Skiing in August in The Pyrenees

Can you ski in the Pyrenees in August?

No. There is no lift served summer skiing anywhere in the Pyrenees. Every resort, from Baqueira Beret and Formigal in Spain to Grandvalira in Andorra and Saint Lary Soulan on the French side, closes for the season by early to mid April and does not reopen for skiing until the following winter. By August the slopes are green pasture and there is no piste anywhere.

The Pyrenees also lack the high glaciers that keep a handful of Alpine resorts open in summer. The range holds only a few tiny remnant ice bodies, high, fragile and shrinking fast, and none is a ski area or anywhere a recreational skier should go. So unlike the high western Alps, where a glacier such as Plateau Rosa runs through the summer, the Pyrenees offer no August skiing at all. The honest verdict is to plan a winter trip.

Why is there no summer skiing in the Pyrenees?

The Pyrenees simply are not high or glaciated enough for summer skiing. Their summits top out around 3,400 meters, lower than the great glaciated peaks of the Alps, and what little permanent ice remains is disappearing rapidly. The handful of small glaciers left are the southernmost in Europe and are in critical decline, so they cannot support skiing and are studied as a vanishing feature rather than used as terrain.

This is a permanent climatic reality, not a seasonal quirk. Where the Alps can rely on high glaciers at well over 3,500 meters for summer laps, the Pyrenees have nothing comparable, and warming is removing even the remnants. For dependable summer turns you need the Alpine glaciers or, better still, the Southern Hemisphere, where August is deep winter.

What are the Pyrenees actually good for in August?

A huge amount, just not skiing. August is peak summer in the Pyrenees and one of the finest mountain hiking regions in Europe, with long warm days, open refuges, and famous routes through the high cirques and national parks on both the French and Spanish sides. The ski resorts reinvent themselves as summer bases for hiking, mountain biking, climbing and via ferrata, with some lifts running for walkers and bikers.

August prices are summer prices, generally lower than winter peak for accommodation in the ski villages, though it is the busiest hiking month so book the popular refuges ahead. If you want a mountain holiday that happens to be in a ski region, August is excellent. If you want to ski, it is the wrong month and the wrong range, and the verdict is to book a winter trip or head south of the equator.

What is the best hiking in the Pyrenees in August?

Since you cannot ski, August is the month to make the most of the Pyrenees on foot. Both the French and Spanish sides hold famous high mountain routes, from day walks out of the ski villages to multi day hut to hut traverses through the national parks and high cirques. The ski resorts make practical bases, with accommodation, services and in places summer lift access that lifts walkers and bikers up the mountain.

Go prepared for high summer in the mountains. Days are long and warm in the valleys but cooler and more exposed up high, and afternoon thunderstorms are common, so start early and aim to be off the high ground by early afternoon. Book the popular refuges ahead, since August is the busiest hiking month, and carry layers, water and sun protection for the strong high altitude sun.

Who should come to the Pyrenees in August, and who should wait?

August suits hikers, climbers, mountain bikers and families who want a warm, scenic, good value mountain holiday and have no need to ski. The Pyrenees in summer rival anywhere in Europe for high mountain walking, and the ski villages make comfortable, well equipped bases with summer lift access in places.

Anyone who wants to ski should not come in August. Plan a winter trip between December and April, with January and February for the most snow sure conditions and March for the sunny, good value sweet spot. Skiers set on summer turns should look to the Alpine glaciers or the Southern Hemisphere, where it is mid winter.

August in The Pyrenees: the case for and against

Where to ski in the Pyrenees in August

For August we would point you first at these, each with our full review:

• Baqueira Beret. No summer skiing, but a superb base in the Aran valley for high Pyrenean hiking, and the top Spanish resort to book for winter.
• Saint Lary Soulan. A lively French Pyrenean village that runs as a summer hiking and biking base, with skiing returning in winter.
• Grandvalira Soldeu. The biggest Pyrenean ski area, a summer activity base in August and excellent value to book for the winter season.

Common questions