Gourette

Gourette is a winter sports resort in the French Pyrenees. It is located in the commune of Eaux-Bonnes in the "département" of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, on the D918 road which passes through the Col d'Aubisque mountain pass. The closest air access is Pau Pyrénées Airport.

In winter, the resort offers one of the largest skiable areas in the Pyrenean chain with 30 marked pistes, and extending between 1,400 and 2,400 meters in altitude, covering about 90 hectares of mostly north-facing slopes. The area also hosts snowboarding and snowshoe trails. In 2005 the region spent over 50 million euros to improve its winter resort facilities, including trails, lifts, accommodation and other infrastructure.

In summer, tourists visit the valley of the Gave d'Ossau and its lakes for sightseeing, hiking, biking, rock climbing, and mountaineering, including the ascent of Pic du Midi d'Ossau (2,884 metres/9,462 ft). The French GR 10 hiking trail, which covers over 800 km from one end of the Pyrenees to the other, passes through the village.

The 2007 Tour de France passed through Gourette. The road through the Col d'Aubisque pass, cresting at an altitude of 1,710 metres (5,610 feet), has slopes from 7.5 to 10% and is considered a "Hors Categorie" climb in Union Cycliste Internationale race classifications.

External links

* [http://www.gourette.com Official website of the resort] fr
* [http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.net/eta_tdf_1903_1913/tdf1910.php Mémoire du Cyclisme website] fr