Porte Puymorens

Skiers praise the altitude and the dependable cover, the amount of off-piste and a snowpark rated well above the resort's size. Much of the terrain sits in trees, so riding carries on in flat light and the lifts rarely shut. It stays uncrowded, the ESF instructors are well regarded and multilingual, and at around 39 euros the day pass is called one of the cheapest in the Pyrenees.

The lifts take the brunt of the complaints: three ageing fixed-grip chairs, some of them two-seaters, and a trip from the Vignole car park up to the Mine high point that means changing lifts and roughly thirty minutes of travel. The Mine sector itself is regularly closed by wind, and visitors warn about the biting cold at the top. The cafeteria is called adequate at best, ski-school groups clog the slopes in the afternoon, and when only part of the area is open the pass starts to feel overpriced.