Winter activities in the Spanish Pyrenees

Winter is coming. While one enjoys a warm fireplace at home, the other is eager to go out after the first snowfall. The Spanish Pyrenees is home to many Spanish winter sports enthusiasts. We’ll tell you about some amazing winter activities in the Ésera Valley:

Hiking with snow rackets

On your own or with a guide you can discover the mountain scenery in a whole new way. With special snowshoes, in Spanish ”raquetas de nieve’, you have good grip and won’t sink into the deep snow. For every level there are routes and you walk on beautiful snowy paths.

Skiing, snowboarding or cross-country skiing

Maybe Spain is not the first country you think of in winter sports, but in the Pyrenees there are several ski areas. One of them is the ski station in Cerler, situated in the valley of Benasque. This is the highest mountain village of the Aragonese Pyrenees. From 1540 meters altitude there are a total of 68 slopes, with descents for every level. The highest ski lift here goes up to altitude of 2700 meters.

Ski touring

Instead of using ski lifts or other means of transportation, ski touring involves going uphill using special ‘skins’ attached to the base of your skis. During this challenging activity you can climb the mountain going off-the-beaten-tracks. The descent depends on the terrain, if you do this off-piste in the deep snow, it is a lot more technical than a descent on a normal ski slope. It can be done as an one-day activity, but there are also multi-day itineraries. This involves spending the night in mountain huts. A special experience, where your stamina is put to the test. But also where you can enjoy rewarding views over the winter landscapes after the intense uphill activity.

Alpinism for the experienced mountaineers

In mountaineering you climb a mountain over terrain that consists of rock, snow and sometimes even ice. For this you need an excellent condition and use technical equipment. In the Benasque Valley, the Aneto (3,404 m) and Posets (3,375m) are some of the highest peaks of the Pyrenees, where you have excellent possibilities for alpinism treks.

Other outdoor activities

In addition to all the snow activities, you can also still enjoy other outdoor activities. Such as descending a dry canyon, rock climbing or cross a via ferrata route. These are specially pleasant activities on sunny days, because the rocks preserves the warmth of the sun.

And after a day full of winter activity? Then there’s nothing better than sitting back and relax. Close to a wood-burning fireplace, with a hot cup of tea (or hot chocolate) and a good book!