The perfect family ski day

Escape to the Monts d'Olmes

The Monts d’Olmes winter sports area in Ariège is the ideal place for a family getaway! Between skiing, sliding and warmth, experience the perfect winter adventure with your loved ones at the heart of this charming, human-scale resort, offering all amenities. Descend the 15km of snow-covered slopes in complete safety, explore the area on snowshoes to take in the sublime views and share moments of happiness in an exceptional mountain setting. Look no further than the Monts d’Olmes for some of the best family memories you’ll ever have.

Enora tells...

Great, it's winter vacation! My name is Enora, I'm 11 and I live in Albi. With my dad, my cousin, grandma and grandpa, we've taken advantage of this time of year to organize a trip to the Monts d'Olmes ski resort. Everything's ready, and we're off early tomorrow for skiing, tobogganing and snowshoeing! Are you with me?

Off to the mountains!

At 7 a.m. we leave the house and set off for the Monts d’Olmes in the Cathar Pyrenees. We’re all very happy to be spending these few days skiing together! We chat on the freeway and in less than 2 hours we’re at the start of the climb to the resort. There’s already snow on the side of the road, and before we set off, Dad stops to fit the tires with chains. My cousin and I take the opportunity to have our first snowball fight! We’re soon called back by the grown-ups to get back in the car and start the climb. The road is covered in snow and Mamie and I are holding our breath in awe…

road conditions

Equip yourself

We finally arrive at the large parking lot at the foot of the resort building and don our après-ski boots to quickly climb the few steps to the foot of the pistes. Wow!!! Once at the top of the stairs, we see the skiers speeding down the wide central slope. It makes us want to join them, but first we have to buy the ski passes at the ticket office and rent the equipment. We pick up skis, boots and helmets for my cousin, Dad and me, and snowshoes for Grandma and Grandpa. After finding the right sizes for everyone, we’re ready to enjoy the snow!

Ticketing

A ski lesson just for us

It’s 10 a.m. and my cousin and I are on our way to theMonts d’Olmes ski school instructor. As Mamie wanted us to progress, she offered us 2 hours of lessons with a “teacher” who showed us how to brake, skid and even slalom between poles. This took place in an area reserved for the ski school, at the foot of the large central slope. Our instructor was very friendly and adapted to our level to explain to us how to ski properly. Once we felt confident on our skis, we went down a green run a few times, which was great! What’s more, we didn’t have to wait in line at the tug-of-war, as the ski school had a special passage, so we were able to make the most of it without wasting a minute!

ESF des Monts d'Olmes

A wolf's hunger

And at 12pm it’s time for a break… we’ve earned it! We meet in front of the ski school and choose a restaurant in the resort to eat together. I had a good raclette, yum! Delicious! We tell each other about our exploits during the meal: Dad knows how to ski too well, so he took advantage of the morning to hurtle down some difficult slopes. Mamie and Papi went snowshoeing in the hills above the resort. They took some great photos. We’re sitting on the terrace, the sun is shining, we’re so happy!

The restaurants

Macaroni with cheese, chicken and mushrooms baked in the oven

An afternoon of schuss

The break allowed us to regain our strength, and we were off again for a busy afternoon. Papi and Mamie decided to put the snowshoes back on to go as far as the Fage Belle pond, while Dad, my cousin and I took the chairlift to explore the ski area and go down the blue runs. Dad and I even did a red run!

We met up again at the end of the afternoon for some hot chocolate and then headed off to the lovely chalet right next to the slopes that we’d rented for the night. It was a really great day, and we can’t wait to do it again tomorrow!