All webcams (12) →Official players of the resort, live image. Checked on 12 September 2026.
Piste map
Open on OpenSnowMap ↗Pistes coloured by level, lifts as lines. The resort’s official map is the reference in season.
Base map © OpenTopoMap (CC-BY-SA) · pistes © OpenSnowMap (CC-BY-SA) · data ©OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Getting to Domaine du Tourmalet
From Paris: 9 hr 19 (850 km) by road.
By road
- From Pau: 1 hr 31 · 98 km
- From Toulouse: 2 hr 23 · 178 km
- From Bordeaux: 3 hr 30 · 302 km
- From Perpignan: 4 hr 12 · 373 km
- From Montpellier: 4 hr 40 · 408 km
From other major cities (15)
- From Clermont-Ferrand: 6 hr 15 · 546 km
- From Marseille: 6 hr 21 · 571 km
- From Valence: 6 hr 30 · 606 km
- From Grenoble: 7 hr 27 · 697 km
- From Lyon: 7 hr 37 · 705 km
- From Saint-Étienne: 7 hr 41 · 584 km
- From Nice: 7 hr 58 · 729 km
- From Chambéry: 8 hr 12 · 756 km
- From Annecy: 8 hr 37 · 815 km
- From Genève: 9 hr 07 · 853 km
- From Dijon: 9 hr 10 · 842 km
- From Paris: 9 hr 19 · 850 km
- From Besançon: 9 hr 46 · 901 km
- From Nancy: 11 hr 17 · 1053 km
- From Strasbourg: 12 hr 09 · 1138 km
Excluding traffic and winter conditions; passes closed in winter are avoided.
By train
Tournay station
halt · then 49 min drive (45 km)
Nearest main station: Lourdes, 51 min by road.
No direct bus line from the station to the resort appears in the open-data timetables (checked on 13 September 2026): ask the resort about a private shuttle or a taxi.
Shuttles and buses from the station: see the resort’s official website.
By plane
- Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées (LDE): 1 hr 00 by road · 52 km
- Pau-Pyrénées (PUF): 1 hr 35 by road · 101 km
Take me there
These links open the app with Domaine du Tourmalet as the destination. Your starting point is never sent by us — the app asks you for it, if you agree.
Charging an electric car
No freely accessible charge point is declared within 2 km of the resort (checked on 9 September 2026). Covered car parks in the resort may offer chargers reserved for their customers: those are not listed here.
Freely accessible charge points read from the French national EV charging database (data.gouv.fr ↗, operators’ own declarations), checked on 9 September 2026. Check availability before you leave: the database says what is installed, not what is free tonight.
Road conditions
From 1 November to 31 March, snow chains or winter tyres are compulsory in most mountain areas (French “Loi Montagne II”).
Driving times computed on the OpenStreetMap road network (OSRM), SNCF stations (open data), airports (Wikidata). Indicative, not a timetable: allow extra time in snow.
Off-piste & ski touring
The resorts for off-piste skiing →Named itineraries: La Verte · La Jaune · La Blanche · Coume du Pic · La Violette · Caoubère
Itineraries surveyed on OpenStreetMap within a 4 km radius (7 September 2026): “marked” means an itinerary exists on the map, not that it is open or safe on the day.
Ski touring routes described
Resorts for ski touring →12 ski touring routes documented within 10 km of Domaine du Tourmalet — up to 1,150 m of climb.
| Summit and route | Ski grade | Climb | Altitude | Aspect | From resort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pic d'Espade Pointe E · Couloir NW des blocs coincés | 5.1 · E3 · D | 500 m | 1,740 → 2,190 m | N · NW | 0.9 km |
| Pic d'Espade · Face W | 5.1 · E3 · TD- | 1,050 m | 1,450 → 2,467 m | W | 1 km |
| Pic d'Espade · Couloir SE Blue Latifolia | 5.1 · E2 · TD- | 750 m | 1,790 → 2,467 m | E · SE | 1 km |
| Col du Pic d'Espade · Diagonale d'Espade | n/a | 610 m | 1,730 → 2,350 m | N · NE · E | 1 km |
| Col du Pic d'Espade · White Stingray | 5.1 · E2 · TD- | 610 m | 1,730 → 2,350 m | E · NE · N | 1 km |
| Pic d'Oncet · Couloir NE | 4.2 · E2 · D | 1,150 m | 1,450 → 2,607 m | NE | 1.1 km |
| Pic du Tourmalet · Face W Couloir en Z | 4.2 · E2 · D- | 1,075 m | 1,450 → 2,486 m | W | 1.1 km |
| Pic Costallat · Face N - Depuis Super-Barèges et le col de Sencours | 3.3 · E1 · AD+ | 1,000 m | 1,740 → 2,502 m | N | 1.1 km |
| Pène Nègre · Traversée E>W de la crête | n/a | 650 m | 1,790 → 2,375 m | E · W | 1.1 km |
| Crête de la Pègue - Versant Méridional · Couloir S Rocher du mileu | 4.1 · E2 · D- | 900 m | 1,800 → 2,440 m | N · S · W | 1.3 km |
| Pic de Campana · Couloir NW | 4.2 · E2 · D | 850 m | 1,450 → 2,300 m | NW | 1.3 km |
| Pic du Tourmalet · Couloir S | 3.3 · E1 · PD+ | 1,020 m | 1,490 → 2,486 m | S | 1.4 km |
Source: Camptocamp.org topo guide (CC BY-SA), routes starting within 10 km, read on 13 September 2026. Descriptions and photos are on Camptocamp; an empty cell is a field nobody has filled in. Camptocamp ski touring routes ↗
Practical information
Collective accommodation
730 bed spaces in tourist residences, holiday villages and hostels
- 7 hotels · 184 rooms (1 × 4★, 2 × 3★, 1 × 2★, 2 × 1★)
- 1 holiday village or family centre · 90 bed spaces
- 5 tourist residences and apartment hotels · 640 bed spaces
- 4 campsites · 452 pitches
Commune: Bagnères-de-Bigorre · INSEE tourist accommodation survey, 2026, read on 12 September 2026. Collective accommodation only — privately let flats and second homes are not counted. INSEE dataset ↗
Tourist office
Office du Tourisme
Ski school
ESF La Mongie
95 instructors
🇬🇧 36 English-speaking instructors — lessons in English available
🗓️ This school sells its lessons online — book ↗
Source: esf.net
In case of accident
112 — the European emergency number, free of charge, triggers mountain rescue. On the pistes, the ski patrol number is printed on the piste map and at lift ticket offices. Piste rescue is charged: check your insurance or take the option sold with the lift pass.
Nearby resorts
Frequently asked questions
How high is Domaine du Tourmalet?
Domaine du Tourmalet sits at 2,116 m at village level, and its ski area rises to 2,456 m.
How many kilometres of pistes does Domaine du Tourmalet have?
Domaine du Tourmalet has 65 km of pistes served by 26 lifts (OpenStreetMap survey).
What is the longest piste in Domaine du Tourmalet?
The longest piste is Bastan: 3 km (blue run), for 271 m of vertical. Measured on the OpenStreetMap map, segments of the same name and level joined end to end, altitudes from the IGN RGE ALTI terrain model — a resort sometimes advertises a longer run by chaining several pistes.
How high do the lifts go in Domaine du Tourmalet?
The highest lift, Quatre Termes (chairlift), tops out at 2,466 m. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How many lifts does Domaine du Tourmalet have, and what is their capacity?
The French national register of mechanical lifts records 30 installations at Domaine du Tourmalet (14 chairlifts, 11 drag lifts, 5 magic carpets), for an authorised capacity of 43,874 people per hour, of which 3,000 for Tourmalet alone. The fleet spans 1958 to 2024, an average age of 27 years. This count covers the resort itself, magic carpets included, not the whole linked ski area — a resort brochure often announces a different number. Source: STRMTG, French national register of mechanical lifts (CAIRN database), file dated 1 January 2025.
How much is a lift pass in Domaine du Tourmalet?
The adult day pass costs €55 and the 6-day pass €294 (2026-2027, read on the official price list).
How do I get to Domaine du Tourmalet?
By road, Domaine du Tourmalet is 1 hr 31 from Pau (98 km), excluding traffic and winter conditions. By train, the nearest station is Tournay, 49 min by road from the resort. No direct bus line from the station to the resort appears in the open-data timetables. The nearest airport is Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées, 1 hr 00 away.
How long is the drive from Paris to Domaine du Tourmalet?
9 hr 19 for 850 km from central Paris, excluding traffic and winter conditions. Computed on the real road network (OpenStreetMap): allow more on a school-holiday Saturday.
Is the snow reliable in Domaine du Tourmalet?
Yes: good snow through most of the winter according to twenty winters of Météo-France measurements; in season the daily report prevails.
Is Domaine du Tourmalet good for beginners and families?
73% of the pistes are green or blue: a rather easy area.
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