The biggest area in the French Pyrenees, spread across the Tourmalet pass with La Mongie on one side and Barèges on the other, and the two joined over the col. Barèges is an old spa village with thermal baths and a working local life. La Mongie is a purpose built base higher up and closer to the snow. The two are very different places to stay and the pass covers both. The terrain is wide and open with a good vertical and enough variety for a week, and the Pic du Midi above it offers lift served off piste from an observatory at 2877 metres, which is one of the more unusual descents in Europe. The Tourmalet is one of the most famous climbs in the Tour de France, and Lourdes is around forty minutes away.