Artouste - Fabrèges

The praise starts with the gondola from Lake Fabreges - new, fast and comfortable - and with the view over the Ossau valley and its lakes, which reviewers call the best thing here. They value the fact that roughly half the terrain runs through forest, so visibility holds up in bad weather. A cheap pass, easy road access and a calm family atmosphere come up often, as do the snowpark, the boardercross and a black run with trees on the piste.

The old kit higher up draws criticism: the drag lifts are described as a trip back to the 1980s. The area is small with few runs, and in lean snow years only part of it opens, since the lower sections melt in any thaw. Wind is the main problem: the resort sits close to the Pourtalet pass and is regularly shut in part or completely, with avalanche risk adding to it. On busy days people complain about long waits at the lifts.